The Impact of Standards-Based Reform on Special Education- An Exp

Syracuse University SURFACE Teaching and Leadership - Dissertations School of Education 12-2012 The Impact of Standards-Based Reform on Special Education: An Exploration of Westvale Elementary School Jessica Kim Bacon Syracuse University Follow this and additional works at: https://surface.syr.edu/tl_etd Part of the Education Commons Recommended Citation Bacon, Jessica Kim, "The Impact of Standards-Based Reform on Special Education: An Exploration of Westvale Elementary School" (2012) Teaching and Leadership - Dissertations 244 https://surface.syr.edu/tl_etd/244 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the School of Education at SURFACE It has been accepted for inclusion in Teaching and Leadership - Dissertations by an authorized administrator of SURFACE For more information, please contact surface@syr.edu Abstract A critical, interpretivist, qualitative study, this project examines how standardsbased reform impacts special education at an urban school, called Westvale Elementary School The school was labeled a Persistently Low Achieving school under the No Child Left Behind Act and was thus required to undergo a “transformation” process The demographics of the school at the time of the study were: 97% free and reduced lunch, 40% Limited English Proficiency, 21% students with disabilities The racial makeup of the school is: 50% Hispanic or Latino, 35% Black or African American, and 10% white My methodological approach drew primarily upon 19 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with teachers, administrators, and policy makers All participants were either associated with, working at, or overseeing Westvale Elementary School I also conducted observations at over 15 public events relevant to the study Interview and observation data were contextualized through an examination of public documents, such as policy statements or media reports Findings indicate that the transformation process that Westvale was required to undertake was both a dramatic and sanction-laden one For instance, prior to the transformation process, Westvale operated fully inclusive classrooms and afterwards the school shifted to a variety of self-contained, tracked, and pull-out programs Thus, a key finding of this study was that standards-based reform impacted the physical inclusion of students with disabilities, even if they were accessing, at least to some degree, regular education content Findings also showed how standards-based reform policies, including the implementation of the Common Core standards, testing, teacher and leader evaluations, and accountability systems significantly impacted special education, particularly in this “failing” school Financial incentives, the media, and research all played distinct roles in disseminating standards-based reform ideology, which forced failing urban schools to adopt standards-based reform policy, even if local educators and administrators believed that the policies negatively impacted students Unfortunately, the study also documents how special education is often an after-thought during local, district, state, and national policy-making, which resulted in policies ill-suited for the needs of students with disabilities Finally, I illustrate how standards-based reform relies on discourse that blames teachers for the failures of urban schools, essentially removing the need to remedy the inequities existent in our educational system I conclude this study with a series of recommendations directed to teachers, administrators, and policy-makers The Impact of Standards-Based Reform on Special Education: An Exploration of Westvale Elementary School By Jessica K Bacon B.A The College of Wooster, 2003 M.S Syracuse University, 2007 C.A.S Syracuse University, 2007 Dissertation Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Special Education in the Department of Teaching and Leadership in the School of Education in the Graduate School of Syracuse University December 2012 Copyright © 2012 Jessica K Bacon All Rights Reserved For Angela Acknowledgements It is truly amazing to reflect upon the countless ways I have evolved over the past seven years I came to Syracuse University with an inkling that I wanted to be a part of something bigger than myself and that I wanted to help mitigate the world’s injustices I however, never could have predicted the opportunities and support I would receive from so many people in the Syracuse University community As I approached the end of my studies, the dissertation felt frightening and unattainable, but I was encouraged and supported by so many people For that, I am indebted to you all I would first like to acknowledge the participants in this study Educators, administrators, and state employees have countless responsibilities The fact that so many individuals were willing to volunteer their time and speak with me honestly and candidly about their perspectives is so greatly appreciated I hope I was able to honor your words and stories Beginning and ending a doctoral program is a challenging and rewarding journey I never would have made it through so successfully without the love and support of so many wonderful peers that I am lucky to call my friends To Danielle Cowley and Kate McLaughlin, we have been through so much together and I am so excited for us to embark upon the next steps of our careers together To my wonderful friends and colleagues Fernanda Orsati, Eun Young Jung, Heidi Pitzer, Melissa Smith, Lauren Shallish, Juliann Anesi, Kelly Szott, Kristin Goble, Deanna Adams, Liat Ben Moshe, and Ashley Taylor—you have