Theses and Dissertations from DePaul University

Date of Award

5-30-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

College

College of Education

First Advisor

Andrea Kayne

Abstract

This quantitative study aimed to determine whether there is a positive impact on the academic growth of general education students' reading and math growth between co-taught classrooms compared to traditional one-teacher classrooms within a suburban public school district over the course of one academic year. The school district has implemented co-taught programming with longevity as a special education instructional model in three of the eight elementary schools and in both middle schools. This study focused on the conditional growth of standardized test scores in reading and math for fourth and fifth-graders who have not been identified with special education needs, compared to those taught by a traditional single general education teacher during one academic year across three elementary schools that provided both instructional models. This ex post facto quantitative study reviewed the NWEA MAP Conditional Growth Index (CGI) from Fall to Spring, comparing the growth of the students in the co-taught classroom against those in the traditional single-teacher classroom setting. It was assumed that general education students in the co-taught setting would demonstrate greater growth than their peers in a single-teacher setting due to the expertise of the special educator who modified instruction to benefit all learners, not only students who had identified special education needs. The study outcomes indicated statistically significant growth for general education students who received instruction in a co-taught setting, prompting a discussion about whether there is a need to expand this special education instructional model.

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