Understanding Disproportionality New York University Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and...

Understanding Disproportionality

New York University

Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools

Technical Assistance Center on Disproportionality

ENTER DISTRICT NAME

ENTER DATE

ICEBREAKER: Getting to know each other

Overview of the Day

• Part 1: Establishing Norms Within the Root Cause Process

• Part 2: Defining Disproportionality• Part 3: Looking at Ourselves• Part 4: Looking at the Data Around Disproportionality• Part 5: Looking at Disproportionality in our District• Part 6: Reflection, wrap-up, and debriefing

Objectives

• Develop a framework for understanding how disproportionality relates to special education and school discipline both at the national and local level

• Identify policies, practices and beliefs that may contribute to disproportionality in your district which will be examined in the root cause process

PART 1: Establishing Norms Within the Root Cause Process

Contract

• Push your growing edge• Consider what’s in it for you

and where you’re going• Listen with respect and stay

engaged• Struggle together and expect

to experience discomfort• Speak your “truth” and

respect the “truth” of others

“As we struggle together, we will have hit the growing edge—push your growing edge!”

-The People’s Institute for Survival and Beyond

Discussing the Elephant in the Room

Our educational systems have disproportionate negative impacts on particular students: • Males• Students of color (particularly

Black and Latino students)• Students of low socio-

economic backgrounds• LGBTQ• Students with Disabilities

What to Expect: The Three Core Tensions

What can I do? (PERSONAL) • Each teacher routinely questions his or her own personal readiness

to become the type of professional who can successfully engage issues of race and racism in his or her life and classroom practice.

What can I do? (STRUCTURAL) • Teachers routinely question the power of the individual educator to

counteract structural or societal problems of racial and race-class inequality via the classroom.

What can I do? (STRATEGIES)• Teachers routinely search for concrete actionable steps they can

take in their classrooms and schools, questioning how abstract ideas of theories about racial inequality and difference can help them.

From Pollock, Deckman, Mira, & Shalaby (2010, p. 211).

PART 2: Defining Disproportionality

Critical Questions: • What is disproportionality?• Who is affected by

disproportionality?

What is the Purpose of…

Special Education

• Provides intervention services • Provides equal opportunity for all learners to

access educational services• Ensures equal opportunity and access for

every child to be academically successful

Activity: Think-Pair-Share

1. In small groups, take 5 minutes to define the following terms: Equality, Equity, Access, Opportunity, Fairness, and Culture.

2. As your group defines these terms, discuss examples of these terms in your district.

Equality Equity

Fairness Culture

Access Opportunity

General Equality• The state or quality of

being equal; correspondence in quantity, degree, value, rank, or ability.

Educational Equality• The principal of allocating

educational resources with an emphasis on the equal distribution of inputs without attention given to the corresponding outputs.

Equality

• Equity is when

everyone has access

to the opportunities

necessary to satisfy

their essential needs,

advance their well-

being and reach their

full potential

General Equity• “The principle of

supplementing the law to ensure equality or justice.”

Educational Equity• “The principle of altering

current practices and perspectives to teach for social transformation and to promote equitable learning outcomes for students for all social groups.”

From: Lee, E. (2002)

Equity

• The right or opportunity to use or benefit from resources

• Educational access: means the right to the resources for success.

• Access scenarios:– Affirmative action, quotas,

etc.– GI bill for housing and

college– Fair criteria for gifted and

talented/AP/honors

Access

• General opportunity: an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

• Educational opportunity means equitable inputs in order to attain equitable outputs.

• Opportunity scenarios:– AP/honors courses– Affirmative action, quotas,

etc.– GI bill

From: Lee, E. (2002)

Opportunity

• The chance of getting what we want in life.• How our chance for success compares with others (may

not always look the same).

From: Mithaug, D. E. (1996)

Fairness

Fairness is the

process through

which equity is

achieved.

Disproportionality is…

• The over-representation of a specific group in special education programs or disciplinary outcomes relative to the presence of this group in the overall student population, and/or

• The under-representation of a specific group in accessing intervention services, resources, programs, rigorous curriculum and instruction relative to the presence of this group in the overall student population

SOURCE:U.S. Department of Education

WHY SHOULD WE PAY ATTENTION TO DISPROPORTIONALITY?

Who is affected by disproportionality?

Why Should we be Concerned about Disproportionality?

