Examining the Impact of Individualized Education Program Classification on Standardized Mathematics Testing

• In Event: Moscone Center North Roundtable Session 2
  In Roundtable Session: Inclusion and Accessibility in Educational Assessment SIG (96) Roundtable Session

Abstract

Within the current accountability-driven era of public education, large-scale standardized testing is commonly used as an indicator of school and program effectiveness. Consequently, Ontario’s math education is currently under scrutiny, as elementary students’ math achievement has declined in recent years. Despite this achievement drop, little research has attempted to understand how increasing heterogeneity in the student population may contribute to such phenomenon. Through a person-oriented approach, this study contributes to an emerging field of research to examine how specific IEP classifications (i.e., behavioural, communication, intellectual, developmental, and multiple) predicts membership to a latent profile of declining math achievement and discusses opportunities to strengthen the inclusion of students with diverse IEP needs in large-scale standardized assessment.

Authors

• Hanna Wickstrom, University of Toronto

• Eunice Eunhee Jang, University of Toronto

• Ellen Fesseha, University of Toronto