all made this road so much more enjoyable and I have learned from you all vi There are so many others at Syracuse University that have challenged my understanding of the world and supported me to see things more deeply I would like to thank Scott Floyd, Jane Deganais, Dan Smith, Cyndy Colavita, Rachel Zubal-Ruggieri, Pam Walker, and the members of the self-advocacy network You have all taught me so much I offer my gratitude to the many professors at Syracuse University who have supported and challenged me over the years I would like to thank Christy Ashby and Julie CaustonTheoharis for being great mentors and for supporting me in so many ways To my dissertation committee members, Steve Taylor and Doug Biklen, I thank you so much for your contributions to this dissertation I have learned a great deal from both of you and have been so honored to be a part of the rich history that you both carry My biggest thanks go to my advisor Beth Ferri Words cannot convey how appreciative I am of your unwavering support and your dedication to getting me through this dissertation You have not only challenged me and helped me to become a better writer and thinker, but you have also been my biggest advocate when I needed it I would not be where I am today if it wasn’t for you I would also like to thank my family Mom and Dad, you have always been so supportive of my endeavors, and you have helped provide me with so many opportunities over the course of my life I feel so grateful that my life’s path brought me to your hometown and close to my grandmother, cousins, aunt, and uncle, all who have made my years at Syracuse so wonderful Finally, I would like to thank Angela, who has been my rock over the past four years I could never have accomplished this without your love and support vii Table of Contents Abstract i Dedication v Acknowledgement vi List of tables ix Chapter 1: Introduction National History of Standards-Based Reform No Child Left Behind Act Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act The Blue Print for Reform Race to the Top 11 Problem Statement 11 Chapter 2: Literature Review 14 Studies and Literature 14 Proponents of standards-based reform 14 Failures of standards-based reform 16 “Failing” schools 17 Dissenting voices 20 Students with disabilities and standards-based reform 22 Synopsis of the literature 28 Theoretical Perspectives 29 Disability studies in education 29 Foucualdian theory 40 Neoliberalism 45 The contributions of Bakhtin 47 Conclusion 50 Chapter 3: Methodology 52 Background 52 viii Position 54 Research Design 58 Setting 62 Participant Demographics 65 Data Collection 69 Interviews 69 Observations of public forums 71 Documents 74 Analysis 76 Grounded theory 76 Critical studies 78 Analysis process 78 Ethical Considerations 80 Conclusion 82 Chapter 4: The story of Westvale Elementary School 83 Becoming Proficiently Low Achieving 83 Stigma and School Culture 94 From Inclusion to Segregation 102 Conclusion 119 Chapter 5: The Impact of Standards-Based Reform on Inclusive Education 120 The Role of Leadership 121 Pull-Out Instruction and Ability Grouping 127 Related services 128 Response to intervention 131 State-mandated ESL services 137 Remediating deficits 141 Instructional Exclusion 144 Modification and Prioritized Curriculum Courses 155 Diploma Options 167 Regents diploma 169 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In P Smith (Ed.), Whatever happened to Inclusion? The place of students with intellectual disabilities in education (pp 61-85) New York, NY: Peter Lang Smith, P (2010b) Whatever happened to Inclusion? The place of students with intellectual disabilities in education In P Smith (Ed.), Whatever happened to Inclusion? The place of students with intellectual disabilities in education (pp 120) New York, NY: Peter Lang 330 References 331 Smyth, T.S (2008) Who is No Child Left Behind leaving behind? The Clearinghouse: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 81(3), 133-137 Spillane, J (1999) State and local government relations in the era of standards-based reform: Standards, state policy instruments, and local instructional policy making Educational Policy, 13(4), 546-572 [Springertown] News Paper (2012) No link provided to preserve anonymity [Springertown] School District (2010) Special Education News, (2), 1-7 No link provide to preserve anonymity Steiner, D., King, J., Cort, R & Delorenzo, J (2011, February) IDEA part B performance plan (SPP) for 2005-2012 New York State Education Department Retrieved from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/specialed/spp/2011/final211.htm Stevens, J.C (2009) Annual Measurable Achievement Objectives (AMAOs) for Limited English Proficient Students/ English Language Learners (LEP/ELLs) New York State Education Department Retrieved from http://www.p12.nysed.gov/biling/bilinged/documents/AMAOLetterfor2009.pdf Stullich, S., Eisner, E., McCrary, J & and Roney, C (2006) National Assessment of Title I Interim Report to Congress: Volume I: Implementation of Title I Washington, DC: U.S Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences Sunderman, G.L (2006) The unraveling of No Child Left Behind: How negotiated changes transform the law Cambridge, MA: The Civil Rights Project Harvard University Tamboukou, M (1999) Spacing herself: Women in education Gender and Education, 11(2), 125-139 331 References 332 Tamboukou, M (2008) A Foucauldian approach to narratives In M Andrews, C Squire & M Tamboukou (Eds.), Doing narrative research (pp 102-120) Los Angeles, CA: SAGE Taylor, S (2006) Before it had a name: Exploring the historical roots of disability studies in