The Achievement of Students with Developmental Disabilities and Their Peers Without Disabilities in Inclusive Settings: An Exploratory Study‪.‬

Students with developmental disabilities are being served in general education classes with increasing regularity (U. S. Department of Education, 2000). Research has suggested that inclusive educational programs have a number of potential educational and social benefits for this group of students and their peers without disabilities (Harrower, 1999; Hunt & Goetz, 1997). However, critics of inclusive education have raised questions about the impact of these programs on the achievement of both groups of students (Fuchs & Fuchs, 1994; Kaufmann & Hallahan, 1995). Unfortunately, there has been very little research conducted examining this critical issue (Harrower, 1999; Hunt & Goetz, 1997). Several studies have focused on the acquisition of discrete skills by students with developmental disabilities participating in general education classes in various instructional formats (e.g., Dugan et al., 1995; Kamps, Barbetta, Leonard, Delquadri, 1994; Hunt, Staub, Alwell, & Goetz, 1994; McDonnell, Mathot-Buckner, Thorson, & Fister, 2001; McDonnell, Thorson, Allen, & Mathot-Buckner, 2000). For example, Hunt et al. (1994) demonstrated that three students with severe disabilities acquired communication and motor skills as part of their participation in cooperative learning groups during a math unit in their general education classes. McDonnell et al. (2000) used a partner learning strategy to teach students to spell words during the regular spelling lessons in their general education classes. While such findings are encouraging, the small number of students participating in these studies and the relatively narrow range of behaviors that have been taught limits the conclusions that can be drawn about the overall benefit of inclusive educational programs for this group of students.