December 2003 GOING TO SCHOOL: INSTRUCTIONAL CONTEXTS, PROGRAMS, AND PARTICIPATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES A Report from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) Prepared for: Office of Special Education Programs U.S. Department of Education NLTS2 has been funded with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, under contract number ED-00-CO-0003. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. SRI International ® 333 Ravenswood Avenue Menlo Park, CA 94025 December 2003 GOING TO SCHOOL: INSTRUCTIONAL CONTEXTS, PROGRAMS, AND PARTICIPATION OF SECONDARY SCHOOL STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES A Report from the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) Prepared for: Office of Special Education Programs U.S. Department of Education Prepared by: Mary Wagner, Lynn Newman, Renée Cameto, Phyllis Levine, and Camille Marder SRI Project P11182 NLTS2 has been funded with Federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs, under contract number ED-00-CO-0003. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. government. SRI International ® 333 Ravenswood Avenue Menlo Park, CA 94025 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS In a time when educators in America’s schools are under more pressure than ever before to improve the academic performance of their students, we are enormously indebted to the thousands of teachers and other school staff who have supported the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2) by providing the information reported in this document. Their commitment to their students with disabilities has sparked their generosity in completing detailed questionnaires about the students’ schools, school programs, and classroom experiences. Our hats are off also to the parents and guardians of the more than 9,000 youth with disabilities included in NLTS2 for their time, openness, and insights in telling their children’s stories. In addition, NLTS2 relies on the contributions of a large team in collecting, processing, and finding meaning in the information school staff have provided. The authors’ sincere thanks go to: • Pat Gonzalez and Lou Danielson of the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education for their leadership and guidance in helping make NLTS2 and the OSEP longitudinal studies program such a valuable asset to our field. • To Kathryn Valdes, Hal Javitz, Peter Godard, Cynthia Williamson, Mary McCracken, James VanCampen, and the rest of SRI’s programming and data management team, whose technical expertise and responsiveness to innumerable and sometimes frantic analysts’ requests makes a huge analytic task manageable. • To Marion Collins, Klaus Krause, Roxanne Jones, and the rest of SRI’s administrative team for their unfailing support in bringing the study’s products to the public. • To Victor Nolet and Allen Phelps, who reviewed this report, and to our many colleagues in the research, policy, practitioner, parent, and advocacy communities who have contributed their time and ideas to NLTS2 along the way. i ii CONTENTS Acknowledgments ............................................................................................................. i Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... ES-1 1. Assessing the Classroom Experiences of Students with Disabilities during Secondary School, by Mary Wagner .................................................................. 1-1 Research Questions .................................................................................................... 1-2 Information Sources .................................................................................................... 1-2 Parents .................................................................................................................. 1-2 School Staff ........................................................................................................... 1-2 Technical Notes .......................................................................................................... 1-4 Organization of the Report .......................................................................................... 1-4 2. The Education-Related Histories of Secondary School Students with Disabilities, by Mary Wagner ..................................................................................... 2-1 Early Experiences with Services for a Disability ......................................................... 2-1 School Mobility ............................................................................................................ 2-2 Grade-Level Progression ............................................................................................ 2-3 Disciplinary Problems .................................................................................................. 2-4 Disability Variations in Education-Related Histories ................................................... 2-5 Demographic Variations in Education-Related Histories ............................................ 2-6 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 2-8 3. The Schools Attended by Secondary School Students with Disabilities, by Mary Wagner and Phyllis Levine ............................................................................ 3-1 Type of School Attended ............................................................................................. 3-2 School and Class Size ................................................................................................ 3-2 Student Body Characteristics ...................................................................................... 3-3 School Resources ....................................................................................................... 3-5 Staff ....................................................................................................................... 3-5 Programs to Support Student Learning and Development .................................... 3-7 Computer Technology ........................................................................................... 3-9 Special Education Placement Options .................................................................. 3-9 Supports for General Education Teachers ............................................................ 3-10 School Policies ............................................................................................................ 3-11 Schoolwide Initiatives ............................................................................................ 3-12 Standardized Testing ............................................................................................ 3-12 Social Promotion ................................................................................................... 3-14 Discipline Policy: Alternative Placements and Services ........................................ 3-15 School Climate ............................................................................................................ 3-15 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 3-18 iii 4. An Overview of the School Programs of Secondary School Students with Disabilities, by Mary Wagner ............................................................................. 4-1 Grade Level ................................................................................................................. 4-1 Receipt of Special Education Services ....................................................................... 4-1 Students’ Course Taking ............................................................................................. 4-2 Instructional Settings ................................................................................................... 4-5 Disability Variations in Students’ School Programs .................................................... 4-8 Demographic Variations in Students’ School Programs ............................................. 4-11 Summary ..................................................................................................................... 4-12 5. The Classroom Contexts of Secondary School Students with Disabilities, by Mary Wagner, Camille Marder, Renée Cameto, and Phyllis Levine ...................... 5-1 Subject Area ................................................................................................................ 5-1 Disability Variations in Subject Area ..................................................................... 5-2 Demographic Variations in Subject Area .............................................................. 5-4 Performance Level ...................................................................................................... 5-4 Classroom Participants ............................................................................................... 5-6 Students ...............................................................................................................