Program evaluation: The inclusion process at Chesapeake High School

How to educate students with special needs is a controversial topic in traditional K-12 public education. Students lagging behind their age appropriate peers are finding school boring, insignificant and challenging. Students who are attending school regularly find meeting state standards difficult because of the stress of the new requirement to pass Maryland High School Assessments to obtain a high school diploma. As the failure rate steadily increases, educators are seeking viable means to help students with disabilities develop success strategies that adequately meet graduation requirements. This study evaluated the inclusion program at Chesapeake High School to determine if the program is successfully meeting its stated goals and objectives in assisting students with disabilities to pass the Government High School Assessment. The name Chesapeake High School was used to mask the actual identity of the school for confidentiality purposes. The sampling design included 50 randomly selected special education students in Chesapeake High School's Government inclusion classes. The sampling design also included three government teachers, three special education teachers, the Special Education Building Coordinator, and the Government Lead Teacher. The findings indicated that the Chesapeake did not meet its primary goal but partially obtained the objectives. However, the strengths of the Government inclusion program signified potential success of meeting its goals and objectives in the future. Therefore, the researcher concluded that the Government High School Assessment Instructional Leadership Team must strive to improve the processes and strategies to achieve the current goals and objectives.