Students With Disabilities: More Information and Guidance Could Improve Opportunities in Physical Education and Athletics
Published: 2010-06-23T00:00:00

Fast Facts:

Highlights:
section_title: Why GAO Did This Study
paragraphs: Research has established that physical activity and participation in athletics provides important health and social benefits for children. Certain federal laws help ensure that kindergarten-12th grade schools provide students with disabilities opportunities to participate in physical education (PE) and extracurricular athletics equal to those of their peers. However, national associations have questioned whether students with disabilities receive opportunities similar to their peers. Regarding students with disabilities, GAO was asked to examine (1) what is known about the PE opportunities that schools provide, and how do schools provide these; (2) what is known about the extracurricular athletic opportunities that schools provide, and how do schools provide these; and (3) how the Department of Education (Education) assists states and schools in these areas. GAO analyzed federal survey data; reviewed relevant federal laws and regulations; and interviewed state, district, and school officials in selected states, as well as parents and disability association officials.
section_title: What GAO Found
paragraphs: Schools provide students with and without disabilities similar opportunities to participate in PE but face challenges when serving students with disabilities. Students with disabilities spend similar amounts of time in PE class and exercising in class as students without disabilities, according to national data and GAO site visits. Most students with disabilities take PE with other students in general PE classes. To facilitate their participation, teachers may make accommodations for some students, such as providing additional modeling or repetition. Many state, district, and school officials GAO interviewed cited teacher preparation and budget constraints as key challenges to serving students with disabilities in general PE classes. For example, they said general PE teachers need more training opportunities on working specifically with students with disabilities, yet resources for training are not always available. Limited national data suggest that students with disabilities participate in extracurricular athletics, but do not distinguish whether these opportunities are offered through schools or community programs. Among the schools GAO visited, students with disabilities participated in athletics at varying rates, but at consistently lower rates than students without disabilities. Several factors, such as a student's disability type or outreach to students, may affect participation. Some schools or districts GAO interviewed provided opportunities by partnering with community programs or offering athletics designed specifically for students with disabilities, such as wheelchair basketball. District and school officials GAO interviewed cited a lack of information on ways to expand athletic opportunities, lack of clarity regarding schools' responsibilities, and budget constraints as key challenges. Education has provided little information or guidance on PE or extracurricular athletics for students with disabilities, and some states and districts GAO interviewed said more would be useful. According to agency officials, Education has not provided much information or guidance because it has targeted its limited resources on other areas, such as monitoring priorities specified in federal law. Officials from several states and many districts said they could benefit from Education helping states and schools to share information on practices or resources regarding PE and athletics for students with disabilities. Officials from districts and disability groups also said more clarification from Education on schools' responsibilities under federal law on extracurricular athletics for students with disabilities would be useful.

section_title: Letter
paragraphs: The health and social benefits of physical activity and athletic  participation for children are well established. These benefits may be even  more important for children with disabilities, including those with  cognitive and physical disabilities who have a greater risk of being  sedentary and having associated health conditions, such as obesity and  reduced cardiovascular fitness. Studies have shown that for students with  disabilities, regular physical activity may help control or slow the  progression of chronic disease, improve muscular strength, control body  weight, and enhance students’ psychological well-being through additional  social ties and improved self-confidence and self-esteem.
Certain federal laws and regulations help ensure that children with  disabilities are provided opportunities to participate in physical education  (PE) and extracurricular athletics that are equal to those of other  children. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)  mandates that states receiving federal grants under the act generally  ensure that eligible elementary and secondary school students with  disabilities receive a free appropriate public education which is defined as  certain special education and related services. Students with a range of  disabilities are protected under IDEA, including those with cognitive or  emotional disabilities and those with visual, hearing, or orthopedic  impairments. Another key federal law protecting students with disabilities  is Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504), which  prohibits entities that receive federal funds, such as elementary and  secondary schools, from discriminating against otherwise qualified  individuals with disabilities. Under the implementing regulations for both  IDEA and Section 504, schools are required to provide students with  disabilities equal opportunity for participation in extracurricular activities,  which often include athletics. In its administration of these federal laws,  the Department of Education (Education) provides oversight and  assistance to states and local education agencies, including administering  federal funds, monitoring IDEA and Section 504 compliance, and providing  guidance and technical assistance.
Despite the health and social benefits of physical activity and the  existence of these federal laws, national associations have raised  questions about whether elementary and secondary schools are providing  students with disabilities similar opportunities in PE and extracurricular  athletics as compared to the opportunities of their peers without  disabilities. In light of these concerns, you asked us to address the  following:  1.  what is known about the PE opportunities that schools provide to  students with disabilities, and how do schools provide these  opportunities;  2.  what is known about the extracurricular athletic opportunities that  schools provide to students with disabilities, and how do schools  provide these opportunities; and  3.  how Education assists states and schools to provide opportunities in  PE and extracurricular athletics to students with disabilities.
To address these issues, we examined pertinent data from four nationally  representative studies that provided the most current national survey data  available for our purposes: the 2006 School Health Policies and Programs  Study (SHPPS), the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS), 2001 data  from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2), and 2000 data  from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS). We  reviewed the methods and survey design used in these studies and,  through interviews with knowledgeable agency officials and our own  analyses, determined that the data we used were sufficiently reliable for  our purposes. While more recent data are available from NLTS2 and  SEELS, we determined that the data collected during the first wave of  these two longitudinal studies were more reliable for the purposes of  generating estimates of student participation in PE and extracurricular  athletics. In addition, we conducted site visits in five states (California,  Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, and New Jersey) and interviewed officials  from state departments of education and state athletic associations, school  districts, and schools. We also interviewed teachers, coaches, parents, and  students. In each state, we visited two school districts and four schools. In  addition, we conducted phone interviews with officials from state  agencies and district offices selected in Georgia and Texas. We chose  these seven states because they had relatively higher numbers of students  with disabilities nationwide and varied in whether they had policies  requiring elementary, middle, and secondary schools to teach PE, and  geographic location. We chose school districts that varied in their  percentages of students with disabilities, socio-economic status, and  classification as urban, rural, or suburban. In deciding between multiple  states or districts that met our selection criteria, we purposely chose some  that external stakeholders recommended as having innovative or  promising practices. To obtain information from parents, we set up  informal meetings with assistance from staff in Parent Training and  Information Centers in each state we visited. The information and data we  gathered from these site visits are not generalizable to all states and  districts. In addition to our site visits, we interviewed representatives from  21 national associations, community organizations, and experts in the  areas of disability, health, PE, special education, and athletics. We also  interviewed Education officials about Education’s relevant oversight and  assistance efforts and reviewed relevant federal laws, regulations,  guidance, and other agency documentation and data. See appendix I for  additional information on our methodology.
