Learning Disabilities Assessment: Issues and Implications
A White Paper from the Chancellor’s Office LD Field Advisory Committee
Introduction
Historically, the California Community Colleges (CCC) have provided opportunities for post-secondary education unparalleled anywhere in the United States or in the world. Students, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, socio-economic status, or disability could obtain a high-quality education to meet the multiple missions of the California Community College system:workforce training, basic skills education, and preparing students for transfer to four-year colleges and universities.The current economic crisis, which has been called the worst since the Depression, has had a significant, negative effect on the ability of the colleges to meet their mission and to provide an affordable, quality education for all students who can benefit from instruction. This quality education incorporates the provision of necessary student services to support academic success, especially for students with challenges in the educational setting, including those with disabilities.
While all programs within the CCC’s have experienced severe cutbacks in funding, there have been disproportionate cuts to categorical programs, such as Extended Opportunity Programs and Services (EOPS) and Disabled Students Programs and Services (DSPS), which are designed to serve the state's most disadvantaged students by providing financial aid and support services. Cuts to those programs ranged from 38% to 52%, and while it was hoped that a significant portion of these cuts would be backfilled by one-time federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds, that allocation was substantially less thananticipated.
The Chancellor’s Office, in an effort to provide the colleges with greater flexibility in allocating their limited funds, disseminated a document entitled “Administrative Relief for Student Services Categorical Programs,” in October 2009. This document outlined the administrative modificationsto Title 5 that may beimplementedwhile meeting the requirements of current law and categorical program regulations. However, there are some federal and state mandates which cannot be overridden, particularly with regard to students with disabilities. According to Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act(ADA) as well as state law (Gov. Code Sec. 11135 et. seq.), it is a college responsibility to provide disability-related auxiliary aids and services and other reasonable accommodations to meet the needs of students with disabilities. Nothing in the law states that DSPS is responsible for providing these services; rather, it is a college responsibility. Provisions of the ADA require that all resources of a public institution are to be considered available to meet the needs of eligible students with disabilities.
Given these restrictions on relief from mandates, colleges have been looking at ways to reduce costs while remaining within the provisions of the law. As a result, in regard to serving students with disabilities, many colleges have been differentiating between services which are mandated by state and federal laws, such as the ADA and Section 504, and those which are permitted but not required by regulations pertaining to students with disabilities.The two areas being scrutinized most intenselyas non-mandated services are special classes for students with disabilities and assessment to determine eligibility for students with learning disabilities (LD). This paper presents considerations for colleges to review when deciding to reduce or eliminate learning disability assessment in light of the role it plays in supporting community college instruction and, most of all, student success. Several issues are explored in this paper so that in making decisions about which services to fund and which services to cut, college administrators will have access to information which is germane to this concern.
The Dilemma of LD Assessment
Title 5 Regulations (Sections 56032 – 56042) define the disability categories for which the CCC’s may claim reimbursement to offset the direct excess costs of providing support services to students with disabilities. These categories include Physical Disability, Communication Disability, Learning Disability, Acquired Brain Injury, Developmentally Delayed Learner, Psychological Disability, and Other Disability. Students with these disabilities must present documentation from an appropriate professional that they have a condition which meets the relevant definition of disability. In all cases except LD, students generally can obtain such documentation from a qualified professional or another agency. In the case of LD, some students may have documentation from K-12, another college, or an alternate source. However, many students have never been assessed and only are referred for assessment, often by faculty, when their previous “self-compensating” skills fail as the academic rigor at the college level increases.