education In S Danforth & S Gabel (Eds.), Vital questions facing disability studies in education (pp xiii-xxiii) New York, NY: Peter Lang Theoharis, G (2010) Disrupting injustice: Principals narrate the strategies they use to improve their schools and advance social justice Teachers College Record, 112(1), 331-373 Thompson, S., & Thurlow, M L (2001) 2001 state special education outcomes: A report on state activities at the beginning of a new decade Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes Retrieved from http://education.umn.edu/NCEO/OnlinePubs/onlinedefault.html Thompson, S & Thurlow, M (2003) 2003 State special education outcomes: Marching forward Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes Thurlow, M (2004) Biting the Bullet: Including special-needs students in accountability systems In S Furhman & R Elmore (Eds.), Redesigning Accountability systems for education (pp 115-140) New York, NY: Teachers College Press Thurlow, M.L., Sincliar, M.F, & Johnson, D.R (2002) Students with disabilities who drop out of school─ implications for policy and practice Issue Brief Examining Current Challenges in Secondary Education and Transition, 1(2) 332 References 333 Thurlow, M.L., Ysseldyke, J.E., & Silverstein, B (1995) Testing accommodations for students with disabilities: A review of the literature (Synthesis Report 4) Minneapolis, MN: University of Minnesota, National Center on Educational Outcomes Tomlison, S (1997) Sociological perspectives on failing schools International Studies in Sociology of Education, 7(1), 81-98 Trujillo, T (2012) The paradoxical logic of school turnarounds: A catch-22 Teachers College Record Retrieved from http://www.tcrecord.org/Content.asp?ContentID=16797 U.S Department of Education (2009, November) Race to the top program: Executive Summary Washington DC: Author Retrieved from: http://www2.ed.gov/programs/racetothetop/executive-summary.pdf U.S Department of Education (2009, July 24) President Obama, U.S Secretary of Education Duncan Announce National Competition to Advance School Reform Retrieved from www2.ed.gov/pressreleases/2009/07/07242009.html U.S Department of Education, Office of Planning, Evaluation and Policy Development (2010, March) A Blueprint for Reform: The Reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act Washington, DC: Author Retrieved from www2.ed.gov/policy/elsec/leg/bluprint/ U.S Department of Education (2012, July 16) Obama administration approves two more states for NCLB flexibility More than half of the country now approved for wavers, more to follow Retrieved from http://www.ed.gov/news/press333 References 334 releases/obama-administration-approves-two-more-states-nclb-flexibility-morehalf-country Van Ausdale, D & Faegin, J (2001) The first R: How children learn race and racism Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers Wagner, M M., & Blackorby, J (1996) Transition from high school to work or college: How special education students fare Special Education for Students with Disabilities, 6, 103-120 Wakeman, S.Y., Browder, D.M., Meier, I., & McColl, A (2007) The implications of No Child Left Behind for students with developmental disabilities Developmental Disabilities Research Reviews, 13(2), 143-150 Watt M.G (2005) Standards-based reforms in the United States of America: An overview ERIC Document Reproduction Service No ED490562 Washington, DC: ERIC Weber, M.C., Mawdsley, R & Redfield, S (2004) Special education law: Cases and Materials Newark, NJ: Lexis Nexis Weisburg, D., Sexton, S., Mulhern, J & Keeling, D (2009) The widget effect: Our national failure to acknowledge and act on differences in teacher effectiveness New York, NY: The New Teacher Project Retrieved from http://widgeteffect.org/downloads/TheWidgetEffect.pdf Wengraf, T (2001) Qualitative research interviewing: Biographic narrative and semistructured interviews Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE 334 References 335 Wigdor, A & Garner, W (1982) Ability testing: Uses, consequences, and controversies Washington, DC: National Academy Press Wiley, E.W., Mathis, W.J., & Garcia D.R (2005) The impact of the Adequate Yearly Progress requirement of the federal “No Child Left Behind” act on schools in the great lakes region East Lansing, MI: Great Lakes Center for Education Research & Practice Williams, E., M Leachman, & Johnson, N (2011) State Budget Cuts in the New Fiscal Year Are Unnecessarily Harmful Washington, DC: Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Wood, G (2004) A view from the field: NCLB’s effects on classrooms and schools In D Meier & G Wood (Eds.) Many children left behind: How the no child left behind act is damaging our children and our schools Boston, MA: Beacon Press Wormeli, R (2006) Fair isn’t always equal: Assessing and grading in the differentiated classroom Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers Wright, P & Wright, P (2005) IDEIA 2004: Discrepancy, response to intervention and learning disabilities Retrieved from www.wrightslaw.com Yell, M L., Katsiyannis, A., & Shiner, J G (2006) The No Child Left Behind Act, adequate yearly progress, and students with disabilities Teaching Exceptional Children, 38(4), 32-39 Ysselydyke, J., Nelson, J., Chirstenson, S., Johnson, D., Dennison, A., Trizenberg, H., Sharpe, M & Howes, M (2004) What we know and need to know about the consequences of high-stakes testing for students with disabilities Exceptional Children , 71(1), 75-95 335 336 Zhang, D., Katsiyanis, A., & Kortering, L.J (2007) Performance on exit exams by students with disabilities Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 30(1), 48-57 