We conducted this performance audit from June 2009 through June 2010 in  accordance with generally accepted government auditing standards. Those  standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain sufficient,  appropriate evidence to provide a reasonable basis for our findings and  conclusions based on our audit objectives. We believe that the evidence  obtained provides a reasonable basis for our findings and conclusions  based on our audit objectives.
subsections: section_title: Background
subsections: section_title: IDEA and Section 504
paragraphs: IDEA authorizes federal funding for the needs of school-age children with  a range of disabilities, such as specific learning disabilities, speech and  language impairments, or mental retardation, who need special education  services (see fig. 1). In 2007-2008, students covered under IDEA made up  about 13 percent of the nation’s public prekindergarten through 12th grade  school enrollment and, in fiscal year 2007, states received $10.8 billion in  federal funds to provide services to school-age students. To receive  federal funds, states and local educational agencies must identify and  evaluate children who have a disability and provide special education and  related services, as well as supplementary aids and services when  necessary, to those who are eligible. Such services and supports are  formulated in an individualized education program (IEP), which is  developed, discussed, and documented by a student’s IEP team. An IEP  team must generally include, among others, the parents of the child, a  general education teacher, a special education teacher, and the child when  appropriate. IDEA also requires the placement of students in the least  restrictive environment—in which students with disabilities are educated  with students without disabilities—to the maximum extent appropriate.  Regarding PE, IDEA regulations specify that schools must generally  provide opportunities for students to participate in regular or general PE  classes or, in some cases, specially designed PE if determined by the IEP  team. Regarding extracurricular athletics, districts and schools must take  steps to provide services to give students with disabilities an opportunity  to participate in extracurricular activities, which may include athletics,  equal to that of other students.
Section 504 prohibits entities that receive federal financial assistance,  including elementary and secondary (K-12) schools, from discriminating  against otherwise qualified individuals with disabilities. The Americans  with Disabilities Act of 1990, as amended (ADA) is also a broad  antidiscriminatory law protecting individuals with disabilities. Education  interprets the ADA and Section 504 in a similar manner. While IDEA  students are covered under Section 504, other students who are not  covered under IDEA may still have a disability as defined under Section  504. Several of the most common disabilities of students included under  Section 504, but not always covered under IDEA, are attention deficit  hyperactivity disorder, diabetes, and asthma. In 2006, about 444,000  students with disabilities were covered under 504, and not IDEA, based on  the most recent estimates from Education. These students may have an  education plan developed under Section 504 that sets forth their needed  regular or special education and related aids and services, but the federal  requirements for such a plan are much less detailed than for an IEP.  Similar to IDEA, Education’s Section 504 regulations require that students  with disabilities be provided a free appropriate public education and learn  alongside students without disabilities to the maximum extent  appropriate. These Section 504 regulations also require that students with  disabilities must be provided equal opportunities to participate in PE  courses and extracurricular athletics. Unlike IDEA, however, Section 504  does not authorize any federal funding to schools to provide services to  students. (See table 1 for more information on IDEA and Section 504.)
section_title: Federal and State Responsibilities
paragraphs: At the federal level, Education is responsible for administering IDEA, as  well as Section 504, as it applies to many educational institutions. The  Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) allocates federal funds to  states for their implementation of IDEA programs and monitors states’  ability to provide a free, appropriate public education. For example, states  must report to OSEP the amount of time that students who are covered  under IDEA spend in their state’s general education classes, including PE.  The Office for Civil Rights (OCR), through its headquarters and 12 regional  offices, carries out enforcement activities related to Section 504, the ADA,  and other antidiscrimination laws. These activities include investigating  complaints of discrimination on the basis of race, color, national origin,  sex, disability, or age. OSEP and OCR also help states and schools meet  their federal requirements and improve the quality of education by issuing  policy guidance, disseminating information, and providing technical  assistance to individual institutions. Education funds and oversees  numerous national and regional research and technical assistance  providers, such as regional educational laboratories and national  clearinghouses that disseminate information, research, and other support  to policymakers and educators at the state and local levels. For example,  the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, which  includes OSEP, supports a network of more than 40 national technical  assistance centers, each with a focus on some aspect of special education.
At state and district levels, various parties may be involved in providing  students with opportunities in PE and extracurricular athletics. For  instance, many states have requirements regarding their districts’  provision of PE, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control  and Prevention and the National Association of State Boards of Education.  However, policies may vary by state or district, such as the required grades  in which PE should be offered, the number of minutes students should be  in class, or the specific content and curriculum areas that should be  taught. For extracurricular athletics, the National Federation of State High  School Associations (NFHS) is the national body that writes the rules of  competition for most high school interscholastic sports—the main form of  extracurricular athletic competition in schools, which includes varsity and  junior-varsity level teams. In turn, each state has its own state high school  athletic association which is a voluntary member of the NFHS. According  to an NFHS official, NFHS does not establish standards or policies  specifically regarding students with disabilities and each state athletic  association develops its own standards and policies. In addition, most  state high school athletic associations are not part of state departments of  education, but are private organizations, according to NFHS officials.
section_title: Schools Provide Students with and without Disabilities Similar Opportunities in PE, but Face Challenges Serving Students in General PE Classes
subsections: section_title: Schools Provide Similar Opportunities in PE to Students with and without Disabilities
paragraphs: Students with disabilities generally attend PE class about the same amount  of time as students without disabilities, according to national data and our  site visits. Estimates from YRBS 2005 on high school students indicate that  students with physical disabilities or long-term health problems attend PE  classes for approximately the same amount of time as those without  disabilities. For example, 29 percent of students with physical disabilities  or long-term health problems attend PE class 5 days a week compared to  34 percent of students without disabilities (see fig. 2). In 12 schools and  seven districts we visited, officials also told us that most students with  disabilities are in PE class the same amount of time as students without  disabilities. Officials from a few schools said that they actually provide a  greater amount of instruction time in PE for some students with  disabilities who have specific needs and take both general PE classes and  specialized PE classes. National data show that among districts that  require PE, many have policies allowing student to be exempt from PE due  to long-term physical, medical, or cognitive disabilities. However,  exemptions for students with disabilities were very rare according to  officials in the 20 schools we visited. Rather than exempting students  with disabilities from PE class entirely, a few schools we visited excuse  some students from certain activities. For example, officials from one high  school in New Jersey we visited told us that a few students with medical  conditions, such as asthma, may be exempt from particular activities but  that they are given alternative activities.
