The Effects of a State-Implemented Co-Teaching Training on Students\u27 Mathematics Achievement Scores

Co-teaching is the collaborative efforts of two professionals to deliver effective instruction to a group of students (Friend & Cook, 1995). Over the past five years, the Utah State Board of Education has been interested in using co-teaching as a vehicle for providing an appropriate education for students who qualify to receive special education services. In the model adopted by the Utah State Board of Education, one special education teacher and one general education teacher collaborate to provide instruction to a group of middle school students with and without disabilities. The Utah State Board of Education provides professional development prior to and throughout the school year to teachers and administrators who commit to this co-teaching model. Preliminary results of the state\u27s efforts are presented on this poster. Pre/post-test data from last year\u27s cohort indicate that students\u27 math achievement is positively impacted by this co-teaching model. Additional questions currently under investigation include: (1) Do students with (and without) disabilities achieve at higher rates in co-taught settings versus non-co-taught settings?; (2) Do students with disabilities achieve at comparable rates as students without disabilities in co-taught (and non-co-taught) settings?; (3) To what degree do student factors (other than disability/no-disability) affect the growth rates of students in co-taught and non-co-taught settings