The Impact of Socioeconomic Status, Race/Ethnicity, and English Learner Status in Predicting Student Placement with an Individual Education Plan During the Third Through Eighth Grades

This study analyzed the predictive validity of certain demographic indicators and academic achievement assessments in determining designation of students with an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Specifically, the study examined the predictive validity of socioeconomic status, race/ethnicity, English Learner (EL) status, gender, the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessment (SBAC) in English/language arts and the SBAC in mathematics as predictors of student designation with an IEP. This study used secondary data from the 2017-2018 school year from a large, urban California school district. Binomial logistic regression was used to analyze the secondary data. The analysis found a statistically significant impact of low socioeconomic status, gender, the race/ethnicities of American Indian/Native Alaskan, black/African American, and white, the SBAC in English/language arts, and the SBAC in mathematics on student designation with an IEP. Determining key factors that can be used to predict students’ designation with an IEP could assist school districts in providing supports to identified students previous to the students becoming deficient academically and potentially necessitating students’ designation with an IEP. Additionally, the results of this study may provide additional insights into the process of determining a student eligible for designation with an IEP in a large, urban California school district