Differences in Academic Achievement by Disciplinary Consequence Assignments for Students with Learning Disabilities: A Within Groups Comparison

Abstract

The extent to which in-school suspension and out-of-school suspension assignments was related to the reading and mathematics achievement of Texas Grade 9 students with learning disabilities in the 2008-2009 school year was addressed in this investigation. Inferential statistical analyses were conducted on Texas statewide data separately for White, Hispanic, and Black students, all of whom were students with a learning disability. Statistically significant differences were present in the reading and mathematics achievement as a function of whether or not students with learning disabilities were assigned to either an in-school suspension or to an out-of-school suspension. Students who were assigned to an in-school suspension or to an out-of-school suspension obtained lower reading and mathematics test scores than their same ethnic/racial peers who were not assigned to an in-school suspension or to an out-of-school suspension. Implications of these findings and recommendations for future research were discussed.