A Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Sponsored by the Office of Special Education Programs, U.S. Department of Education Conducted by Abt Associates Inc. and its subcontractors, Westat and SRI

A Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact School Resources for Improving Teachers Instructional Capacity: Findings from SLIIDEA ( School Year) Fran OReilly, Tammy Ouellette, Ellen Schiller Abt Associates Inc. Presented at the AEFA Annual Conference Louisville, KY March 2005

A Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact Study Overview

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 4 Congressionally-Mandated Questions How well are states, districts and schools making progress toward: Establishing accountability systems (participation and performance) Participating in general education curriculum Making effective early childhood and secondary transitions Placement in the LRE Reducing drop-outs Using positive strategies for behavioral issues Coordinating services Increasing parent participation Using alternatives to dispute resolution

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 5 Study Design Six year multi-method longitudinal study of states, districts and schools Four surveys of states Three surveys of nationally representative sample of districts (n=959) and schools (n=4,448) Case studies of selected districts nested in five states, on specific topics

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 6 Year 2 Survey Data Collection: School Year –State (100% response rate) –District (86% response rate) –School (74% response rate)

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 7 Study Questions What types of resources are available at the school level to help improve teachers instructional capacity? Do these district and school resources matter? Which schools have the resources that matter?

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 8 Methods Descriptive statistics (both univariate and bivariate) Weighted logistic regression to examine relationships between resources and outcomes (i.e., instructional capacity)

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 9 Methods Outcomes Instructional capacity as measured by principal reports of general and special education teacher preparedness to: –Improve the participation and performance of students with IEPs in state and district-wide assessments; –Implement strategies focused on the dropout prevention and recovery for students with IEPs; and –Increase the access of students with IEPs to the general education curriculum through the use of accommodations in instruction and assessments

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 10 Methods State Predictors State Policy –Written guidelines –Rewards/Sanctions –Public Reporting State Resources – Allocation of state staff –Provision of resources to districts and schools (technical assistance, financial assistance, professional development)

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 11 Methods District Predictors District Policy –Written guidelines –Rewards/Sanctions –Public Reporting District Resources –Received resources from state –Provision of resources to schools (technical assistance, financial assistance, additional personnel, professional development)

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 12 Methods School Predictors School Resources –Received and used funds (from district or state) –Received resources (technical assistance, financial assistance, additional personnel, professional development) –Assigned staff with specific responsibility –Staff participated in professional development

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 13 Types of Resources Financial Assistance (e.g., competitive grants) Technical Assistance Additional Personnel Professional Development (district and school) School staff with specific responsibilities

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 14 District and School Demographics District and School Size Percent Free and Reduced Price Lunch Percent Minority Percent Students with IEPs Urbanicity School Grade Level

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 15 Staff Preparedness General Education Teachers Special Education Teachers Participation Performance Dropout Prevention Access Across areas, special educators were reported to be better prepared than general educators. Less than half of all teachers were reported to be well prepared in the area of dropout prevention/recovery.

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 16 Staff Preparedness Across areas, small schools were more likely than larger schools to report having well prepared general education teachers. There were no patterns in the characteristics of schools that reported having well prepared special education staff.

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 17 School Resources ParticipationPerformanceDropout Prevention Access Financial assistance Technical assistance Professional development Designated staff

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 18 Do these Resources Matter? State policy tools and resources have virtually no effect on teacher preparedness. District policy tools and resources have very limited impact on teacher preparedness. School resources mattered, but the impact differed somewhat for special and general education teacher preparedness.

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 19 General Educators Participated in PD Did not participate in PD Participation**Performance**Dropout Prevention* Access**

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 20 Special Educators Participated in PD Did not participate in PD Participation*Performance*Dropout Prevention** Access*

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 21 Special Educators Received resource Did not receive resource District Professional Development** Technical Assistance**

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 22 Special Educators Had resource Did not have resource Financial Assistance* Designated staff*

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 23 Which Schools Have These Resources? Schools with moderate levels of poverty are most likely to receive district professional development on dropout prevention and recovery. Larger schools are more likely than smaller schools to have the resources that matter.

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 24 Which Schools Have These Resources? < 250 students students > 750 students Professional Development on Accommodations Financial Assistance to Improve Performance Receive Funds for Access

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 25 Summary and Conclusions Across the board, special education teachers were reported to be better prepared than general education teachers. Professional development was the most common type of resource available to school staff. Only about half the schools reported having other types of resources targeted to the four issues we examined. The area of dropouts received the fewest school resources.

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 26 Summary and Conclusions Professional development provided by schools was a critical factor in improving instructional capacity. Larger schools were more likely than smaller schools to have the resources that mattered. District provided resources mattered for teacher preparedness only in the area of dropouts, but few resources are being targeted in this area.

The Study of State and Local Implementation and Impact of IDEA 27 More SLIIDEA Findings For more information contact: Ellen Schiller Project Director Abt Associates Inc. (301)