Zucker, S (2004) Using augmented norm-referenced assessments for NCLB compliance San Antionio, TX: Pearson Education, Inc 336 Appendix A 337 Appendix A Semi-structured interview guide: teachers and local school personnel Can you give me basic background information about yourself; what is your job, how long have you been working in this school, and how long have you been working in the field of education in general? What major changes have you seen since the implementation of NCLB in this school or in other schools you have worked in? What changes have you seen since you began teaching, why you think these changes have occurred? How you feel students with disabilities have been affected by these changes, and can you share any examples? a Tell me about the impact on students with disabilities because of state testing requirements? b How about because of increased content standards? c How you feel teacher and leader evaluation systems will impact students? In your school, how has the situation of being under review impacted both the teachers and special education/ regular education students? a What specific pressures have you faced about needing to enhance performance, and how you feel the efforts have impacted students with disabilities? How does your school go about putting changes and reforms into place, what drives the reforms and informs the decisions that are made about how to put them into place? How accurately you feel movies (aka waiting for superman), and other media outlets (the news, etc.) reflect what is happening in schools right now? What is missing in these accounts, from your point of view? How accurately you feel politicians understand and react to what is happening in schools? What is missing in these accounts, from your point of view? 337 Appendix A 338 Are there any specific documents, curricula, books, pieces of research or policy, that have been useful or influential to your understanding of reform efforts? From where, and how have you learned the most about the reforms? 10 What specific changes would you like to see, to improve the situation for students with disabilities, or other students who have diverse learning needs? 11 Can you think of any positive impact that testing and reforms have had on students with disabilities or students in general education? Semi-Structured interview guide: Administrators, state and federal policy makers How would you describe what your overall job is, and how long have you been doing this particular job? What other jobs in the field of education did you have prior to this position? What changes have you witnessed in the field of education since you have been involved, and what have been major reasons why you think these changes have occurred? What role you have in your position to shape some of the changes that have been made, in what ways you have control over creating or shaping standards based reform efforts, and in what ways is your role to help implement the reforms? How you see the policies and reform efforts effecting students with disabilities? Do you have any particular examples? a How testing practices affect students with disabilities? b How you think movement to charter schools effects students with disabilities? c How you think “highly qualified” teacher requirements effect the changes? When discussing standards based reforms with others, how students with disabilities come into play in regards to decision making? How you feel the processes are for making decisions, and how much influence does media political ambitions, university research, or other entities have on how policies get shaped? 338 339 Are there any specific documents, curricula, books, pieces of research or policy, that are useful or influential to your understanding of reform efforts? How have you learned the most about the reforms? What specific policies or practices you see as the most important, for giving students with disabilities or students with other higher needs, the best education possible? Can you think of any positive impact that testing and reforms have had on students with disabilities or students in general education? 339 Appendix B 340 Appendix B Special Education and Standards Based Reform: An Analysis of Discourse My name is Jessica Bacon, and I am a doctoral student in Special Education at Syracuse University I am inviting you to participate in a research study in order to complete my dissertation Involvement in the study is voluntary, so you may choose to participate or not This sheet will explain the study to you and please feel free to ask questions about the research if you have any I will be happy to explain anything in detail if you wish I am interested in learning about your perspective on the ways that standards based reform efforts, such as the No Child Left Behind Act, have impacted special education Interviews will occur with individuals who hold a variety of important positions at school, state, and federal levels, and who have knowledge about special education You will be asked to participate in an interview with the researcher in a locale of your choice This will take approximately 1-2 hrs of your time All information will be kept confidential and will be locked in the home of Jessica Bacon I will assign a number to your responses, and only I (Jessica Bacon) will have the code to indicate which number belongs to which participant In any articles I write or any presentations that I make, I will use a made-up name for you, and I will change details about where you work, and the exact title of your job It will also be requested of you that I audiotape the interview The audio content will