NATIONAL ACADEMY PRESS
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NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Governing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance.
This report has been reviewed by a group other than the authors according to procedures approved by a Report Review Committee consisting of members of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine.
The study was supported by Grant No. H023U40001 between the National Academy of Sciences and the Office of Special and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the organizations or agencies that provided support for this project.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Educating one and all: students with disabilities and standards-based reform / Committee on Goals 2000 and the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities, Board on Testing and Assessment, Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, National Research Council; Lorraine M. McDonnell, Margaret J. McLaughlin, and Patricia Morison, editors.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-309-05789-2 (cloth)
1. Handicapped children—Education—United States—Evaluation. 2. Handicapped children—Education—Standards—United States. 3. Competency based education—United States. 4. Inclusive education—United States. 5. Educational accountability—United States. I. McDonnell, Lorraine, 1947- . II. McLaughlin, Margaret J. III. Morison, Patricia. IV. National Research Council (U.S.). Committee on Goals 2000 and the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities.
LC4031.E3853 1997
371.91—dc2 197-4869
CIP
Printed in the United States of America
Copyright 1997 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.
COMMITTEE ON GOALS 2000 AND THE INCLUSION OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
LORRAINE M. McDONNELL (Cochair),
Departments of Political Science and Education, University of California, Santa Barbara
MARGARET J. McLAUGHLIN (Cochair),
Institute for the Study of Exceptional Children, University of Maryland
ANSLEY BACON,
Westchester Institute for Human Development, Westchester County Medical Center, Valhalla, NY
STEPHEN N. ELLIOTT,
Department of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin, Madison
LYNN S. FUCHS,
Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University
MARGARET E. GOERTZ,
Consortium for Policy Research in Education, University of Pennsylvania
MICHAEL L. HARDMAN,
Office of the Dean, Graduate School of Education, University of Utah
TED S. HASSELBRING,
Department of Special Education, Peabody College, Vanderbilt University
DANIEL M. KORETZ,
RAND Corporation, Washington, DC
ARIE L. NETTLES,
School of Education, University of Michigan
IAN E. NOVOS,
KPMG Peat Marwick LLP, New York, NY
DIANA C. PULLIN,
School of Education, Boston College
DANIEL J. RESCHLY,
Department of Psychology, Iowa State University
MARTHA THURLOW,
National Center on Educational Outcomes, University of Minnesota
EDWARD LEE VARGAS,
Santa Fe Public Schools, Santa Fe, NM
RICHARD K. WAGNER,
Department of Psychology, Florida State University
JOHN F. WITTE,
Department of Political Science, University of Wisconsin, Madison
CARL F. KAESTLE,
Department of Education, University of Chicago (Ex-Officio, BOTA)
LUIS LAOSA,
Educational Testing Service, Princeton, NJ (Ex-Officio, BOTA)*
PATRICIA MORISON, Study Director
ADRIENNE F. CARRINGTON, Administrative Assistant
BOARD ON TESTING AND ASSESSMENT
RICHARD SHAVELSON (Chair),
School of Education, Stanford University
LAURIE J. BASSI (Vice Chair),
American Society for Training and Development, Washington, DC
ROBERT L. LINN (Vice Chair),
School of Education, University of Colorado
RICHARD C. ATKINSON, President,
University of California
IRALINE G. BARNES,
Potomac Electric Power Co., Washington, DC
DAVID C. BERLINER,
College of Education, Arizona State University
PAUL J. BLACK,
School of Education, King's College, London
RICHARD P. DURÁAN,
Graduate School of Education, University of California, Santa Barbara
CHRISTOPHER F. EDLEY, JR.,
Harvard Law School
RICHARD F. ELMORE,
Graduate School of Education, Harvard University
ARTHUR S. GOLDBERGER,
Department of Economics, University of Wisconsin, Madison
PAUL W. HOLLAND,
Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley
CARL F. KAESTLE,
Department of Education, University of Chicago
MICHAEL W. KIRST,
School of Education, Stanford University
ALAN M. LESGOLD,
Learning Research and Development Center, University of Pittsburgh
KENNETH PEARLMAN,
Lucent Technologies, Inc., Warren, NJ
ALAN H. SCHOENFELD,
Graduate School of Education, University of California, Berkeley
CLAUDE M. STEELE,
Department of Psychology, Stanford University
WILLIAM L. TAYLOR, Attorney At Law,
Washington, DC
EWART A.C. THOMAS,
Department of Psychology, Stanford University
JACK WHALEN,
Institute for Research on Learning, Menlo Park, CA
MICHAEL J. FEUER, Director
JAN LIVERANCE, Administrative Assistant
ADRIENNE F. CARRINGTON, Administrative Assistant
Acknowledgments
The work of the Committee on Goals 2000 and the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities has benefited immensely from the diverse contributions of many people.
