Psychology
in
the
Schools
Volume
28,
January
1991
CLASSIFICATION OF CHILDREN
IN
SPECIAL EDUCATION:
IMPORTANCE OF PRE-ASSESSMENT INFORMATION
JOAN
KASTNER
JAY
GOTTLIEB
Kean College
of
New Jersey
The records of
137
students for whom complete data
files
were available were examined
in order
to
determine the extent to which pre-assessment data (teacher referral infor-
mation and standardized reading test scores) could successfully be used
to
predict
the handicapping classifications decided on by child-study teams. We were specifically
interested in the predictive power of pre-assessment information above and beyond
that provided by handicapped children’s race and gender. Results of our analyses
indicated that pre-assessment data can successfully predict the handicapped classifica-
tions of the majority
of
special education students, as well as differentiate students
who are found eligible for special education from those found to be ineligible.
New York University
The mandates of PL
94-142
have resulted in an increase in interest in the classifica-
tion of students referred to special education. Unfortunately, the efficacy of identifying
special education populations through traditional assessment practices has been
problematic. Some researchers have found that assessment data do not correctly identify
children who require special education services (Ysseldyke
&
Algozzine,
198 1;
Epps,
McGue,
&
Ysseldyke,
1982;
Giesbrecht
&
Routh,
1979;
Regan
&
McGue,
1979).
The
purpose of this study was to determine the predictive value of referral data available
prior to evaluation on the classification of pupils who are referred
for
special education
evaluation.
One
of
the major research programs on the assessment of children as being handi-
capped was conducted by Ysseldyke and his colleagues (e.g., Foster, Ysseldyke,
&
Thurlow,
1983).
These researchers used information from a large computer-simulated
study in which each educational decision maker was provided with a simulated case study
of a student who was referred for special education services. All data provided by the
researchers reflected average performance. Pupil information included the child’s sex,
socioeconomic status, a photograph, the nature
of
the referral problem, and standardized
test results. The investigators’ results suggest that only referral information affects the
classification, and only
for
the emotionally disturbed classification: Students referred
for behavioral problems were more often diagnosed as emotionally disturbed than were
students-referred for academic problems. Relatively similar findings were obtained when
the researchers used actual data from student files: The recommendation
of
the teacher
or principal was followed in the majority of instances.
In contrast to the literature that indicates that information used to assess students
does not discriminate among classified groups is another body of literature whose results
suggest that it does (Gajar,
1978;
Wilson, Cone, Bradley,
&
Reese,
1986).
Gajar was
able to predict accurately to the previously designated classifications for the educable
mentally retarded, learning disabled, and emotionally disturbed groupings, using in-
formation from actual school records. Using the results
of
an
intelligence test, an estimate
of underachievement in reading, the amount of test score scatter, and the results
of
the
personality tests, the researcher
was
able to discriminate
81.8%
of
the population. Wilson
et al.
(1986)
reported IQ, achievement, and behavioral differences among various
classifications of handicapped children on
a
large sample
of
pupils in Iowa.
Requests
for
reprints should be sent
to
Jay Gottlieb, Dept. of Educational Psychology, New York
University, New
York,
NY
10003.
19