Accountability, adequate yearly progress, and evidence-based interventions: Are the needs of students with disabilities being addressed

This study investigated the strategies and programs schools include on school improvement plans after they fail to demonstrate adequate yearly progress on annual state assessments for two or more consecutive years for two groups. Comparisons between these two subgroups, all students and Students with Disabilities (SWD), were made on the frequency that strategies and programs were found on school improvement plans and the evidence-base for those programs. Focus groups with school improvement teams were carried out to gather information about the processes schools use in the development of their school improvement plans. A total of 321 strategies and 231 programs were identified on 120 school improvement plans from 4 states; strategies were further aggregated into 24 overall categories. From the strategies and programs noted, a list of most frequently identified strategies and programs was also derived. There was extensive overlap in strategies and programs used for all students and SWDs. No significant differences were noted in the evidence ratings of programs identified for each subgroup. Less than a quarter of programs identified on plans were found to have an evidence rating on commonly used criteria. The most frequently listed programs were more likely to have an evidence rating than less frequently listed programs. Evidence for program effectiveness varied as a function of the rating criteria used and the subject matter content of the plan. Focus groups revealed that schools are working within resources and systems already in place as well as using data to make decisions about student academic achievement and interventions.