Research Questions
1) To what extent do special education students participate in block schedule classes?
2) What differences, if any, exist in the performance patterns of special education
students enrolled in various block schedule configurations compared to special education
students’ performance patterns in secondary schools that follow a traditional class
schedule?
3) How do the performance patterns of special education students in block scheduled
schools compare with the performance patterns of their non special education classmates?
4) How do the performance patterns of special education students in traditionally
scheduled schools compare with the performance patterns of their non special education
classmates?
Design
The study is using an ex post facto design comprised experimental and comparison groups
made up of stratified random samples of students (total n = 620) and staff (total n = 275)
drawn from a stratified random sample of secondary schools that follow block schedules and
secondary schools that follow traditional schedules. Quantitative analysis will be use
logistic regression and multivariate ANOVA to test for main effects and co-variates, and
include calculation of effect sizes for any statistically significant findings (.05 level
or greater for one-tailed tests).
Hypotheses
1) Special education students whose entire secondary education occurred in schools that
use block schedules score significantly higher on academic performance measures than
special education students whose entire secondary school education occurred in schools
that use traditional schedules.
2) Special education students whose entire secondary education occurred in schools that
use block schedules will demonstrate significantly higher attendance rates than special
education students whose entire secondary school education occurred in schools that follow
traditional schedules.
3) Special education students whose entire secondary education occurred in schools that
use block schedules exhibit significantly lower dropout rates than special education
students whose entire secondary school education occurred in schools that follow
traditional schedules.
4) Special education students whose entire secondary education occurred in schools that
use block schedules exhibit significantly lower out-of-school suspensions than special
education students whose entire secondary school education occurred in schools that follow
traditional schedules.
5) Special education students whose entire secondary education occurred in schools that
use block schedules exhibit significantly fewer discipline referrals than special
education students whose entire secondary school education occurred in schools that follow
traditional schedules.
6) The number of special education completers from block schedule schools who plan to
enroll in post secondary education/training is significantly greater than the number of
special education completers from traditionally scheduled schools.
7) The variance between the academic achievement levels of special education completers
and the academic achievement levels of their non special education classmates in schools
that use a block schedule will significantly less than the variance between the academic
achievement levels of special education completers and the academic achievement levels of
their non special education classmates in schools that use a traditional schedule.
All hypotheses tests will control for race, gender, socioeconomic status, instructional
factors (including amount/types of individualized support provided to special education
students), and organizational factors (including specific block schedule designs and
academic subject areas).
For purposes of this study, “small schools” are those enrolling 299 or fewer students; “medium size schools” enroll 300 – 699 students; and “large schools” enroll 700 or more students.
H324C990018 is funded at 100% by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, Field Initiated Studies, from July 1, 1999 – June 30, 2002 @ $175,383 for project year three, $531,121 total. Principal Investigator: Brian Bottge, Assistant Professor, Department of Rehabilitation Psychology and Special Education, University of Wisconsin-Madison; Co-Principal Investigator: John Gugerty, Researcher, Center on Education and Work, University of Wisconsin-Madison.