TAKS Testing and Special Education Students

07/21/2010

Well, I really need to choose one topic for my action research. As an ARD facilitator, both of these topics frustrate me because parents and teachers frequently ask me similar questions. The answer, one would think is a simple once. Actually I don't know if there is a simple answer or not; therefore, action research comes in to play.

Do I go with:

(A) Researching if TAKS scores and content area grades are increasing, or not, for the special education students that are now all inclusive (who weren't last year) due to NCLB changes. With NCLB pushing more special education students into all grade level courses/classes regardless of their area of disability, are the students actually demonstrating academic achievements? Are these students now receiving more accommodations and modifications than they were before so they can be successful in the general education classes? Is there research/data that actually considers the students feelings or attitude with inclusion, or are we simply catering to the parents? I want to research if there is data out there to support the continued use of the all inclusive model, based upon current test scores, or should districts/campuses start moving towards (backwards for some) to a less inclusive model? Or, is this merely a budget reducing technique that districts/campuses use as a way to reduce personnel costs?

Who would this action research benefit, you ask? Well, for one, it would solve one of the most frequently asked questions I am confronted with, so I would benefit from developing a more solid response. I believe it would also provide additional information for teachers and campus administrators as they approach anxious, and sometimes angry parents with a more proper response based upon data driven research.

Or do I go with:
(B) There has got to be a better way to organize the TAKS, benchmark, RPTE, TOPL, etc. test administration settings than the system currently in place. The process is ever so time consuming and extremely frustrating. So many of our students (not all are special education students) take these tests in alternative settings from 1-on-1, to small group, to oral administration, etc. But according to research, do these small group settings actually benefit the students, or merely ease the classroom teachers' testing day tension when specific students are not in their classroom? What does research say about the dynamics of small group settings for test takers? What does research/data say about the delivery of services, placement, location, and technology provided on testing days? Does the test drive the student's setting, or does the student drive the setting?

Once again, I hear you asking, who would benefit from this action research? For certain all campus test coordinators, team leaders, campus administrators and teachers. The smoother an event (yes, TAKS days are events) runs, the happier the customers (students and parents) are. And, it might possibly stop some teachers/campus leaders from taking advantage of TAKS testing days as "give the teachers a break day". PLEASE! I know how difficult some students can be on test days... I am not a teacher turncoat.

Please don't be shy with responding. I really am serious in wanting to know if either of these topics sound like valid topics for an action research.
Jacque