The Effect Of Pre-k Early Intervention Duration On Academic Achievement And Socialization Opportunities Of 3rd Grade Students Who Were Eligible For Special Education Services At Ages 3 To 5: An Exploratory Study Of Children With Developmental Delays

The study focuses on young children with developmental delays (DD) in a large school district and explores the effects of Pre-Kindergarten Exceptional Student Education (Pre-K ESE) duration on 136 students\u27 3rd grade academic achievement and socialization opportunities. This study specifically examines the 2003 statewide assessment (i.e. Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, FCAT) results of children with DD and their 3rd grade special education status. The literature review showed that providing early intervention services for young children ages 3 through 5 with special needs in the public school system has become the movement of both the federal and state educational policies. However, the empirical studies regarding the effects of Pre-K early intervention programs provided within the public school system are few. A multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was conducted to examine the effect of the Pre-K duration (1 year vs. 2 years) on students\u27 3rd grade performance as measured by FCAT Reading scores, FCAT Math scores, and socialization opportunities (i.e. weekly Non-ESE minutes) while controlling for students\u27 socioeconomic status (i.e. free/reduced price lunch status) and gender. Moreover, a paired sample t test was conducted to examine the difference of the Matrix of Services scores between Pre-K and 3rd grade evaluations. The results of this study provide an insightful picture of Florida Pre-K intervention duration on the performance of children with special needs in public schools