Standards-Based Testing Outcomes in Instructional Consultation Team Classrooms: An Analysis of Student Growth in Reading

Recent federal education legislation has recognized the over-identification and overrepresentation of students in special education and mandated that schools use evidence-based teaching strategies and instructional interventions within the general education classroom before initiating a special education referral. Legislation also put greater emphasis on state-administered, standards-based tests as a means to improve accountability of student achievement. In response, state education agencies (SEAs) faced the problem of delivering evidence-based teaching strategies/interventions and producing results of student achievement as evidenced by test data. The following research addressed the problem by examining the relationship between student reading growth and teacher involvement with Instructional Consultation (IC), an intervention for students at-risk for academic failure. This study utilized an associational design to examine the relationship between the IC involvement of 40 teachers, as measured by implementation time and involvement group, and the corresponding classroom reading growth score. No significant relationship was found between teacher implementation time and student growth in reading. However, results indicated a significant difference in teacher involvement groups as it pertained to student growth in reading. No interaction effect was found between teacher implementation time and teacher involvement group. The majority of teachers surveyed had minimal IC experience. In consideration of demands on SEAs for accountability, future research on IC should include longitudinal data, inclusive of teacher characteristics and student indicators to document intervention effects within schools.Doctor of Philosoph