Schools generally provided students with and without disabilities  comparable opportunities to participate in PE, according to national data  and our site visits. According to 2005 YRBS estimates, students with and  without physical disabilities or long-term health problems spend similar  amounts of time actually engaged in physical activity per class. For  instance, 8 percent of students with physical disabilities or long-term  health problems spend 41 to 50 minutes in a typical PE class exercisin playing sports compared to 9 percent of students without these  disabilities.  students  we spoke with, said that students with disabilities often participate in PE  to the same extent as their peers without disabilities. In addition, almost  all state, district, and school officials we spoke with reported they rarely  received complaints about PE from parents of students with disabilities.  Several state and district officials said that while they hear complaints  from parents in other areas, PE is generally an area in which parents se satisfied.
Many district and schools officials, as well as some Various factors may affect students’ experience in PE, such as their school  level (e.g., elementary or middle) or their type of disability. For instance,  some parents and school officials said that PE teachers in elementary  school may be able to more easily integrate students with disabilities in y  their classes than those in secondary schools because peers in elementar school are more accepting, the equipment is more varied, and there is less  focus on competitive games than in secondary school, which may be  harder for students with disabilities to participate. Some district and  school officials also said that middle school can be particularly difficu some students with disabilities who may have more difficulty changing  into PE uniforms or opening combination locks on their PE lockers.  However, some schools overcame these challenges by waiving their PE  uniform policy or providing key locks to accommodate students with  disabilities. In addition, some parents and school officials noted that  ir  whether a student has a physical or cognitive disability may affect the experience. For example, officials in one school said that while students with physical impairments required more accommodations, they also may  have an easier time expressing their needs than students with cognitive  disabilities. On the other hand, many district and school officials told us  that students with emotional or behavioral disabilities usually participate in the same activities as other students and often excelled physically.  Some noted that PE class can provide them a physical outlet that helps  them focus their energy.
These estimates have 95 percent confidence intervals within plus or minus 3 percentage  points.
section_title: Schools Use Various Approaches to Provide PE to Students with Disabilities, but Most Included Students in the General PE Class
paragraphs: National data indicate that most students with disabilities who took PE did  so in general education classes with students who do not have disabilities.  Specifically, 92 percent of students with disabilities in grades 1 through 7  took PE in general education classes, according to SEELS estimates. In  grades 7 through 12, 88 percent of students with disabilities took PE in  general education classes, according to NLTS2 estimates. Similarly, in  most of the schools we visited, the majority of IDEA students received PE  in a general classroom without any accommodations or modifications.  Officials from a number of schools we visited told us that for some  students with disabilities who are in special education classes, PE is the  one general education class that they attend on a regular basis. School and  district officials also noted that the emphasis on educating students with  disabilities in an inclusive environment with their peers without  disabilities in all subjects also contributes to the high numbers of students  in general PE classes.
To facilitate participation for students with disabilities in general PE  classes, teachers may make accommodations or modifications for  students, which are often informal. According to 2006 SHPPS data and  many teachers we interviewed, common informal adjustments that  teachers use for students with disabilities in PE class include simplifying  the instructional content, providing additional skill modeling or repetition,  and having peers without disabilities assist in teaching or coaching (see  fig. 3). School officials said that these types of informal accommodations  or modifications are generally not determined through the IEP process. In  contrast, schools we visited said that more formal accommodations or  modifications are usually determined through the IEP process and noted  on a student’s IEP. These may include modifying assessments (e.g.,  allowing students to have more time to take tests); using specialized  equipment; or having individual aides or assistants work with students  during class. For example, officials from a middle school in California told  us that some students with disabilities receive accommodations when  taking tests for all their classes, including PE, and this is written on  students’ IEPs. Similarly, officials from schools we visited who had  individual aides help some students with disabilities in PE class said the  use of these aides was also determined on a case-by-case basis through the  IEP process.
Some schools accommodate students with more severe motor  development delays by providing specialized or “adapted” PE instruction,  using various approaches. Nationally, less than 11 percent of students with  disabilities under IDEA received adapted PE in 2000 and 2001, according  to SEELS and NLTS2 estimates. Among the schools and districts we  visited, the provision of adapted PE varied. Officials from 8 of the 20  schools we visited reported that no students received adapted PE services  at the time we visited. The remaining schools reported that between 2 and  29 percent of IDEA students—who represent most students with  disabilities—received adapted PE. Many districts we visited told us that  the provision of adapted PE for individual students was always  determined through the IEP process. Districts in Minnesota also relied on  standard statewide criteria to provide adapted PE, such as formal tests  evaluating motor skills or fitness levels.
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Schools we visited provide adapted PE using different approaches.  Students may receive direct instruction from an adapted PE teacher, the  adapted PE teacher may consult with the general PE teacher who actually  provides the specific modifications or accommodations to the student, or  schools may use a combination of both approaches. Some states require  that adapted PE be taught by a PE teacher with a supplemental license,  including California and Minnesota, based on state documents we  reviewed and state officials we interviewed. Nationwide, 12 states offer or  require a supplemental adapted PE license to teach adapted PE, according  to the Center on Disability Health and Adapted Physical Activity. Some  adapted PE teachers travel to several schools to provide services in the  districts we visited. In one district we visited in Florida, the sole adapted  PE teacher overcame challenges in scheduling her time by having students  who took adapted PE bussed to a central school so she could provide  them with services. Some parents we spoke with were pleased with their  children’s adapted PE experiences, while others said that their  experiences varied and depended on factors such as individual teaching  styles and the extent to which students who received adapted PE were  integrated into the general PE class.
