STUDENT OUTCOMES (TABLE 5)

STUDENT OUTCOMES (Table 5)

Four sources of data are likely to be accessed regarding student outcomes:

Parent interviews are planned for years 1, 3, and 5 of a 5-year data collection cycle. Students will be 8 to 12 years old in the first wave and 12 to 17 at the last wave.
Each student’s primary language arts teacher will be asked to describe the student’s behavior and performance in that specific classroom.
A school staff member who can best describe the student’s overall school program will complete questions about the student’s broader school performance (beyond the specific classroom referred to above), such as days absent from school and suspensions/expulsions. This may or may not be the same teacher as above; it may well be a special education teacher for students who are still in special education.
A direct assessment of student academic performance will be conducted by a trained on-site professional who is not the child’s teacher.

As mentioned previously, data from the last three school-based sources will be collected in years 2, 3, and 5 of the 5-year data collection cycle. Information on students’ schools and school programs will be collected in those same years. Thus, analyses of year 2 data will explore the relationships between variations in schools/school programs and variations in student outcomes. Analyses of data for year 3 can explore the relationships between variations in year 3 schools/school programs and the growth in student performance measured as change from year 2 to year 3. Analyses of year 5 can focus on trends in student performance over the 5-year period, as well as look for relationships between school programs and both variations and growth in student performance.

Table 5 Research Questions — Student Outcomes
	High Priority	Lower Priority
Academic and Functional Literacy
k What is the academic functioning/performance of students in special education, as measured by:
A direct assessment of their reading abilities by an on-site professional (other than the student’s own teacher).	P
A direct assessment of their mathematics abilities by an on-site professional (other than the student’s own teacher).	P
A direct assessment of their academic problem-solving abilities by an on-site professional (other than the student’s own teacher).	P
Students’ grades in elementary school (school records).		6
Students’ grades in middle and high school (school records).		6
Scores on most recent standardized tests (school records indicating type and year of test and type of score).	P
Teacher reports of extent to which IEP goals are met.		6
Teacher reports of students’ functional grade level equivalents in reading and mathematics.	P
Parent reports of students’ voluntary reading behavior.		6
Parent reports of students’ ability to tell time, read common signs, count change, look up telephone numbers and use the telephone.	P
k What is the level of engagement in school of students in special education, as measured by:
Attendance.	P
Teacher assessment of students’ ability to stay focused on their work, participate in classroom discussions, and complete homework on time.	P
Student reports of extent to which they look forward to going to school.	P
Parent or school report of students’ dropping out.	P
k How well do students in special education communicate, as indicated by:
Parent reports of students’ ability to make needs/feelings known through speech and other means.	P
Teacher reports of students’ ability to make needs/feelings known through speech and other means.	P

Table 5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS — Student Outcomes (Continued)
	High Priority	Lower Priority
k To what extent do students in special education use computer technology, as indicated by:
Teacher reports of students’ ability to use computers as part of the instructional program (e.g., keyboarding ability, find materials on the Internet); actual computer use at school.		6
Parent reports of students’ ability to use computers (e.g., to do school assignments, to play games); actual computer use at home.		6
k What are students’ past academic experiences, in terms of previous grade promotion and retention?	P
Personal and Social Adjustment
k To what extent are students in special education socially engaged,* as indicated by:
Parent reports of frequency of seeing friends, being invited over to others’ homes, receiving phone calls from peers.	P
Student reports of frequency of seeing friends, being invited over to others’ homes, receiving phone calls from peers.	P
Parent perceptions of whether students are lonely.		6
Student reports of loneliness and rejection.	P
Student reports of satisfaction with number of friends, quality of friendships.	P
Teacher reports of whether students have friends at school.	P
k To what extent do students in special education get along with others, as indicated by:
Teacher reports of students’ ability to control behavior in the classroom, get along with other students.	P
Parent reports of whether school has indicated students have a behavior problem at school involving other students or teachers (e.g., fights).	P
Parent reports of whether students’ behavior creates problems at home.	P

*Note: Group-related aspects of social engagement are included under nonschool factors in "presence and participation."

Table 5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS — Student Outcomes (Continued)
	High Priority	Lower Priority
k To what extent are students in special education personally well adjusted, as indicated by:
Parent reports of students having a positive self-concept/outlook.	P
Parent reports of students having hobbies/interests.		6
Students having a positive self-concept/outlook as indicated in direct assessment by on-site professional (not the student’s own teacher).	P
Student reports of having hobbies/interests.		6
Contribution and Citizenship
k To what extent do students in special education abide by rules, as indicated by:
School records of suspensions, expulsions, other disciplinary actions.	P
Parent reports of whether students have ever been arrested; arrested in the last year (ages 13 and up only).	P
Parent reports of students being fired from a job.		6
Parent reports of how manageable students are at home.	P
Teacher reports of extent to which students follow directions in class.	P
k To what extent do parents report that students in special education are involved in volunteer/community service activities?	P
Responsibility and Independence
k How independent are students in special education, in terms of:
Self-care, as indicated by parent reports of students’ ability to dress and feed themselves and handle toileting.	P
Mobility, as indicated by parent reports of students’ ability to get around inside and outside the house.	P
Financial management, as indicated by parent reports of students having own money (e.g., allowance), making small purchases.	P
Contributing to household management, as indicated by parent reports of students doing chores (e.g., picking up own living area, making own lunch).	P
k How do students in special education spend their leisure time, as reported by parents?	P

Table 5 RESEARCH QUESTIONS — Student Outcomes (Concluded)
	High Priority	Lower Priority
k To what extent are older students in special education beginning to take on adult roles in terms of:
Employment, as indicated by parent reports of students working for pay outside the home (type of work, hours worked, amount paid).	P
Having a driver’s license or learner’s permit (ages 15 and up only).	P
Physical health
k How healthy are students in special education in terms of:
Parent reports of students’ general health.	P
Parents reports of students’ emergency room visits in past year.		6
Parent reports of students’ overnight hospitalizations in past year.		6
Parent reports of students engaging in regular exercise.		6
k To what extent do students in special education participate in risk behaviors in their teen years, including smoking, gang activity, and substance use, as reported by students in year 5 only when all students are ages 13 to 17 (potentially through completing anonymous brief written questionnaire during direct assessment).	P
k To what extent have adolescents had/fathered children (as reported by students in year 5 only when all students are ages 13 to 17 (potentially through completing anonymous brief written questionnaire during direct assessment)?	P
Satisfaction
k How satisfied do parents of students in special education report being with:
The students’ schools.		6
The students overall school programs.	P
IEP goals for the students being challenging, appropriate.	P
Students getting the support and services from the school that are needed to succeed in school.	P
The amount and difficulty of homework assigned.	P
k How satisfied are students in special education with their schools and school programs, as indicated by the extent to which they report liking school?	P

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