| The overall purpose of this study was to provide school districts within Tennessee with more research about how weekly hours of inclusion impact student achievement. Specifically, researchers examined which models of inclusion were in use in two school districts in Tennessee, administrators' and teachers' perceptions of inclusion, and whether or not a relationship existed between the number of weekly hours third and fourth grade exceptional education students spent in an inclusive Reading/Language Arts class and their TCAP/TCAP MAAS scores. The researchers looked specifically at students with a diagnosis of a Specific Learning Disability, Autism Spectrum Disorder, and Speech or Language Impairments. The research was quantitative in nature and data were collected on 308 third and fourth grade students with disabilities and 192 teachers and administrators. Researchers found a positive relationship between weekly hours of inclusion in Reading/Language Arts and TCAP/TCAP MAAS scaled scores. When researchers looked at specific disabilities, data revealed a positive relationship between weekly hours of inclusion and TCAP scaled scores for students with Autism and students with a Speech or Language Impairment. An examination of weekly hours of inclusion and TCAP MAAS scaled scores showed a negative relationship for students with Autism and students with a Speech or Language Impairment. Data for students with a Specific Learning Disability showed no relationship between weekly hours of inclusion and TCAP scaled scores and a negative relationship for TCAP MAAS scaled scores. Based on the findings of this study, researchers recommended more instructional training, state monitoring of the practice of inclusion, and additional research to determine appropriate alternative assessments for students with disabilities. |
