Differential eligibility for instructional support, educational modifications and accommodations as a factor of ethnicity in third, fourth and fifth grade students

Misdiagnosis of students with a learning disability (LD) continues to be an issue of concern because the result is a high representation of ethnic minority students being labeled as having LD and receiving special education modifications, accommodations, and instructional support. The present challenge is to provide appropriate special education services to those students who in fact have LD and not continue to include those students with learning differences. This study is an archival record descriptive analysis design that was conducted in two suburban independent school districts in the Southwest. The sample was White, African American, Hispanic students having LD (n=1021) in third, fourth, and fifth grade. Research questions investigated whether ethnicity was significant for predicting which students received content modifications, methodology accommodations, delivery accommodations, and student evaluation accommodations. Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that ethnicity was significant (p < .001) for predicting that Hispanic students receive a reduction in the amount of Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills learned. A binary logistic regression indicated that ethnicity significantly predicted (alpha = .0025) having the instructional delivery accommodations of small group/individual instruction and note taking/scribing assistance. Hispanic students received small group/individual instruction more often than White students. White students received note taking/scribing assistance more often than Hispanic students. A Brown-Forsythe ANOVA analysis indicated significance (<.001) for Hispanic students in District I to receive more math and reading/language arts instruction in special education settings. For District 2, a trend was noted in the total amount of time spent in special education (p = .003).