Overrepresentation of Minority Students in Special Education
Statement of Problem z Minorities
are being over represented in special education z Because of federal involvement & provision of a free appropriate, public education individuals with disabilities are productive members of our community
Different View of Special Education Programs z Negative
outcomes relate to students with mild disabilities z Positive outcomes for individual with significant disabilities.
Disproportionate Representation z z
z
z
Discussed as early as 1968 in professional literature Following the passage of P.L. 94-142 in 1975 both the profession and court system have attempted to address the issue Reports from U.S. Office of Civil Rights and Office of Special Education continue to document problems In 2001 Dr. Robert Paige, Secretary of Education expressed his concerns
Diagnosis of Disability z Multidisciplinary
Process – teams of professional work together to determine the appropriate “label” for individuals with a disability
Disability Determinations z Often
results in financial gain or loss z Access to social security disability insurance, rehabilitation services, etc.
Types of Disabilities z Low
incidence disabilities include severe mental retardation, cerebral palsy and deaf and blindness z High incidence disabilities include mild mental retardation, learning disability, and behavior disorder
Low incidence Disabilities z The
problem of overrepresentation of minority students does not exist in the diagnosis of low incidence disabilities
High Incidence Disabilities z Require
an extensive degree of professional judgment to reach a consensus on disability z Diagnosis may differ from state to state z Nature and frequency of disabilities may result in the errors of the referral process
Results of Misdiagnosis z The
overrepresentation of minority students z The misdiagnosis of mental retardation among African American students z Recent funding initiatives from the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education have encouraged continued research
Disproportionate Representation and the Courts
z Legal
system has grappled with issue z Most lawsuits challenge the use of intelligence testing z Lawsuits have resulted in the provision of remediation programs
Remediation Programs z Used
to achieve and maintain compliance within districts z Provides a framework for determining the source of bias in the referral to placement process
Unconscious Bias z All
programs considered the possibilities that personnel were unconsciously biased against specific ethnic groups z Many of the misdiagnosis of mental retardation lawsuits was brought by ethnic advocacy groups z Because of the bias concern all remediation programs addressed the issue
What method was used? z
z
Most common, and most effective was a method used to allow local school personnel to “discover” and “remediate” their own problems. This empowered district personnel to recognize bias and attempt to find ways to correct that bias. Thus grow professionally and take increased ownership in educational decisions.
Bias within the Process z Identifying
some specific sources of bias in the referral to placement process z Professional literature has utilized the process as an organizational tool to investigate bias z Typically court-ordered remediation teams considered elements within the referral, the assessment, and/or placement process
Referral Process z Referral
to Special Education Form z Date of referral z Name of person making referral z Name of referred student z Specific academic or behavioral problem
Assessment z Reviewing
records answers many questions in reference to evaluations, credentials, types of evaluations, assessment tools, and validity of scores z Provides additional descriptive information about the possible sources of bias
Placement z When
records related to the placement process are reviewed, much information related to bias in the process can be documented z Placement meeting is where “label” is given z Critical that student and family are present
Parental Involvement z When
a parent attends the meeting, helps develop the IEP, and agree to label, bias in the placement process in not typically a concern. z When parents are not informed participants or when a single individual or instrument is used for classification and placement that bias in the placement process must be considered.
More Research Needed z Further
research is needed which documents the WAYS in which various ethnic groups are inappropriately placed into special education programs
