The Influence of Students with Special Needs Included in Grade-3 Classrooms on the Large-Scale Achievement Scores of Students Without Special Needs (Report‪)‬

This study investigates the relationship between the number of students with special needs (designated as exceptional or receiving special education services) in grade-3 classrooms in 1997-1998 and their achievement scores in reading, writing, and mathematics on Ontario's provincial assessment with their peers without special needs. When the variance due to differences in class size and socio-economic status was removed, the correlations between the number of students with special needs and the average class achievement scores were slightly, but significantly, positive (.05 to .07), suggesting that the presence of students with special needs does not adversely affect achievement of other students. Key words: special education, disabilities, elementary education, inclusive schools