A Conservative Approach to Special Education Reform: Mainstreaming Through Transenvironmental Programming and Curriculum-Based Measurement

There is strong disagreement about where to educate the majority of children with disabilities—in special or regular education settings. Although most agree that some special-needs students require separate instruction for at least part of the school day, Federal law requires educators to prepare these students for an eventual return to the mainstream. Our study’s purpose was to implement and validate a process for readying students to transition successfully from special education resource rooms to regular classrooms for math instruction. Preparation included use of curriculum-based measurement and transenvironmental programming. Forty-two students with mild disabilities were assigned to experimental and control groups. Math progress was measured by pre-versus posttreatment and ongoing curriculum-based achievement data, obtained in special and regular education settings, and by teacher reports. Findings indicated that experimental students substantially reduced time spent in special education math, whereas control students’ time in special education math was unchanged. Experimental students’ pre- to posttreatment achievement was greater than that of controls and was similar to the progress of lowest-achieving nondisabled students in mainstream classes. Time-series analysis revealed, however, that experimental students’ improved performance occurred only in special education; once in the mainstream, their progress ceased. Implications for educational policy are discussed.