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The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationships betweengraduation outcome and level of special education placement, student characteristics, andPLAN assessment results, for students with disabilities as mediated by socioeconomicstatus in a Midwestern suburban school district. The review of literature presents thehistory of special education beginning in 1965 with the creation of the Bureau ofEducation for the Handicapped through Individuals with Disabilities Education Act(IDEA) and subsequent reauthorizations, describes ways in which school districts definedropouts including calculation formulas, and is a review of research regarding factorsinfluencing students with disabilities in relation to dropping out.The research design was non-experimental and quantitative. The population forthis study included all students with disabilities who enrolled as sophomores during the2007-2008, 2008-2009, or 2009-2010 school years in the target district, a Midwesternsuburban school district. Data were collected from archived records held within thetarget district.Results from a chi-square test of independence indicated a statistically significantrelationship between level of special education placement and graduation outcome.When mediated by socioeconomic status, the results indicated a statistically significantrelationship between high socioeconomic status students and graduation outcome.Results from a chi-square test of independence indicated a marginally significantrelationship between out of school suspensions and graduation outcome. When mediatedby socioeconomic status, results did not indicate a statistically significant relationshipbetween out of school suspensions and graduation outcome. Results from a chi-square test of independence indicated a statistically significant relationship between disabilitycategory and graduation outcome. When mediated by socioeconomic status, resultsindicated a statistically significant relationship between students identified as highsocioeconomic status and graduation outcome. Results from a chi-square test ofindependence did not indicate a statistically significant relationship between studentsover age for grade and graduation outcome. When mediated by socioeconomic status,results indicated a marginally significant relationship between students identified as lowsocioeconomic status and graduation outcome. Results from a chi-square test ofindependence indicated a statistically significant relationship between PLAN test scoresand graduation outcome. When mediated by socioeconomic status, results indicated astatistically significant relationship between students identified as high socioeconomicstatus and graduation outcome.It may benefit the target district to continue to collect data regarding students’level of placement and graduation outcome. According to the results of the present studystudents who were in the least restrictive environment, inside the regular classroom 80%or more of the day, were the most likely to graduate. These findings suggest the targetdistrict should continue to place students in the regular education classroom for as muchof the school day as possible. The district should continue to collect data regarding theother variables to expand upon the findings of this study.The researcher recommended that a subsequent study be conducted that expandsthe sample size. A larger sample size would allow for more students in each category,which would increase the study’s validity. Another recommendation for future researchis to add surveys for students, teachers, and parents. This would allow for the examination of perceptions of the various groups and for the comparison of thoseperceptions to graduation outcome, modeling the methodology more closely after theNational Longitudinal Transition Study and National Longitudinal Transition Study 2(NLTS2: Frequently asked questions, 2010). |
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