Special Education• Students in special education

programs are likely to encounter a limited, less rigorous curriculum (Harry & Klingner, 2006)

• Students in special education programs can have less access to “academically able” peers (Donovan & Cross, 2002)

• Once students are receiving special education services, they tend to remain in special education classes (Harry & Klingner, 2006)

Discipline• Students with discipline issues are

less likely to complete high school and discipline issues in earlier grades are predictive of discipline issues in latter grades (Tobin & Sugai, 1999)

• Students in schools with stricter discipline policies (e.g., zero tolerance) are less attached to their school (McNeely, Nonnomaker, & Blum, 2002)

• Black and Latino students are more likely to be given out of school suspensions or expulsions for the same behavior than their White peers (Skiba et al., 2011)

Think-Pair-Share

Video - Melissa Harris-Perry

Based on the clip, how would you answer the question:

Why should we be concerned about disproportionality?

http://www.msnbc.com/melissa-harris-perry/watch/the-racial-disparity-in-school-suspensions-314690627961

Defining Disproportionality within the Root Cause Process

Disproportionality DOES NOT Just Happen

Disproportionality is often times NOT a special education issue

Disproportionality DOES NOT Just Happen

Root CauseThe initial start of the problem

Compounding FactorsPolicies,

practices, and beliefs that

magnify, maintain, or fail to address the

root cause

DisproportionalityThe racialized

outcome that is ultimately measured

Disproportionality is often times NOT a special education issue

While disproportionality citations come from special education laws, the factors that lead to it are oftentimes outside of the realm of special education

District/

School Wide

Interventions and

Supports

Special Education

Throughout the Root Cause process we are going to understand how:

Disproportionality manifests in beliefs, policies and practices (BPP) —and—

How changing beliefs, policies and practices can positively affect student outcomes.

Factors that Influence Disproportionality(Causes and Solutions)• Policies: the written guidelines that frame these

domains within or in relation to school• Practices: the activities in these domains (formal and

informal)• Beliefs: the ideas held by school personnel in

engaging in specific practices or implementing school policies

Catherine Maria Voulgarides

I think we shoudl say the written guidelines that influence teh educational process or something like that; then practice: the activitites, both formal and informal, that result from policies and procedures: then beliefs: teh ideas held by schoolpersonnel...NO EDITS NEEDED ON THIS ONE

Disproportionality has more than one cause and more than one solution

Disproportionality is a result of the interactions between policies, practices, and beliefs that manifest in various areas

Belief

Practice

Policy

Disproportionality Is Complex

Disproportionality Discipline Policies and Practices

Interventions and Referrals

Instruction and Assessment

Educational Opportunity

Family and Community

Teacher Expectations and Misconceptions

Cultural Dissonance

Sociodemographics

Organizing Schools For Improvement (Bryk et al. 2010)

5 Essential Supports for School Change

1) school leadership

2) parent and community ties

3) professional capacity of staff and faculty

4) student centered learning climate

5) instructional guidance system.

Key Concepts

-“ it’s like baking a cake”-Leadership is the “catalyst for change” across all essential supports

-The supports continuously interact and influence each other in complex ways

- Relational Trust--or the quality of relationships– strengthens the school change process

Moving from Root Causes to SolutionsBeliefs, Polices and Practices influence both the Root Causes and Solutions

Ro

ot

Cau

ses

Leadership

Family and Community Ties

Student Centered Learning Climate

Professional Staff Capacity

Instructional Guidance

Take a moment to jot any new ideas onto your “IDEAS” sheet

PART 3: Looking at Ourselves

Critical Questions: • What interventions do we have in

place in our classrooms and in our schools?

ACTIVITY: The School Early Intervention and Classification Process

Stage 1: Student exhibits problem behavior/need

Stage 2: A school committee considers the student referral

Stage 3: The student is evaluated by a specialist depending on the need that is exhibited

Stage 4: The student receives an individual education plan (IEP)

• Please discuss this student’s journey through the intervention and classification process and record the following:1. key policies and practices that

may affect or determine the student’s outcome at each of the stages

2. critical questions that should be considered at of the stages

3. possible outcomes.

ACTIVITY: The School Discipline Process

Stage 1: Student exhibits problem behavior/need

Stage 2: Teacher submits a referral to the building administrator for her/him to consider

Stage 3: The school administrator receives and considers the disciplinary referral

Stage 4: The school administrator recommends student be suspended

• Please discuss this student’s journey through the discipline process and record the following:1. key policies and practices

that may affect or determine the student’s outcome at each of the stages

2. critical questions that should be considered at of the stages

3. possible outcomes.