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Fewer students receive PE only in separate or self-contained classes as  opposed to receiving PE in general classes with other students, according  to national data and our site visits. Our estimates from SEELS indicate that  7 percent were in a self-contained special education classroom for PE in  2000. Among eight districts we visited that could provide estimates, the  percentage of students with disabilities who received all of their PE in a  self-contained, adapted PE class ranged from 0 percent to 6 percent.  However, some self-contained PE classes may follow the same curriculum  as general PE classes. Officials in two schools we visited told us that  students with severe disabilities were in self-contained special education  classes and took general PE together as a class.
section_title: Schools Cited Teacher Preparation and Budget Constraints as Key Challenges to Serving Students with Disabilities in General PE Classes
paragraphs: A notable challenge to serving students with disabilities in general PE  classes is the lack of sufficient training or experience among PE or  classroom teachers, according to our interviews and other research.  Many state, district, and school officials we interviewed said that PE  teachers typically take one course on working with students with  disabilities in their undergraduate training. This coursework may not  always include practical experience working with students with  disabilities, and several studies found that PE teachers reported feeling  insufficiently prepared to teach students with disabilities. According to  SHPPS, only 32 percent of teachers surveyed who taught required PE  classes reported having received training on how to work with students  with long-term physical, medical, or cognitive disabilities in the 2 years  preceding the 2006 study. Officials from several disability, health, or PE  associations said that general PE or classroom teachers who lack training  or experience teaching students with disabilities may not know what to do  or how to provide the appropriate level of accommodations or effectively  adapt their instruction. Their lack of training and experience may result in  their excusing some students with disabilities from portions of the class,  according to two associations we interviewed. Some parents we spoke  with described instances in which their children sat on the side during  certain activities or were not encouraged to be as active as their  classmates. Several parents noted that while PE teachers may not intend  to be exclusionary, they were not sufficiently trained on how to include  students with disabilities in their classes.
Some state, district, and school officials we interviewed said teachers who  teach general PE need more training opportunities regarding students with  disabilities, yet resources for training are not always available. Some  officials from states and districts said they provide professional  development opportunities to teachers through online training,  workshops, or conferences. However, budget shortfalls limited their  ability to offer additional training opportunities for PE teachers. Some  district officials told us that they would like to receive more information  on meeting the needs of students with disabilities in general PE settings.  For instance, officials from a rural district in Georgia said that they did not  have any teachers who specifically taught adapted PE and all students  were taught by a general PE or special education teacher. Officials from  this district acknowledged that their teachers would benefit from  additional training in adapted PE, but told us that they could only provide  training if it were available at a low cost or if they had additional  resources.
Officials in many of the districts and schools we visited reported that  budget constraints created a challenge to providing PE to students with  disabilities, particularly in the general PE classroom. For example, many  district and school officials, including PE teachers, told us that budget  constraints in their schools have resulted in large general PE classes and  have hindered teachers’ ability to provide students with disabilities the  individual attention they may need. In both of the districts in California  that we visited, teachers and school officials said that PE classes can  include over 45 students, often with only one teacher. Several teachers  noted that they would like to provide more individual attention to students  with disabilities in their classes but cannot do so while managing the rest  of the class. Another PE teacher in Minnesota said that large classes in a  spacious and noisy environment can be particularly hard for students with  emotional or behavioral disabilities who are very sensitive to such stimuli.  District and school officials said that additional staff, such as  paraprofessional aides who could work one-on-one with students with  disabilities, would help address the challenge of large classes. However,  officials said that budget constraints limit the use of aides. Finally,  teachers or district officials in several states told us that limited resources  for equipment, including special adapted equipment or facility renovations  for outdated gymnasiums, hindered their ability to effectively provide  opportunities to students with disabilities.
A few state, district, school, and disability association officials we spoke  with cited a lack of importance placed on PE as a school subject  compared with academic subjects. Some state, district, and school  officials noted that the greater emphasis on assessments for reading and  math as required by federal law has led them to reduce the number of PE  classes that their students are required to take or PE elective courses that  they can offer. However, other district officials said their PE offerings  have not changed because state laws dictate PE requirements for students,  among other reasons. Officials from some districts, schools, disability  associations, and parent groups also said that parents of children with  disabilities may view PE as a relatively low priority and, subsequently,  have low expectations with respect to their children’s participation or  performance.
section_title: Some Students with Disabilities Participate in Extracurricular Athletics through Different Types of School Teams, but Schools Face Challenges Expanding These Opportunities
subsections: section_title: Limited Data Suggest That Some Students with Disabilities Participate in School Extracurricular Athletics, but Various Factors May Affect Their Participation
paragraphs: National data show that students with disabilities participate in  extracurricular athletics but do not fully distinguish whether these athletic  opportunities are offered through schools or out-of-school (i.e., through  community-based) programs. According to SEELS estimates, 41 percent of  students with disabilities in grades 1 through 7 participated in school or  community-based extracurricular athletics in 2000. Additionally, according  to NLTS2 estimates, 33 percent of students with disabilities in grades 7  through 12 participated in school or community-based extracurricular  athletics in 2001. In these studies, more students with disabilities  reported participating in school or community-based sports teams than in  other extracurricular activities surveyed, such as performance groups  (e.g., band or choir), scouting, or special interest groups (e.g., chess or  other hobby clubs). However, sports participation was consistently  higher for boys with disabilities than for girls with disabilities across age  groups. In addition, according to our interviews with Education officials  and researchers, we found no national data that was reliable for our  purpose of comparing the participation of students with disabilities to  students without disabilities in extracurricular athletics.
Among the schools we visited, we found that IDEA students participated  in school-based extracurricular athletics at varying rates, but at a lower  rate than their peers without disabilities. The percentage of IDEA students  who participated in “traditional” school-based extracurricular athletics  (that is, athletics not specially designed for students with disabilities)  ranged from 6 to 25 percent among the 11 schools we visited that could  provide estimates. In contrast, the percent of non-IDEA students who  participated in traditional extracurricular athletics ranged from 18 to 73  percent in these schools (see fig. 4). In all cases, the participation rates for  IDEA students were lower than for non-IDEA students, ranging from 10 to  56 percentage points lower.
