An Evaluation of IEP Accommodations for Secondary Students With Emotional and Behavioral Problems

Abstract

Accommodations are intended to address student academic and behavioral deficits by reducing obstacles that impede learning and accurately measuring skills. There is limited research, however, pertaining to the types of accommodations students receive and their selection, particularly among those with emotional and behavioral problems. This is a significant concern for secondary age students who spend the majority of their day in regular education settings and must participate in high-stakes testing. We examined types of accommodations provided to 222 secondary students with emotional and behavioral problems, their use (i.e., classroom or standardized assessments), and variables related to their selection. Analyses indicated (a) students received a wide array of accommodations with some differences depending on disability type, (b) more accommodations were provided in the classroom than on standardized testing, (c) few demographic variables were associated with type or number of accommodations, and (d) with a single exception, academic and behavioral functioning did not explain type of accommodation received. The findings suggest that accommodation selection is highly imprecise and point to the critical need for further research in this area.

Recent developments in school social control

“…One example of school medicalized social control is the enrollment of children with behavior problems in behavioral individualized education plans (IEPs) designed to accommodate the needs of children with medically diagnosed behavior problems (Kim et al, ; Lavin, ; Ramey, ). For example, children who are diagnosed with ADHD and report being easily distracted or having difficulty staying on task are provided extra time to take their exams, often in separate rooms (Danneker & Bottge, ; Kern et al ). Another important feature of behavioral IEPs is that schools are required to hold manifestation determination hearings if students with a limiting disability faces suspension or expulsion (Katsiyannis & Maag, ).…”

“…Although individualized behavior plans are specific to the needs of certain students, they are effective at providing social control in schools. First, many behavioral IEPs ensure that children with behavior problems receive extra adult supervision, often in the form of a counselor or special education professional (Kern et al ). This extra adult supervision minimizes the chances for children with behavior problems to disrupt the classroom and discourages other children from acting out as well (Gottfredson & DiPietro, ).…”

“…These distinctions between criminalization and medicalization underscore the second pattern: the unequal distribution of both criminalized and medicalized school social control. Importantly, while federal and most state laws mandate that schools deploy both criminalized and medicalized policies and practices (Kern et al ; Lyons & Drew, ), the utilization of these tools to accomplish social control varies substantially across different social contexts. In particular, racial and ethnic minority students and children from poor or working‐class families are more likely to experience criminalized social control, while White children and children from professional or upper‐middle class families are more likely to experience medicalized social control (Losen & Martinez, ; Morgan et al, ; Morgan et al, ; Ramey, , ).…”

Mental Health Services in North Carolina's Public Schools

“…The services targeted in these documents are also imprecise. For example, researchers examining IEPs for students with emotional and behavioral problems found that specific accommodations were rarely matched to the stated student needs [11]. Based on such findings, it seems safe to conclude that special education offers one school-based mechanism to address individual student needs, but practices can vary considerably based on local knowledge, skills, and resources.…”

Educational Accommodations for Students With Disabilities: Two Equity-Related Concerns

“…Recent research finds that the vast majority of students with disabilities receive accommodations, and it appears that accommodations are more frequently recommended and implemented than evidence-based interventions are. Kern et al (2019) inspected the special education plans (IEP documents) of 222 students in secondary school, most of whom had diagnoses of a learning disability, an emotional/ behavioral disorder, or a health impairment. Collectively, the IEP documents listed 1,840 accommodations for these students.…”