Reflection Questions

• Who are the students that are classified as disabled in your school?

• Who are the students that are being suspended or disciplined the most?

• What grades are students referred to special education?

• What are the reasons they are referred to special education? Or for a disciplinary referral?

• What has been provided for them prior to their referral to special education? Or prior to a disciplinary consequence?

PART 4: Looking at the Data Around Disproportionality

Critical Questions: • Are there any patterns that we

can draw from this data?• What questions are posed by this

data?

THE NATIONAL PUBLIC SCHOOL PICTURE

National Public School Achievement4th Grade NAEP (2011)

Math

All Students

-80%

-60%

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Advanced

Proficient

Basic and Be-low Basic

Reading

All Students

-80%

-60%

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Advanced

Proficient

Basic or Below Basic

From: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES)

National Public School Achievement4th Grade NAEP, by Race/Ethnicity (2011)

Math

White Black Latino Asian0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Advanced

Proficient


Reading


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Advanced

Proficient



National Public School Achievement8th Grade NAEP (2011)

Math

All Students

-80%

-60%

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

Advanced

Proficient


Reading

All Students

-10%

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

Advanced

Proficient



National Public School Achievement8th Grade NAEP, by Race/Ethnicity (2009)

Math


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Advanced

Proficient


Reading


10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Advanced

Proficient



The National Achievement Gap

Math (2011)• 4th Grade: Black students on

average scored 25 points lower than White students and Latino Students on average scored 20 points lower than White students

• 8th Grade: Black students on average scored 31 points lower than White students and Latino students on average scored 23 points lower than White students

Reading (2011)• 4th Grade: Black students on

average scored 25 points lower than White students and Latino Students on average scored 24 points lower than White students

• 8th Grade: Black students on average scored 25 points lower than White students and Latino students on average scored 22 points lower than White students

BY THE END OF HIGH SCHOOL

Black and Latino 17-Year-Olds Perform as well as White 13-Year-Olds in Math (2008)

200 250 300 3500

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

17-year-old Black students17-year-old Hispanic students13-year-old White students

Performance Level

Perc

ent o

f Stu

dent

s

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES)

Black and Latino 17-Year-Olds Perform as well as White 13-Year-Olds in Reading (2008)

200 250 300 3500

10

20

30

40

50

60

17-year-old Black students17-year-old Hispanic students13-year-old White students

Performance Level

Perc

ent o

f Stu

dent

s

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Educational Statistics (NCES)

CONTROLLING FOR POVERTY (NATIONAL)

National Public School 4th Grade NAEP Scores by Race/Ethnicity and Eligibility for Free or Reduced Lunch (2009)

White

Black

Hispanic

Asian/Pacific Island

American Indian

Unclassified

175 185 195 205 215 225 235 245 255

Not eligible Average scale score Eligible Average scale score

Black students who do not qualify for the National Lunch Pro-gram score as well as White students who do qualify for the Na-tional Lunch Pro-gram

THE NEW YORK STATE PUBLIC SCHOOL PICTURE

The New York State Achievement Gap

New York State trends reflect national patterns. There are prevalent disparities by race and ethnicity in both Math and English

CONTROLLING FOR POVERTY(NEW YORK STATE)

New York State 4th Grade NAEP Scores by Race/Ethnicity and Eligibility for Free or Reduced Lunch (2009)

White

Black

Hispanic

Asian/Pacific Island

175 185 195 205 215 225 235 245 255

Not eligible Average scale score Eligible Average scale score

Black students who do not qual-ify for the Na-tional Lunch Pro-gram score as well as White students who do qualify for the National Lunch Program

PART 5: Looking at disproportionality in our district

Critical Questions: • What are some key

disproportionality indicators in your district and what do they mean?

SCHOOL LEVEL DATA: Tools We Can Use to Better Understand

Disproportionality

• School Level Data Book: the resource provides practitioners the opportunity to explore school level data and to understand disciplinary patterns in their schools

• Equity Calendar: the resource provides a framework for practitioners to critically think about school level data, disaggregated by race, to address disparate outcomes

ACTIVITYCitation Data Book and Mapping Root CausesExploring Trends in Your District

ACHIEVEMENT AND ENROLLMENT DATA

What does your data say?