A number of factors may contribute to these differences among schools,  such as outreach to students with disabilities, priorities of school officials,  and the level of competitiveness among athletic teams. Some schools we  visited in Florida and California actively reached out to some students  with disabilities in an effort to recruit them for extracurricular athletics.  Several of the special education teachers in a California school we visited  also coached different sports teams; this dual role enabled them to  encourage students with disabilities to participate, according to one  official. Additionally, the leadership of school officials may affect students’  participation in extracurricular athletics, according to some parents,  school officials, and officials from disability groups. One parent of a child  with a learning disability in California told us that administrators at her  daughter’s school recognized that extracurricular athletics was an area  where she excelled and wrote into her IEP that she could participate even  if her grades did not qualify her. In contrast, the competitiveness of some  athletic teams can negatively affect participation among students with  disabilities. A district official we spoke with in Texas told us that  extracurricular athletics in his district were very competitive and that it  was unlikely that many students with disabilities would make these teams.  Additionally, one parent told us that she took her daughter who has a  neurological disorder out of the school volleyball team because of  competitive pressures from other parents and students. Perceptions  among students, parents, and schools can also affect student participation  in extracurricular athletics, according to a number of officials from  schools and disability organizations we interviewed. Specifically, students  with disabilities may not perceive themselves as athletic and therefore are  reluctant to try out for teams, while parents or schools may resist the idea  of students participating due to safety concerns.
Student participation on sports teams varies by disability. In most of the  schools we visited, officials told us that students with disabilities who  participated in extracurricular athletics often had mild cognitive  disabilities or learning disabilities. Additionally, national data from NLTS2  indicates that students with hearing impairments, speech impairments,  learning disabilities, or other health impairments reported participating on  sports teams at a higher rate compared to students with orthopedic  impairments, mental retardation, visual impairments, autism, or multiple  disabilities. Many officials from schools and disability associations we  interviewed said that students with physical disabilities have fewer  opportunities in extracurricular athletics compared to students with  cognitive disabilities because fewer programs were designed for them. For  example, officials said that while students with learning or cognitive  disabilities could participate in traditional sports teams with little to no  modifications, students with physical disabilities may not be able to do so.  Officials from several schools and disability groups also noted that Special  Olympics has had a strong influence nationally in providing opportunities  for students with intellectual disabilities but that there is not a similar  organization for students with physical disabilities.
section_title: Schools Took Various Steps to Provide Extracurricular Athletic Opportunities to Students with Disabilities
paragraphs: Officials from all 15 districts we spoke with told us that all students in  their districts, including those with disabilities, are allowed to try out for  their school’s interscholastic athletics teams. In addition, many schools we  visited said they have at least some teams that accept all students who try  out. These teams were usually those based on individual performance,  such as track or swimming, according to school officials. In contrast, other  teams, such as soccer or basketball, were very competitive and had a  limited number of positions available. Many school officials told us that if  a student did not get selected to play on a competitive team, they were  encouraged by coaches to play on a team that accepted all students.
School officials reported that they provide varying levels of  accommodations for students with disabilities on traditional teams,  usually depending on the student’s disability. For example, a high school  we visited in New Jersey provided an interpreter for a deaf student on the  baseball team, and a middle school we visited in California modified rules  for deaf and blind students on their wrestling team. State athletic  associations in Texas and Minnesota sometimes granted exceptions to  their policy on student age limits for students with disabilities. Other  methods to aid students with disabilities in extracurricular athletics were  less formal. Coaches told us that they may vary their style to meet  individual student needs as a practice of good coaching but did not  provide any specific accommodations for students with disabilities. For  example, coaches in schools that we visited in New Jersey and Florida told  us that they repeat rules or give instructions by modeling an activity for  students with cognitive or learning disabilities in order to help them better  understand game rules.
A few schools provided extracurricular athletic opportunities to students  with disabilities through formal partnerships with community programs,  most commonly Special Olympics. While many schools provided referrals  to Special Olympics but did not otherwise facilitate participation, a few  schools we visited provided transportation, coaching, or funds to enable  students with intellectual disabilities to participate in Special Olympics.  Some of these schools also incorporated Special Olympics coaching and  activities into class time for students. In addition, a few schools and  districts we visited partnered with other community organizations to  provide extracurricular athletic opportunities. In Maryland, one high  school we visited collaborated with a local golf club to provide  extracurricular golf to students with disabilities and an elementary school  partnered with the city’s parks and recreation program to provide a sports  program for these students.
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New Jersey passed a much less detailed law in August 2009 that directs  the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association to establish  interscholastic adapted athletics for students with visual impairments  or physical disabilities who are participating in an adapted athletic  program developed by a school district. The New Jersey State  Interscholastic Athletic Association must require coaches of adapted  athletics to receive training specific to that program but the law does  not outline other requirements.
section_title: Lack of Information and Budget Constraints May Prevent Schools from Providing More Athletic Opportunities to Students with Disabilities
paragraphs: Officials from several districts and state athletic associations said they  generally lacked information that would help them provide extracurricular  athletic opportunities for students with disabilities. For instance, a number  of district officials said coaches do not receive training specifically on how  to work with students with disabilities. Some parents we spoke with said  that coaches who do not have such training can be overly focused on  winning and fail to fully include students with disabilities on their teams.  Other parents noted that coaches are rarely at IEP meetings, and one  parent in Minnesota told us that a coach improperly removed her child  from a team for being academically ineligible without considering the  student’s IEP. Additionally, some states and districts lacked information  on how to implement new adapted athletic programs for students with  disabilities. For example, while the Florida High School Athletic  Association planned to initiate a wheelchair track event in the coming  year, state and district officials we spoke with said they had questions  about how eligibility would be determined and how to provide the  equipment needed for these students to participate. Other state athletic  associations we interviewed were hesitant to consider offering adapted  athletic programs because they did not know how competitive events  would be held or how teams would be formed.
Further, some districts lacked information and clarity regarding their  responsibilities to provide opportunities under Section 504 for students  with disabilities who want to participate in extracurricular athletics equal  to those provided to other students. Officials in two districts and several  disability associations told us that Education’s Section 504 regulations  regarding schools’ responsibilities to provide extracurricular opportunities  are ambiguous. For example, a few disability associations noted that there  is lack of clarity regarding how “equal opportunity” should be defined.  Officials from another district questioned whether their responsibilities  included providing specifically designed programs for students with  disabilities, such as separate adapted athletics, particularly within a school  environment focused on greater inclusion for students with disabilities.
