Co-Teaching at the High School Level: Outcomes for General Education Students

Abstract

This study examined the academic outcomes for general education students placed in a co-taught setting. To complete the study, students were placed into 3 groups based on their English placements over the course of their sophomore year. To create valid comparisons, only students who scored proficient or above on a standardized measurement tool were included in the data. For the remaining students in each group, each students' ACT Aspire reading scores from Spring of 2016 to Spring of 2017 were compared. Their growth was then converted to a growth percentile, as provided by ACT. These individual scores were then collectively reported for each group, illustrating the number of students in each group who demonstrated high growth, average growth, and low growth in reading over the course of their sophomore year of high school. The results showed that students who were placed in a co-taught setting for both trimesters of their English 10 education showed the highest percentage of high growth, but also the highest percentage of low growth compared to the other two groups. This study then examined these trends in the data and discussed the implications of the data on the practice of co-teaching.