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Current research places an emphasis on outcomes, rather than the processes, that lead to disproportionality in special education. In most instances, referrals for special education are based on teacher perception, rather than data. Using a norm-referenced self-report instrument to assess behavioral and emotional risk, this study compared those identified as at-risk by the instrument to those presently receiving special education services within a nationally representative sample of 4946 children. The results indicated demographics including gender, race, and socioeconomic status were more predictive of special education status than self-report of risk. These findings suggest that a data-driven approach to inform referral for special education may contribute to efforts to reduce the disproportionate placement of students of color and males in special education.
Keywords: disproportionality, overrepresentation, special education, universal screening
The disproportionate representation of specific groups of students in special education has been an area of concern since Dunn's (1968) seminal article over 40 years ago. Despite the longstanding acknowledgment of this problem, schools and districts across the United States continue to report the overrepresentation of African American and Native American students (e.g., Skiba et al., 2005, 2008; Sullivan & Bal, 2013) and boys (e.g. Bruce & Venkatesh, 2014; Coutinho & Oswald, 2005; Hibel, Farkas, & Morgan, 2010) in special education. Acknowledging the problems associated with disproportionality, reauthorizations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA, 2004) have instituted policies that require schools to collect and report data on disproportionality in special education. Unfortunately, such policies have done little to remedy the problem to date, necessitating additional scholarship focused on potential contributing factors and solutions. Much of the existing research on disproportionality has focused on outcomes, rather than process factors. The present study sought to address disproportionate representation at the referral step of special education placement through the use of a data-driven process of identification, particularly for those who might qualify for services due to an emotional or behavioral difficulty.
CURRENT DATA ON DISPROPORTIONALITY
Disproportionality is defined as an overrepresentation or underrepresentation of a particular student group within a setting or outcome of interest, given that group's proportion in the total population. The overrepresentation of specific student groups in special education is problematic if the services provided by special education are not meeting the needs of,...