State, district, and school officials often cited budget constraints as  another key challenge to expanding athletic opportunities to all students,  including those with disabilities. Officials from seven of the 10 districts we  visited said that overall budget constraints have affected funding for their  entire athletics program, including funds for personnel and equipment. For  example, a rural district we visited in Florida told us that they do not have  the resources to fund many personnel positions or buy equipment and that  they had to eliminate their athletic director position this year. Another  district in California told us that the state’s budget situation has negatively  impacted all extracurricular athletics and the district is considering  dropping their sports teams in the near future. In addition, district officials  cited as a concern the high cost of transporting students with disabilities.  Officials in one district in Florida noted that transporting students with  disabilities was the largest cost in the district’s extracurricular athletic  program. Some school and district officials we spoke with had concerns  about the facilities used for competitions. A district official in Florida  noted that many facilities are old and the costs associated with making  these fields accessible for students with disabilities would be challenging.  Finally, some school officials said that budget limitations for their athletic  programs limit their ability to create new adapted teams, due to costs  associated with training and maintaining coaches and aides to work with  students.
section_title: Education Has Provided States and Schools Little Support Regarding PE or Athletics for Students with Disabilities, and Many Districts We Visited Said More Would Be Useful
subsections: section_title: Education Has Provided Little Information or Guidance
paragraphs: While OSEP monitors states’ implementation of IDEA and provides  information, resources, and technical assistance to states and schools on  teaching students with disabilities, very little of it is related to PE or  extracurricular athletics, according to OSEP officials and our review of  Education Web sites. Beyond technical assistance to current or  prospective grantees for special education grants, OSEP has not provided  any other relevant information or support. OSEP officials said that OSEP  has not used its limited resources to provide such information or support  because IDEA’s monitoring priorities are focused on other areas and the  office has not received relevant concerns or complaints from states,  schools, or parents.
Similarly, OCR has not widely disseminated any detailed guidance or  information on schools’ responsibilities to provide opportunities in PE or  extracurricular athletics for students with disabilities under Section 504,  according to agency officials and our review of OCR’s Web site. Based on  data from OCR officials, 12,543 complaints were made to its office, from  fiscal year 2005 to fiscal year 2009, regarding elementary and secondary  school students with disabilities. Of these, 108 of the complaints filed  between fiscal year 2005 and fiscal year 2009 (less than 1 percent)  pertained to discrimination regarding student participation in PE or  extracurricular athletics. From these 108 complaints, we reviewed a  subset of 20 and found that 16 alleged that a student was denied equal  opportunity to participate in extracurricular athletics. When resolving a  Section 504 complaint investigation, OCR may provide detailed guidance  or training to help individual districts or schools meet their responsibilities  regarding PE or athletics. However, according to OCR officials, such  guidance is tailored to the needs of the district or school based on facts  obtained through an OCR investigation, and OCR has not yet issued  guidance specifically on Section 504’s requirements concerning PE or  athletics. Our review of OCR guidance found several documents that state  that students with disabilities may not be excluded on the basis of a  disability from an extracurricular activity, which may include athletics,  and that students must be provided opportunities to participate in these  activities equal to those of other students. However, with regard to PE and  extracurricular athletics, these documents do not provide information  beyond what is stated in the Section 504 regulations. In contrast, OCR has  provided more detailed guidance in other civil rights areas, such as letters,  pamphlets, and question and answer sheets. OCR officials said they have  not yet issued additional guidance on extracurricular athletic  opportunities for students with disabilities in part due to resource  constraints and their focus on other areas of civil rights, such as gender  discrimination in athletics or harassment based on race, sex, and  disability. They also noted that these areas have received more official  complaints and persistent concerns from constituents such as parents and  community groups.
Through several grant programs, Education has administered a relatively  small amount of funds specifically to support PE or extracurricular  athletic opportunities for students with disabilities. For example, OSEP  administers a grant program that provides funding to institutes of higher  education for the development of special education personnel. In fiscal  year 2009, of the $91 million administered for these grants, about 2 percent  was used to support programs intended to provide undergraduate or  graduate training in the area of adapted PE. In the same fiscal year, OSEP  also administered about $8 million, as specifically directed by Congress, to  support Special Olympics programs. These federal funds are administered  under the Special Olympics Sport and Empowerment Act of 2004 and are  intended to increase the participation of individuals with intellectual  disabilities in sports and competitive activities. They are also used to  design and implement Special Olympics education programs that can be  integrated into classroom instruction. In addition, the Office of Safe and  Drug-Free Schools (OSDFS) administers the Carol M. White Physical  Education Program—the only dedicated PE program sponsored by  Education. However, according to OSDFS officials, less than 1 percent of  the program’s overall funding of $77 million in fiscal year 2009 was used to  serve the specific needs of students with disabilities. To serve these  needs, grantees used funds to purchase specialized equipment or provide  training to teachers and staff on how to adapt their general PE  programming and activities for students with disabilities.
section_title: Some State and District Officials We Interviewed Said More Information and Guidance Would Be Useful
paragraphs: Officials from several states and many districts we interviewed said that  they could benefit from Education helping states and schools share relevant  information, such as practices or resources regarding PE and  extracurricular athletics for students with disabilities. For example, officials  from one state told us that when they recently developed new guidance for  schools in PE and extracurricular athletics for students with disabilities,  they could have benefited from information on what other states were doing  in these areas. Officials from another state noted that Education could  collect information on promising practices and share these with institutes of  higher education that offer PE teacher training programs. Additionally,  officials from 14 out of 15 districts we interviewed indicated that additional  information or resources from Education on how to offer PE or  extracurricular athletic opportunities to students with disabilities would be  useful. For example, an adapted PE coordinator in a California district said  that while he draws on existing informational resources, such as private  sector Web sites and state or local conferences, he is constantly looking  for additional information from others in his field on good practices and  policies. Similarly, a PE and health director in a Florida district noted that as  more states implement new wheelchair track and field activities in the  general high school athletic program, supporting information and  procedural practices would be helpful.
