Special Education Teacher Quality and Student Achievement

Special Education Teacher Quality and Student Achievement Li Feng Tim R. Sass Dept. of Finance & Econ. Dept. of Economics Texas State University Florida State University

Achievement of Students with Disabilities • Policy Relevance • 14 percent of public school students have disabilities • Achievement gap between students with disabilities and their typical peers widens as they move into higher grades • 13 percent of schools that do not meet AYP standards fail solely because they have not achieved standards set for their students with disabilities

Teacher Quality and Student Achievement • Growing Consensus that Teacher Quality is the Most Important School-based Determinant of Student Achievement • Rockoff (2004) • Rivkin, Hanushek and Kain (2005) • If One Wants to Improve Educational Outcomes for Students with Disabilities, Teacher Quality is the Obvious Place to Start

Prior Related Literature • Teacher Training and Student Achievement in the General Student Population • Pre-service Training • College Major/Coursework of Teachers • Betts, Zau and Rice (2003) • Aaronson, et al. (2007) • Harris and Sass (2008) • Teach for America • Boyd, et al. (2006) • Kane, Rockoff and Staiger (2006) • Xu, Hannaway and Taylor (2008)

Prior Related Literature • Teacher Training and Student Achievement in the General Student Population • Pre-Service Training • Other “Alternative Certification” Programs • Sass (2008) • Constantine, et al. (2009) • Generally Find no Advantage for Education Majors/Traditionally Prepared Teachers in Promoting Student Achievement

Prior Related Literature • Teacher Training and Student Achievement in the General Student Population • In-Service Training • Jacob and Lefgren (2004) • Exogenously imposed professional development had no significant effects on teacher effectiveness in math or reading • Harris and Sass (2008) • Inconsistent evidence on effects of current and prior professional development course taking by teachers on student achievement

Prior Related Literature • Special Education Programs and Student Achievement • Hanushek, Kain and Rivkin (2002) • Participation in special education programs boosts the achievement of students with disabilities in Texas • Reynolds and Wolfe (1999) • Children with learning disabilities benefit less from special education than do students with other disabilities • Blackorby (2005) • Disabled students who spend most of their day in a regular education classroom score higher on achievement tests than do students who receive instruction mainly in special education classrooms • May simply reflect student sorting across classroom types

Prior Related Literature • Special Education Teacher Training and Classroom Practice • Sindelar, Daunic and Reynolds (2004) • Graduates of a traditional special education teacher preparation program scored higher on measures of classroom performance and principal ratings than teachers from alternative certification programs • Nougaret, Scruggs and Mastropieri (2005) • Traditionally licensed special education teachers better than emergency licensed teachers on several dimensions, including planning and preparation, classroom environment and instruction

Econometric Model and Estimation Strategies • Standard “Gain Score” Value-Added Model with Student Covariates • Standard “Gain Score” Value-Added Model with Student Fixed Effects

Econometric Model and Estimation Strategies • Challenges for Value-Added Modeling of Students with Disabilities • Determining Teacher(s) Responsible for Instruction • Students may be taking both regular education and special education classes in a subject • Students can have multiple regular-education-course teachers and multiple special-education-course teachers

Course Taking Patterns of Students with Disabilities in Math by Grade Level, 2004/05 – Percent by Category

Course Taking Patterns of Students with Disabilities in Reading by Grade Level, 2004/05 – Percent by Category

Econometric Model and Estimation Strategies • Challenges for Value-Added Modeling of Students with Disabilities • Course Selection is Endogenous • Students with more significant disabilities more likely to be in special education courses • Combining students in different settings is problematic if student ability is not completely accounted for

Student Characteristics by Math Course Taking Pattern, 99/00-04/05

Econometric Model and Estimation Strategies • To Address Dual Problems of Multiple Teachers and Endogenous Course Selection, Estimate Value-Added Models for Three Sub-samples of Students • Students taking one or more regular education courses in subject from a single teacher and no special education courses • Students taking one or more special education courses in subject from a single teacher and no regular education courses • Students taking one or more regular education courses in subject from a single teacher and one or more special education courses in subject from a single teacher

Florida’s K-20 Education Data Warehouse • Census of all students attending public schools in Florida, 1995/96 – 2004/05 • Student records linked over time • Includes student test scores and student demographic data, attendance, disciplinary actions and program participation • Statewide testing began in 1999/2000 • Includes all employee records including individual teacher characteristics and means of linking students and teachers to classrooms • Includes undergraduate records of teachers who attended Florida public colleges and universities

Sample for Analysis • All Students in Florida Receiving Exceptional Education Services (Other Than Gifted) With at Least One Achievement Gain Score • Grades 4-10 • Math and Reading • FCAT-NRT Exam (Stanford Achievement Exam) • 2000/01-2004/05 • Sample restricted to: • Students with at most one regular ed. and one special ed. instructor in subject • Classes with a single “primary instructor”

Effects of Teacher Experience on Student Achievement Gains by Math Course Taking Pattern, 99/00-04/05

Effects of Teacher Experience on Student Achievement Gains by Reading Course Taking Pattern, 99/00-04/05

Effects of Teacher Sp. Ed. PD on Student Achievement Gains by Math Course Taking Pattern, 99/00-04/05

Effects of Teacher Sp. Ed. PD on Student Achievement Gains by Reading Course Taking Pattern, 99/00-04/05

Effects of Teacher Adv. Degrees on Student Achievement Gains by Math Course Taking Pattern, 99/00-04/05

Effects of Teacher Adv. Degrees on Student Achievement Gains by Reading Course Taking Pattern, 99/00-04/05

Effects of Certification Status on Student Achievement Gains by Math Course Taking Pattern, 99/00-04/05

Effects of Exc. Child Ed. Credits on Student Achievement Gains by Math Course Taking Pattern, 99/00-04/05

Effects of Certification Status on Student Achievement Gains by Reading Course Taking Pattern, 99/00-04/05

Effects of Exc. Child Ed. Credits on Student Achievement Gains by Reading Course Taking Pattern, 99/00-04/05

Summary of Findings • Regular education teachers with special ed. certification have higher value-added than teachers without substantial special ed. training • Attainment of advanced degrees associated with higher value-added in math • Contrary to typical findings in general student population • Pay off to teacher experience often different for special ed. teachers than for regular ed. teachers • Lower in math, perhaps higher in reading • No consistent evidence of any positive effects of in-service professional development

Next Steps • Analyze impact of special ed. certified teachers on learning gains of non-disabled students • Allow for differential effects across disability categories • Increase sample to get more precise estimates of the effects of pre-service preparation • Analyze effects of teacher quality on high school graduation, college attendance and employment

Special Education Teacher Quality and Student Achievement