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Evaluation of the Implementation and Impact of an Integrated Prevention Model on the Academic Progress of Students with Disabilities.
Barlow, A., Humphrey, N., Lendrum, A., Wigelsworth, M., & Squires, G
Research in Developmental Disabilities. 2015;36:505-525.
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Abstract
Evidence suggests that students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) perform less well academically than those with no SEND at each stage of their education. This paper reports on the impact of the Achievement for All (AFA) pilot programme, a major initiative aimed at narrowing this attainment gap. AfA is a comprehensive framework for intervention comprising (1) Assessment, tracking and intervention, (2) Structured conversations with parents, and (3) Developing provision for wider outcomes (e.g. behaviour). 426 schools (351 primary and 75 secondary) drawn from 10 Local Authorities (LAs) across England are represented in the analysis, yielding a sample of 11,392 children and young people with SEND. Comparison of the academic progress of this sample of students during the two-year pilot with national datasets for students with and without SEND suggested that the programme was successful in achieving its objectives. Students in pilot schools made significantly greater progress in English and Maths than students with SEND nationally over the equivalent period of time, and in some cases their progress also outstripped that of students without SEND. Hierarchical linear modelling of study data suggested that differences between schools accounted for between 3.8% and 19.2% of the variance in academic progress. A range of contextual and implementation variables were found to contribute to this variance, including the frequency with which teachers and parents reviewed academic targets, and level of fidelity to the structured conversation model for increasing parental engagement and confidence. Key student characteristics that contributed to the variance attributable to individual differences included eligibility for free school meals (FSM), primary SEND type (e.g. severe learning difficulties) and stage of SEND provision.