AGREEMENT BETWEEN SCHOOL STUDY TEAM DECISIONS AND AUTHORITATIVE DEFINITIONS IN CLASSIFICATION OF STUDENTS AT-RISK FOR MILD DISABILITIES

This study investigated the degree to which school study teams (SSTS) considered and used results from traditional psychoeducational measure s in determining eligibility or ineligibility for special education. R esearch definitions based on authoritative criteria were used to defin e three groups of students: learning disabled (n = 47), mild mental re tardation (n = 43), and low achievers (n = 60). These three groups wer e then-compared to SST classification decisions to determine relative rates of agreement and disagreement. Results showed that SSTs show rel atively low rates of agreement with authoritative definitions of mild disability groups. Data from the current study suggest that SSTs are m aking classification decisions based on perceived educational need rat her than test scores provided by school psychologists, and the extent to which these scores meet arbitrary eligibility criteria.