Further, a number of officials from various associations we interviewed,  including those representing special education, PE, and adapted sports,  said that Education should share information on successful practices or  provide informational resources such as factsheets or toolkits. Some  association officials also said that Education could give additional  attention to PE or extracurricular athletics, by providing information  online or promoting greater awareness through media campaigns. This  attention would increase awareness among schools about the types of  opportunities that could be provided, promote interest among students  with disabilities to participate in such activities, and address concerns and  questions among parents.
Officials from many districts and several disability groups also said that  additional guidance from Education, specifically on extracurricular  athletics, would be useful. Officials in 12 of 15 districts we spoke with told  us that additional clarification and communication from Education  regarding schools’ responsibilities under Section 504 in providing  extracurricular athletics to students with disabilities would be useful.  Specifically, one district official noted that the lack of clarity in federal  requirements regarding how schools should define and provide equal  opportunities serves as a disincentive for schools to take proactive steps  to provide additional opportunities for students with disabilities. Another  said that while most districts give a “good faith effort” to provide equal  opportunities in extracurricular activities, including athletics, district  officials probably do not fully understand what it means to provide equal  opportunities until a problem arises, such as parent concerns or  complaints. According to this official, districts would benefit from  additional information on the legal issues or processes involved in  allowing students with disabilities to participate in extracurricular  athletics, as well as how to document instances in which a student is or is  not allowed to participate. Officials from another district noted that school  responsibilities related to special education services or supports for  activities that occurred after school, such as extracurricular athletics, as  opposed to those during the school day, were not entirely clear. Similarly,  officials from several disability groups noted that OCR could do more to  ensure that schools provide equal opportunities in extracurricular  athletics, such as by reminding schools of their responsibilities and what  they entail (e.g., through informational factsheets). Officials from one  disability association also said that they do not believe parents and  students with disabilities know where to turn for help with respect to  problems regarding extracurricular athletics and that OCR could help  inform parents and schools by issuing a letter reminding them that OCR is  a resource.
section_title: Conclusions
paragraphs: All students, including those with disabilities, benefit from the positive  effects that physical activity and school athletics have on an individual’s  health, social well-being, and self-esteem. While available data show that  students with disabilities generally are participating in physical education  classes to a similar extent as students without disabilities and that some  also are involved in school sports, we found that many districts and  schools we visited are interested in improving how they provide physical  education and athletic opportunities to these students. Garnering  additional resources to provide such opportunities is difficult at a time  when states and districts are operating under severe fiscal constraints.  However, certain districts and schools may have developed approaches or  activities to engage students with disabilities more fully in the PE  classroom or in extracurricular athletics, and leveraging their expertise  could be helpful to other schools that face challenges in these areas. Some  schools may also be uncertain about their exact responsibilities to provide  opportunities to students with disabilities equal to those of other students,  particularly regarding extracurricular athletics. Without additional  clarification from Education, schools may not be providing some students  full access to these opportunities. While Education has not addressed  these issues because it has targeted its limited resources to other areas,  focusing some of its existing resources on helping schools provide  opportunities in PE and extracurricular athletics could yield important  benefits and enable students with disabilities to more fully experience the  rewards of physical activity.
section_title: Recommendations for Executive Action
paragraphs: To help states and schools access existing knowledge and resources, we  recommend that the Secretary of Education facilitate information sharing  among states and schools on ways to provide opportunities in PE and  extracurricular athletics to students with disabilities. For instance,  Education could provide Web site links to resources or practices used by  states, districts, schools, or organizations in PE or extracurricular athletics  for students with disabilities. Such information could be posted on its Web  site or discussed at conferences or Webinars.
To ensure that schools are aware of their responsibilities and that students  with disabilities consistently have opportunities to participate in  extracurricular athletics equal to those of other students, we recommend  that Education clarify and communicate schools’ responsibilities under  Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act regarding the provision of  extracurricular athletics. For example, Education could provide clarifying  guidance to schools through its Web site or at conferences.
section_title: Agency Comments and Our Evaluation
paragraphs: We provided a draft of the report to the Department of Education for  review and comment. Education’s written comments are presented in  appendix IV. Education agreed with our two recommendations to provide  more information and guidance. Specifically, Education concurred that  further information sharing on providing opportunities in PE and  extracurricular athletics to students with disabilities would be helpful to  states, schools, and students. It plans to identify useful information on this  subject and share such information by posting it on its Web site,  www.ed.gov. Education also agreed that it is important for schools to be  aware of their responsibilities under Section 504 to provide opportunities  in extracurricular athletics equal to those of other students and plans to  issue additional guidance addressing this in fiscal year 2011. It also  provided technical comments, which we incorporated throughout the draft  as appropriate.
We are sending copies to appropriate congressional committees, the  Secretary of Education, and other interested parties. The report also will  be available at no charge on the GAO Web site at http://www.gao.gov.
If you or your staff have any questions about this report, please contact me  at (202) 512-7215 or ashbyc@gao.gov. Contact points for our Offices of  Congressional Relations and Public Affairs may be found on the last page  of this report. Key contributors to this report are listed in appendix V.
section_title: Appendix I: Scope and Methodology
paragraphs: To address the objectives of this study, we used a variety of methods.  Specifically, we    examined pertinent data from four nationally representative studies;    conducted site visits in five states and phone interviews with two    conducted 21 interviews with representatives from national associations,  community organizations, parent advocacy centers, or researchers in the  areas of disability, health, physical education (PE), special education, and  athletics; and  interviewed officials from the Department of Education (Education) about  Education’s oversight and technical assistance efforts, and reviewed  relevant federal laws, regulations, guidance, and other agency  documentation and data pertaining to PE and extracurricular athletics for  students with disabilities.
subsections: section_title: National Datasets
paragraphs: To obtain national information on the extent to which schools provide  students with disabilities opportunities in PE and extracurricular athletics,  we identified four nationally representative studies with the most recent  data available for our purposes. Specifically, we examined pertinent data  from the 2005 Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) and cited published  data from the 2006 School Health Policies and Programs Study (SHPPS).  Both studies are administered by the Department of Health and Human  Services’ Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. YRBS surveys  students in grades 9 through 12 on health-risk behaviors, and SHPPS  collects survey information on school health programs and practices from  state, district, and school officials, as well as teachers and parents. We also  examined 2001 data from Education’s National Longitudinal Transition  Study-2 (NLTS2) and 2000 data from Education’s Special Education  Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS). To calculate the percentage of  students with disabilities in these studies who did not participate in sports,  we included students who reported not participating in any extracurricular  activities, as well as students who reported participating in some  extracurricular activities but not sports. SEELS and NLTS2 consist of  nationally representative samples of students who received special  education services. Students in SEELS were 6 to 12 years old and in at  least the first grade in 1999, and students in NLTS2 were 13 to 16 years old  and in at least the seventh grade in 2000 (see table 2).
