Bridging the achievement gap: A comparison of learning outcomes between service delivery models for students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers

The study was a comparison of learning outcomes for students with disabilities (SWD) and their nondisabled peers. Thus, the purpose of this study was to examine achievement outcomes of students with disabilities served in the resource pull-out model to those of their nondisabled peers participating in the Early Intervention Program (EIP) for math. A quantitative, correlational, and descriptive research design was selected as most appropriate for this study, and existing data was employed. Data from the Criterion Referenced Competency Test, administered to students in the third, fourth, and fifth grades in Georgia, were used in this study. Student performance on this test between 2007 and 2010 was examined and compared between the two groups. The sample consisted of the entire eligible census of students with disabilities and students receiving early intervention services statewide. The results from this study indicated that students with disabilities performed better than their nondisabled peers participating in the early intervention program. Although the students in the EIP were at risk for academic failure, the fact that they were outperformed by the SWD group implies that more should be done to increase achievement outcomes for this group as well.