There is growing evidence that school starting age impacts children's likelihood of receiving special education services, but less is known about variations in this effect. Using a regression discontinuity design, I found that the youngest students in a kindergarten cohort are 40% more likely (p < 0.001) to be placed in special education than…

This study examines the effects of English Learner (EL) status on subsequent Special Education (SPED) placement. Through a research-practice partnership, we link student demographic data and initial English proficiency assessment data across seven cohorts of test takers and observe EL and SPED programmatic participation for these students over 7…

Relatively little research focuses on the incidence of declassification among young children who are transitioning from a special education preschool program to kindergarten. The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine the continuity of eligibility for special education from preschool to kindergarten as well as to determine whether or not…

Half of kindergarten teachers split children into higher and lower ability groups for reading or math. In national data, we predicted kindergarten ability group placement using linear and ordinal logistic regression with classroom fixed effects. In fall, test scores were the best predictors of group placement, but there was bias favoring girls,…

Students with complex support needs require individualized education programs (IEPs) to describe their present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP), and the annual goals and supplementary aids and services (SAS) that will be provided to enable them to make progress in the least restrictive environment. Previous…

Students with complex support needs require individualized education programs (IEPs) to describe their present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP), and the annual goals and supplementary aids and services (SAS) that will be provided to enable them to make progress in the least restrictive environment. Previous…

Eighth-grade students who are placed into Algebra 1 but fail end-of-course exams may experience lowered grade point averages (GPAs) and loss of motivation for math or avoid taking advanced mathematics courses in high school. Middle-achieving students present challenges in terms of mathematics placement. Self-efficacy theory and locus of control…

There is growing evidence that school starting age impacts children's likelihood of receiving special education services, but less is known about variations in this effect. Using a regression discontinuity design, I found that the youngest students in a kindergarten cohort are 40% more likely (p < 0.001) to be placed in special education than…

This study used longitudinal special education record data from a large urban southwestern U.S. school district to review classroom placements of students in Grades 5 to 9 educated in traditional public schools (N = 21,314). Results indicated that half of the students were educated primarily in general education classrooms (n = 10,658), 9% of…

Many kindergarten teachers use ability groups to differentiate instruction in reading and math. Ability group placement should depend primarily on student achievement, but critics charge that placement is biased by socioeconomic status (SES), gender, and race/ethnicity. We predict group placement in the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study of the…

Half of kindergarten teachers split children into higher and lower ability groups for reading or math. In national data, we predicted kindergarten ability group placement using linear and ordinal logistic regression with classroom fixed effects. In fall, test scores were the best predictors of group placement, but there was bias favoring girls,…

This study examines the relationship between county-level estimates of implicit racial bias and black-white test score gaps in U.S. schools. Data from over 1 million respondents from across the United States who completed an online version of the Race Implicit Association Test (IAT) were combined with data from the Stanford Education Data Archive…

Nearly 14% of students in the United States receive special education services in public schools (NCES, 2017). Special education programs serve students with a wide range of developmental differences and vary considerably across schools and districts (National Research Council, 1997). Likelihood of identification for special education services…

We analyzed data from a large-scale (N = 39,213), longitudinal study of urban students to assess child factors (gender, ethnicity, English language learner status, school readiness skills, type of pre-K attended, early elementary school academic performance) prospectively associated with eventual gifted identification in elementary school.…

Legislation mandates that students with disabilities be included in achievement testing for accountability purposes, with only a few participating in an alternate assessment (Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act [IDEA], 2004). The current study utilized data from the Special Education Elementary Longitudinal Study (SEELS) to…