Abstract
Purpose. The purpose of this study was to determine if the physical presence of special education resource students affects the math achievement of general education students in fourth grade mainstreamed classrooms as compared to fourth grade general education students in traditional classrooms. Methodology. The descriptive ex-post facto study included eight schools in two school districts in Los Angeles County that have fourth grade mainstreamed and traditional classrooms at the same site. Math scores of 248 general education students in mainstreamed classrooms and 241 general education students in traditional classrooms on the California Standards Test are analyzed. Quantitative data were analyzed using the Dependent t-Test, Independent t-Test, Wilcoxan Signed-Rank Test, and the Mann-Whitney U Test. Findings. General education students in mainstreamed classrooms consistently outperformed general education students in traditional classrooms on the California Standards Test in Math overall and on the four math standards. Conclusions. General education students in fourth grade mainstreamed classrooms demonstrated greater academic gains in math as compared to general education students in traditional classrooms based on the California Standards Test. The use of yearly assessment to systematically differentiate and individualize instruction for all students in mainstreamed classrooms helped general education students make gains in math achievement. Recommendations for further research. Replicate this study with a focus on differences in math achievement among students in mainstreamed and traditional classrooms in lower elementary, middle, and high schools. Implications for action. Elementary administrators and their teachers should: (1) investigate current differentiated curriculum and instructional strategies used in fourth grade mainstreamed classrooms to improve the math instruction provided to students in fourth-grade traditional classrooms; (2) investigate the gains in math achievement that general education students in mainstreamed classrooms made in comparison to their counterparts in traditional classrooms.