We selected these sources, in consultation with GAO methodologists,  because they contained nationally representative information about the  participation of students with disabilities in PE and extracurricular  athletics and were determined to be sufficiently reliable for the purposes  of our report. We examined the studies’ technical documentation to  determine their purpose, the population described, the sample surveyed,  data collection methods, and the focus of questions and variables related  to students with disabilities and PE and extracurricular athletics. Using  this documentation, and through interviews with knowledgeable agency  officials, we evaluated the reliability and quality of these data, as well as  the extent to which they could be used to answer our questions.  Additionally, while more recent data are available from NLTS2 and SEELS,  we determined, through interviews with knowledgeable agency officials  and our own analyses, that the data collected during the first wave of these  two longitudinal studies were preferable, for substantive and technical  reasons, for the purposes of our report. Such substantive issues included  relevant student grade levels, and technical reasons included high attrition  rates in later waves. We used the same methodology as Education to  produce estimates on the participation in extracurricular athletics among  students with disabilities. We determined that the data we analyzed were  sufficiently reliable for our purposes.
We assessed the quality, reliability, and usability of the data for reporting  descriptive statistics on the demographic characteristics of students with  disabilities (e.g., grade level, gender, and type of disability), and their  participation in PE and extracurricular athletics. Because each of the three  surveys we provided estimates for (SEELS, NLTS2, and YRBS) followed a  selection procedure based on random selections, each sample is only one of  a number of samples that might have been drawn. To assess the precision  of estimates from these three surveys, we calculated confidence intervals at  the 95 percent level for each measure. A confidence interval gives an  estimated range of values, calculated from sample data, which is likely to  include the true measure of the population. All percentage estimates from  SEELS and NLTS2 used in this report have 95 percent confidence intervals  within plus or minus 4 percentage points, unless otherwise noted. All  percentage estimates from YRBS used in this report have 95 percent  confidence intervals within plus or minus 7 percentage points, unless  otherwise noted. All SHPPS estimates have 95 percent confidence intervals  within plus or minus 5.5 percentage points of the estimates, unless  otherwise noted. All comparisons made between groups are significant,  unless otherwise noted. We analyzed data from YRBS, SEELS, and NLTS2  using SUDAAN (Survey Data Analysis) ®, a statistical analysis software  package with capabilities to analyze surveys with a stratified, multistaged  cluster sampling design, such as that found in YRBS, SEELS, and NLTS2.
section_title: Site Visits
paragraphs: To address all three of our objectives, we conducted site visits in five  states (California, Florida, Maryland, Minnesota, and New Jersey) and  interviewed officials from state departments of education, state athletic  associations, school districts, and schools. We also interviewed teachers,  coaches, parents, and students. In each of these states we visited two  school districts and four schools. In addition, we conducted phone  interviews with officials from state agencies and two to three school  district offices in Georgia and Texas. We selected these seven states  because they were in the top half of states in numbers of both IDEA  students and Section 504 students and varied in whether they had policies  requiring elementary, middle, and secondary schools to teach PE, and  geographic location. We chose school districts that provided variation in  their percentages of students with disabilities, socio-economic status, and  classification as urban, rural, or suburban. In deciding between multiple  states or districts that met our selection criteria, we purposely chose some  that external stakeholders recommended as having innovative or  promising practices. We spoke with parents by contacting one to two  Parent Training and Information Centers in each state we visited. These  parent centers are funded by Education and provide information and  support to families of children with disabilities of all ages. For this study,  staff from these centers asked parent members to voluntarily meet with  GAO to share their children’s experiences in PE and extracurricular  athletics. At some meetings, children also attended with their parents and  shared their views. We cannot generalize to all states, school districts, or  schools based on these site visits.
Through our site visits and phone interviews, we gathered information on  relevant state and district policies, available data or estimates on students’  participation in PE and extracurricular athletics, and factors that may  affect participation. We also inquired about the approaches districts and  schools use to provide opportunities in PE and extracurricular athletics,  key challenges to providing these opportunities, and areas in which federal  assistance has been or would be useful. When possible, we reviewed  written documentation and policies from state agencies, districts, and  schools. We also observed some classrooms and athletic practices and  spoke with groups of students at schools we visited. To enhance the  consistency of the information we obtained from interviews, we used  structured sets of questions for officials from state agencies, district  offices, and schools, as well as parents. We analyzed interview information  by developing and testing a coding structure and coding the interviews  using NVivo, a qualitative analysis software. One team member coded all  the interviews, and another reviewed 100 percent of the coded output for  accuracy.
section_title: Appendix II: Student Participation in Physical Education and Extracurricular Athletics in District and Schools We Visited
paragraphs: Using a short questionnaire, we obtained estimates from officials in the  districts and schools we visited of the number of students with disabilities  in PE and extracurricular athletics. We inquired about students covered  under IDEA, as well as those covered under Section 504, but not IDEA.  However, we did not include numbers of students covered only under  Section 504 in these tables due to the number of missing responses and the  few students in each district or school in this group. We visited two  schools in each district we visited.
section_title: Appendix III: National Data on Student Participation in Physical Education and Extracurricular Athletics
paragraphs: Unless otherwise noted, differences made between groups in these tables  are not statistically significant at p-value less than 0.05.
section_title: Appendix IV: Comments from the Department of Education
section_title: Appendix V: GAO Contact and Staff Acknowledgments
subsections: section_title: Staff Acknowledgments
paragraphs: In addition to the contact above, Elizabeth Morrison (Assistant Director),  Theresa Lo (analyst-in-charge), Hedieh Rahmanou Fusfield, and Michael  Pahr made significant contributions to this report. Steven Putansu, Dae  Park, and Shana Wallace assisted with the data analysis and methodology.  Alexander Galuten provided legal support. James Bennett assisted with  graphics. Susannah Compton and Jessica Orr assisted in report  development.