be recorded in digital form and each interview will be transcribed by Jessica Bacon The audio file and transcriptions will be deleted two years after the study is completed, and then disposed of During the study, the tapes will be held in a secure location and transcriptions will be protected by passwords on the researcher’s personal computer The audio tapes will only be used for data analysis, and will not be played or used in any other venue The benefit of this research is that you will be helping me to understand more deeply how special education teachers and students are affected, both positively and negatively, by recent standards based reform efforts This information should help me to offer specific policy recommendations about ways special education students could most benefit from reform efforts As changes are constantly being made in the realm of standards based reforms, this is a particularly viable topic at the present time By taking part in this research, you will experience the benefit of sharing your story about how you view the reform efforts The risks to you of participating in this study include the possibility of emotional reactions during interviews These risks will be minimized by allowing the participant to 340 Appendix B 341 determine the depth, length, and locale of the interview You may also be concerned that there is a risk that your identity might be revealed if you partake in this interview In order to assure your confidentiality I will change your name, and will attach a vague job title to you If you not want to take part, you have the right to refuse to take part, without penalty If you decide to take part and later no longer wish to continue, you have the right to withdraw from the study at any time, without penalty If you have any questions, concerns, complaints about the research, contact Jessica Bacon at jkbacon@syr.edu, or at 440 241 5787, or Beth Ferri at Baferri@syr.edu If you have any questions about your rights as a research participant, you have questions, concerns, or complaints that you wish to address to someone other than the investigator, if you cannot reach the investigator contact the Syracuse University Institutional Review Board at 315443-3013 All of my questions have been answered, I am over the age of 18 and I wish to participate in this research study I have received a copy of this consent form For an Interview: □ I agree to be audio taped for an interview □ I not agree to be audio taped for an interview All information collected will be held as confidential data Signature of participant Date Printed name of participant Signature of researcher Date Printed name of researcher 341 Curriculum Vitae 342 Curriculum Vitae Name of author: Jessica K Bacon Place of birth: Rocky River, Ohio Date of birth: December 2, 1980 Education: Ph.D in Special Education, Expected December 2012 Syracuse University Certificate of Advanced Studies in Disability Studies, 2007 Syracuse University Masters of Science in Cultural Foundations of Education, 2007 Syracuse University Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, 2003 The College of Wooster Minor and Licensure in Early Childhood Education, 2003 The College of Wooster Publications: Bacon, J & Causton-Theoharis, J (2012) “It should be teamwork”: An Investigation of School Practices and Parent Advocacy in Special Education The International Journal of Inclusive Education DOI 10.1080/13603116.2012.708060 Ferri, B.A & Bacon, J (2011) Beyond Inclusion: Disability Studies in Early Childhood Teacher Education In L Goodwin & B Fennimore (Eds.) Promoting Social Justice for Young Children: Educating the Young Child (pp 137-146) New York: Springer Non-Refereed Publications The Center on Human Policy (2007) Florida Grassroots Self-Advocacy Toolkit Retrieved from http://flsand.wordpress.com/florida-self-advocacy-tool-kit/ Bacon, J (2011) Isn’t it about teamwork? Investigating school practices and parent advocacy in special education Rethink Education: Nazareth College School of Education Retrieved from http://www.naz.edu/education/education/documents/SoE%20Newsletter%20Spring %202011.pdf 342 Curriculum Vitae 343 Bacon, J & Granger, D (2009) Disability and the LGBT community The Out Crowd (3), 25 Professional Experience 2012-Present Lehman College, Department of Counseling, Leadership, Literacy, and Special Education Instructor (Assistant Professor rank after Ph.D is awarded) 2007-2012 Syracuse University, Department of Teaching and Leadership Teaching Assistant 2009- 2011 Nazareth College, Social Foundations of Education Department Adjunct Instructor 2011 Harvard University, Graduate School of Education Teaching Fellow Awards and Honors Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) Project Director’s Conference Attendee/ Student Representative (Summer 2011) Teaching Associate, Future Professoriate Program (Fall 2009- Spring 2010) Creating Change Conference Awardee (Spring 2008; Spring 2009) Preparation for Leadership Personnel Traineeship (Fall 2007-Spring, 2012) 343 ... intersections of special education and standards-based reforms National History of Standards-Based Reform For years, the use of testing has provoked intense debate and controversy in American society... affects of standards-based reform on students with disabilities Proponents of standards-based reform There have been many proponents of standards-based reform efforts, including President Obama and... system I conclude this study with a series of recommendations directed to teachers, administrators, and policy-makers The Impact of Standards-Based Reform on Special Education: An Exploration of Westvale