Impact of Co-teaching on Achievement

Educating students with learning disabilities in the least restrictive environment is a widely contested topic that leads to a magnitude of questions regarding the best placement decisions and the most effective service delivery models. Students who leave the general education classroom to attend the resource room often suffer stigmatization and experience discontinuity of instruction. This study investigated the impact of co-teaching on the math and reading achievement among fifth grade students with and without learning disabilities. Collaborative teaching is an inclusive service delivery model where a general and special education teacher are equal partners who share responsibility for planning and delivery of instruction to all students in the same classroom. Results indicated there were no significant differences in composite achievement scores between the two service delivery models. Since co-teaching guarantees the most access to general education, while still increasing achievement it should be given consideration when designing service delivery models. The results of this study provide valuable insight for school districts and special educators considering co-teaching.