Date of Award
2003
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education
Department
Fischler Graduate School of Education and Human Services
Advisor
Pedro A. Hernandez
Committee Member
Armando R. Rodríguez
Committee Member
Barbara Packer
Keywords
academic accommodations, academic achievement, academic performance, accommodation practices, Cognitive Abilities Test, educational evaluations, inclusive education, inclusive schools, inclusion, inclusion programs, Iowa Test of Basic Skills, learning difficulties, pullout programs, reading achievement, remedial education, school reform, Scholastic Reading Inventory, staff development, student support services, teacher referrals, teacher training, whole school reform
Abstract
At Good Shepherd Catholic School, 37% of the students in the 5th grade were identified as experiencing academic and learning difficulties in the regular classroom. This conclusion was based on teacher referrals, low academic performance, educational evaluations, and results of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills, the Cognitive Abilities Test, and the Scholastic Reading Inventory.
This research focused on the need to identify the causes that prevented these students from being academically successful in the regular classroom. Some of the concerns addressed included insufficiencies in the present remedial pullout program and the lack of staff development in the areas of inclusion and accommodation practices.
The design and implementation of an inclusion program at the school enabled administrators and teachers to meet the diverse academic and learning needs of the student population. The inclusion program consisted of a pullout support program and the integration of inclusion and accommodation practices in the regular classroom. Ongoing staff development and in-service training on inclusion and accommodation practices provided teachers with the needed support and knowledge that enabled them to understand and, subsequently, embrace the philosophy of inclusion.
Although not statistically significant, the results of this study indicated that the inclusion program that was implemented did show progress as evidenced by an increase in reading achievement of 5th-grade students who were experiencing academic and learning difficulties in the regular classroom. This has many implications for whole school reform. A school that considers full implementation of an inclusion program must take into account the uniqueness of the student population. To ensure success, many factors such as finances, human resources, and physical feasibility must be evaluated before this or any other similar program is implemented.