Press Release Archives

For Immediate Release: 25 AUGUST 2008

Report Finds that 57 Percent of New York 4th-Graders with Disabilities Reached Proficiency on State Math Test

Boston, Mass. — Fifty-seven percent of public school fourth-graders with disabilities in New York State reached proficiency on the statewide assessment exam in 2005, up from 49.6 percent in 2003, according to a new report from the Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI). The increase is an improvement of 7.7 percentage points. At the same time, the proficiency gap between fourth-grade students with disabilities and general education students narrowed by 1 percentage point.

“Performance Patterns for Students with Disabilities in Grade 4 Mathematics Education in New York State,” analyzes publicly available data from the New York State Testing Program (NYSTP) fourth-grade mathematics exam administered in 2003, 2004, and 2005. REL-NEI researchers specifically examined the performance of students with disabilities because many district leaders are concerned that this subgroup will not make adequate yearly progress, or AYP, on state assessments, as required by the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001. NCLB’s ultimate goal is that all students in the country reach proficiency in all subject areas by 2014.

“These findings offer policymakers and education leaders data-based information to consider as they develop strategies to improve all students’ academic performance and to reduce proficiency gaps,” said Katie Buckley, a researcher at Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), a global nonprofit organization that administers REL-NEI.

The report describes the overall performance of fourth-grade students, both with and without disabilities, on the state math exam, as well as the performance of students in similar schools, using a need-to-resource capacity (N/RC) index developed by the New York State Education Department that groups schools based on a district’s level of need, resources, and location. The report finds large variations, including a 30-percent difference between schools in the highest- and lowest-scoring categories, in students’ math performance across different N/RC categories. The report also finds that the percentage of fourth-graders with disabilities reaching proficiency improved the most over the three years in New York City schools (N/RC 1) and the least in low-need schools (N/RC 6).

While the mathematics achievement of students with disabilities is an issue across all school and grade levels, the REL-NEI report focuses on elementary schools because those years are critical for building students’ foundations in mathematics. The analyses center on fourth grade because it was the only elementary grade tested in mathematics in New York State before 2006. Researchers reviewed cross-sectional state report-card data available from the New York State Education Department website. The report illustrates how cross-sectional data can illuminate certain patterns of achievement but impede other types of analyses, such as growth in student learning over time.

“Future research could focus on student-level data, rather than school-level data, to examine whether the mathematics performance of particular students with disabilities is improving from year to year and what services those students are receiving to enhance their proficiency and understanding,” Buckley said.

The report was written by Buckley and fellow EDC researchers Stacy Ehrlich, Emily Midouhas, and Amy Brodesky. REL-NEI is one of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences (IES) and serves education decision-makers in New England, New York State, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

For more information about this report, contact agaddis@edc.org.

The Regional Educational Laboratory Northeast and Islands (REL-NEI) is run by Education Development Center, Inc. (EDC), the American Institutes for Research (AIR), and WestEd’s Learning Innovations program. REL-NEI is one of 10 Regional Educational Laboratories funded by the Institute of Education Sciences at the U.S. Department of Education. REL-NEI provides rigorous research that is relevant to national education priorities, responsive to local needs, and usable for policy and practice. Visit www.edc.org/relnei.

This project has been funded at least in part with federal funds from the U.S. Department of Education under Contract Number ED-06-CO-0025. The content of this publication does not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the U.S. Department of Education nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Education Development Center, Inc.(EDC) is a global nonprofit organization that develops, delivers, and evaluates innovative programs to address some of the world’s most urgent challenges in education, health, and economic development. Celebrating its 50th year, EDC manages more than 300 projects in 35 countries. Visit www.edc.org.