Between May 1995 and November 1996, the committee met seven times. It solicited information from a variety of sources. Jane West wrote an informative background paper and provided the committee with relevant information about the legislative and policy context of the study. Robert Rossi and Fran Stancavage from the American Institutes of Research presented findings from their secondary analyses of the National Educational Longitudinal Study (NELS) and the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) that helped us think about the challenges associated with including students with disabilities in large-scale national databases. Mary Wagner of the Stanford Research Institute and Marsha Brauen of Westat, Inc., provided a variety of useful data on the status of students with disabilities. Jeff Rodamar at the U.S. Department of Education provided data from the Prospects Study that allowed us to compare the elementary school experiences and achievement of students with disabilities with those of their peers. We are especially indebted to Eileen Ordover and Kathleen Boundy from the Center for Law and Education for their comprehensive analysis of the legal entitlements of students with disabilities.
In October 1995, the committee held a workshop with participants from 10 organizations representing general education or disability groups interested in standards-based reform. Through their remarks and written documents, Eileen Ahearn, Joseph Ballard, John Barth, Christopher Button, Speed Davis, Barbara Huff, John MacDonald, Nancy Safer, Jeff Schneider, Shirley Schwartz, and Patricia Sullivan provided valuable perspectives on the complex issues asso-
ciated with the participation of students with disabilities in standards-based reforms.
Several organizations and individuals provided a variety of research support. The Robert LaFollette Institute of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, partly supported work on the Prospects data, and Troy Sterr skillfully analyzed that data. The National Center for Educational Outcomes at the University of Minnesota helped in collecting state documents and provided the assistance of Kristin Geenen to code selected documents. Lauren Morando-Rhim at the University of Maryland also collected and coded state and local standards and assessment documents, as well as assisting in other research. Margrethe Kamp at the University of California, Santa Barbara, prepared the appendix summarizing the committee's 1995 workshop. We are grateful for all these contributions.
The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitation Services, U.S. Department of Education, sponsored this project, and several individuals from this agency were particularly helpful to the committee. Assistant Secretary Judith Heumann met with the committee and shared her perspective on the issues. We are grateful to Tom Hehir for his support, and also to James Button and Louis Danielson, both of whom met with the committee several times and assisted us in locating needed information. The study's project officer, David Malouf, assisted the committee in understanding the evolving federal policy context for special education and Alexander Vachon, formerly on the staff of Senator Robert Dole, Robert Silverstein, on the staff of the U.S. Senate Subcommittee on Disability Policy, and Michael Cohen, formerly in the U.S. Secretary of Education's office and now at the White House, provided useful insights on the origins of the legislative provision creating the committee.
The Board on Testing and Assessment (BOTA) was instrumental in shaping early discussions about the project and in providing general guidance and support along the way. The chair and vice chair of BOTA, Richard Shavelson and Robert Linn, assisted the committee by reviewing early drafts of the report and by participating in a meeting at which issues related to student assessment were discussed. Their insights and knowledge at a critical point in our work were much appreciated. Two other members of BOTA, Carl Kaestle and Luis Laosa, served as liaisons to the committee, and were extremely helpful. Their apt interpretations and skill at synthesizing various points of view often aided us in moving our discussions forward.
This report would not have been possible without the talents of many individuals at the National Research Council. As executive director of the Commission on Behavioral and Social Sciences and Education, Barbara Torrey helped in the overall administration of the study. Alexandra K. Wigdor, director of the Division of Education, Labor, and Human Performance, provided continuing guidance. Michael J. Feuer, director of the Board on Testing and Assessment, was responsible for overseeing the committee's work and ensuring that we had the resources needed to complete the task. He did all of this and more. Michael
contributed to our conversations, always challenging our assumptions and helping us to resolve differences and achieve consensus.
Adrienne Carrington ably assisted the committee by organizing all the logistics for our meetings and producing multiple iterations of the report from the many drafts received from committee members. Each of us appreciates the efficiency with which she managed the technical details associated with this project, but we are also grateful for the gracious hospitality she provided at our meetings. Nancy Kober's skilled editing is evident throughout the report as she was instrumental in turning a weighty technical report into a concise and readable document. Eugenia Grohman skillfully guided us through the intricacies of the NRC review process, and Christine McShane carefully edited the final document. Ella Cleveland was instrumental in getting the project under way and organizing the various committee working groups. Ann Harden and Kathy Guidroz assisted in a number of ways, including conducting literature reviews and analyzing documents.
Above all, the committee acknowledges the ability, patience, and effort of study director Patricia Morison. Patty brought to the deliberations her extensive knowledge of assessment and her own high standards of scholarship. She reminded the committee of its obligation to fulfill its charge with a high level of scientific rigor. Patty's ability to organize and synthesize all the various written drafts provided by committee members was central to the report we have produced. Perhaps her greatest contribution, however, was keeping the committee organized and moving its deliberations forward through the force of her calm grace and respectful attention to everyone's views.
Finally, as cochairs, we would to like thank our fellow committee members, who gave enormous amounts of time and energy to this endeavor and who persevered as we negotiated new and sometimes complex territory. Often members communicated across a chasm created by the historic separation of general and special education. Not only did we have to learn each other's professional language, but we also had to develop an understanding of and respect for perspectives quite different from our own. Inevitably, there were periods of intense disagreement, but there were also times in which fresh understandings produced new ideas and insights. We know we echo the sentiment of all the members when we say that serving on this committee has been a professionally and personally enriching experience.
LORRAINE M. McDONNELL
MARGARET J. McLAUGHLIN
Cochairs, Committee on Goals 2000 and the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities
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