How do the trends in data relate to common root causes of disproportionality?

Enrollment Data Over Time-SAMPLE

Amer

ican

Indi

an

Black

or A

frica

n Am

erica

n

Hispan

ic or

Lat

ino

Asian

Whi

te

Mul

tirac

ial

0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

2008-092009-102010-11

2008-09 2009-10 2010-110

500

1000

1500

2000

2500

American IndianBlack or African AmericanHispanic or LatinoAsianWhiteMultiracial

3rd Grade Math and ELA-SAMPLE

Grade 3 Mathematics

Black Hispanic White

-80%

-60%

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Level 4Level 3Level 1 or Level 2

Grade 3 ELA


-80%

-60%

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


8th Grade Math and ELA-SAMPLE

Grade 8 Mathematics


-60%

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%


Grade 8 ELA


-60%

-40%

-20%

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%



• How does your enrollment data relate to common Root Causes of Disproportionality?

• Are there disparities in achievement? How do these relate to common Root Causes of Disproportionality?

How do we measure disproportionality?

Methods of Data Analysis

Three main data tools (calculations) are used to explore special education data: classification rate, composition index, and relative risk ratio.

Methods for Identifying Disproportionality

Risk Index/Rate Composition Index Relative Risk Ratio

The risk index identifies at what rate, or percentage of risk, students of a particular racial/ethnic group have in a particular outcome.

The composition index gives the proportion of students by race/ethnicity in a particular outcome.

Composition indexes are used to determine if a particular group is over- or underrepresented in a particular outcome.

Relative risk ratios are comparisons of the risks of a particular outcome of one group to the risk of the remaining group(s) experiencing the same outcome.

A risk ratio of 1 indicates that there is equal risk. An increase in risk ratio is indicative of increased risk.


Ilike this slide better than the multiple slides because it is more succinct. We dont need to keep it but I put it here for review. The formatting isnt so great either.

Calculating Relative Risk: Classification (SPP Indicator 9)

The Idea

The Risk of Black Students Being Classified SWDCompared to

The Risk of All Other Students Being Classified SWD

The Formula

(Black SWD ÷ Black enrollment)

÷ [(Total SWD – Black

SWD) ÷ (Total enrollment – Black enrollment)]

New York State Citation Information

Indicator 4 Refers to discipline and suspension or expulsion of students with disabilities for greater than 10 days (4a) and by race/ethnicity for greater than 10 days (4b)[20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(A); 1412(a)(22)]

Discrepancy: 4a: 2.7%4b: 2.3%

Disproportionality:

2.0

* review of students records to see if positive behavioral supports have been used* review of Individual Education Plans to see if they reflect the use of behavioral supports and interventions prior to suspension. * review determining whether or not Behavioral Intervention Plans have been developed and utilized *review determining if Manifestation Determination hearings occurred prior to suspension or expulsion *review determining if a proper interim alternative educational setting was provided if a student was suspended.

Indicator 9 Refers to disproportionate identification of racial and ethnic groups for special education and related services as a result of inappropriate identification.[20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(C)]

Disproportionality:2.5

*review of school wide approaches and pre referral interventions*review of the referral process for students to special education* review of the evaluation of practices for students with disabilities *review of evaluation of the districts eligibility determinants for special education

Indicator 10 Refers to disproportionate representation of students with disabilities by classification in specific disability categories (10a) and by placement (10b) by race/ethnicity[20 U.S.C. 1416(a)(3)(C)][20 U.S.C. 1418(d)(1)]

Disproportionality

10a: 4.010b: 2.0

*review of how students are evaluated for special education*review of the content of student Individual Education Plan *review of how special education problem solving teams recommend students for classification


I know this is tiny writing but I feel like people always want to know this info. This could be a handout too if needed.

ACTIVITYCitation Data Book and Mapping Root CausesExploring Trends in Your District

SPECIAL EDUCATION DATA

What does your data say?

How do the trends in data relate to common root causes of disproportionality?

SAMPLE-Classification Rate (Judgmental Categories)

Classification Rate0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

12%

14%

16%

18%

20%

18.14%

10.78%

8.21%8.82%

BlackHispanic or LatinoWhite (not of Hispanic Origin)Total

• Fewer than 9% of all students in Elwood are classified as students with disabilities in the “judgmental categories” – i.e., ED, LD, ID, OHI, SLI, and Autism.

• Over 18% of all Black students in Elwood are classified as students with disabilities in the “judgmental categories.”

SAMPLE-Relative Risk of Being Classified Disabled (Judgmental Categories)

• Black students are more than twice as likely to be classified as students with disabilities (in the judgmental categories) compared to all other students.

Risk Ratio

0.40

0.60

0.80

1.00

1.20

1.40

1.60

1.80

2.00

2.20

2.402.27

1.26

0.79

BlackHispanic or LatinoWhite (not of Hispanic Origin)

SAMPLE-Classification Rate by Disability Category

ED LD ID OHI SLI AUT0%

1%

2%

3%

4%

5%

6%

7%

8%


• Black students have elevated classification rates in the categories of learning disability and speech/ language impairment.

• White and Hispanic and Latino students have elevated classification rates in the categories of other health impaired.

SAMPLE-Relative Risk of Being Classified Speech/ Language Impaired (SLI) (SPP Indicator 10a)

• Black students are nearly five times as likely to be classified as students with a speech/ language impairment compared to all other students.

Risk Ratio

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.50

4.00

4.50

5.004.73

1.70

0.36


SAMPLE-Relative Risk of Being Classified Learning Disabled (LD) (SPP Indicator 10a)

• Black students are more than three times as likely to be classified as students with learning disabilities compared to all other students

Risk Ratio

0.00

0.50

1.00

1.50

2.00

2.50

3.00

3.503.32

1.36

0.66



• How does your special education data relate to common Root Causes of Disproportionality?

• Are there disparities in your special education data? How do these disparities relate to common Root Causes of Disproportionality?

PART 6: Reflection, wrap-up, and debriefing

Critical Questions:

• What is disproportionality?• Who is affected by disproportionality?• What interventions do we have in place

in our classrooms and in our schools?• Are there any patterns that we can draw

from this data?• What questions are posed by this data?• What are some key disproportionality

indicators in your district and what do they mean?

Homework Assignment

• Reading:– White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack

• What is the invisible knapsack? • What is in your invisible knapsack? • How might our “knapsack shape our view of the world?

• Share your Knowledge:– Share with a colleague what you have learned about

disproportionality

• Exploring Root Causes:– Continue to work on your districts Root Cause Chart


Do we need to change this HW? Did we talk about that as a whole group?

Wrap-up and Debriefing

• Trainings meeting expectations• Further areas of interest based on today’s training• Potential barriers

• What are some things we learned?• What are some questions we still have?

Evaluate TrainingQuestions, Comments, or Concerns:

ADD NAME AND EMAIL

Ms. Sutton’s Dilemma: a need for special education

Ms. Sutton moves about her fourth grade classroom checking to see which of her students continues to have difficulty with the newly introduced math process of long division. Suddenly, a loud crash draws her attention away from helping students to the commotion in the center of the room. Fallen desks and papers cover the floor. Andy stands in the middle of the havoc.

Ms. Sutton breathes deeply. She thinks, “When will somebody do something for this child? After all, his test scores show he has difficulty with reading and mathematics. Hasn’t this child struggled long enough to be considered for special education? Can’t the special education classes in this school give him more attention than he can possibly get in a general education class of 30 students?”

When Andy engages in class discussions on topics he enjoys, his comments and contributions reflect his regular viewing of educational programs on TV, but his overall performance is low. Ms. Sutton desperately wants to help him, but what are her options? Determined not to let him fail, Ms. Sutton decides to refer him for a special education evaluation. She sees this as her only option to get help for him.

From: Truth in Labeling: Disproportionality in Special Education

Think-Pair-Share: Ms. Sutton and Andy

• What are Ms. Sutton’s options?• Who knows a student similar to Andy?• What are the problems?• What’s going to happen to Andy?

Looking at the situation from multiple perspectives

Student (Andy) Teacher (Ms. Sutton) Administrative

What could Andy have done in order to prevent this incident from occurring?

What could have been done for Andy prior to incident in order to prevent it?

What supports could the administration/school put into place to support Ms. Sutton and Andy prior to this incident in order to prevent it?

What is the function of Andy’s behavior?

Based on this situation, what are some possible problems that Andy could be experiencing? How might you confirm and address them?

Based on this situation, what are some possible problems that Ms Sutton could be experiencing? How might you confirm and address them?

What additional supports are needed?



What is going to happen to Andy?

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