This situation creates a dilemma in terms of student access to accommodations and support services. Those who have adequate prior documentation or who can afford a private evaluation by a learning disabilities specialist or psychologist to verify a learning disability at a cost of $500 to $5000 are eligible to receive the assistance they need to maximize their success in the CCC’s. Those who were never previously identified or who cannot afford a private evaluation must rely on the assessments offered in the CCC’s to document their need for accommodations. The University of Georgia Education Policy & Evaluation Center (UGA), in theirReview and Evaluation Study of the California Community Colleges Learning Disabilities Eligibility Model (September 2009) reported that 51% of the student survey participants had not been identified as LD or received any services for their learning disabilities prior to attending a college in the CCC system, concluding that, “many students entering postsecondary institutions in California will not have documentation to access accommodations necessary for their academic success.” Based on the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) Data Mart reports, in 2008-09, the CCC’s served 24,528 students with learning disabilities. According to UGA’s findings, more than 12,000 students would not have been identified as eligible for accommodations and support services if LD assessment had not been available in the colleges. It becomes important, therefore, to examine the role of LD assessment as it impacts students, faculty, and DSPS programs.
Learning disability is defined in Title 5 as a persistent condition of presumed neurological dysfunction which may exist with other disabling conditions. This dysfunction continues despite instruction in standard classroom situations. To be categorized as learning disabled, a student must exhibit:
(a) Average to above-average intellectual ability;
(b) Severe processing deficit(s);
(c) Severe aptitude-achievement discrepancy (ies); and
(d) Measured achievement in an instructional or employment setting.
The standard process for determining whether a student meets the Title 5 criteria for learning disability services is a comprehensive educational evaluation which addresses each of the components above. This evaluation is usually conducted by a qualified learning disabilities specialist who uses the results, not only to determine students’ eligibility, but also to identify their educational limitations and to recommend accommodations and support services that will compensate for those limitations and enhance their likelihood of successfully completing their educational goals.
The Role of LD Assessment in Student Success
An examination of quantitative and qualitative data may be useful in evaluating the role of LD assessment in student success. Multiple data sources, including Management Information Systems (MIS), college Program Reviews, and individual campus research studies have documented that students receiving services for learning disabilities perform as well or better than their non-disabled peers on commonly used measures of student success. A few examples follow to illustrate this point.
MIS data from 2007-2008 and 2008-2009 may be used to compare students with learning disabilities to the general CCC student population on a number of variables related to student success (see Table 1). An examination of persistence rates from Fall 2007 to Spring 2008 shows that students with LD had a persistence rate of 83% compared to a rate of 65% for the general student population. Looking at persistence through one more semester to Fall 2008, the persistence rate for LD students was 66% compared to 49% for the general student population. In both cases, LD students demonstrated higher persistence rates than in the general student population. Retention rates for the two groups were nearly identical, with 85% for LD students and 86% for the general student population. Completion rates for degree applicable courses were 66% for both groups. Completion rates for Basic Skills courses were 45% for LD students compared with 36% for the general student population. Completion rates for workforce development courses were 72% for LD students compared with 69 % for the general student population. The data support the conclusion that LD students performed as well or better than their college peers on various measures of student success. Table 2 shows the statistics pertaining to CCC students participating in a cohort study for 2007-2008. These data also demonstrate that LD students performed as well or better than their cohort peers on every variable except for transfer to 4-year institutions. The MIS data from 2008-2009 are represented in Tables 3 and 4 and show patterns which are comparable to the data from the previous year, e.g., LD students perform similarly to their peers on measures of student success.
The MIS data from the disability category known as "Other" were also compared to the data from the general CCC student population. This category includes all other verifiable disabilities and health related limitations that adversely affect academic performance but do not fall into any of the other disability categories. Other disabilities include conditions having limited strength, vitality, or alertness due to chronic or acute health problems. Examples are environmental disabilities, heart conditions, tuberculosis, nephritis, sickle cell anemia, hemophilia, leukemia, epilepsy, acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS), diabetes, etc. While LD does have its own category, many LD students are being included in the Other category because they have a prior history of disability and continue to manifest educational limitations in the community college setting. In the absence of current assessment information to verify their qualification for services to students with learning disabilities, many colleges are serving these students under Other. An examination of the MIS Other data shows that the persistence and retention rates are virtually identical to the rates of LD students, though their course completion rates lag behind those of both the general student population and students identified as LD. However, it is not possible to determine what percentage of the Other category is made up of students with learning disabilities, so these data are limited in their usefulness. To clarify questions pertaining to the Other category, the Chancellor's Office will be exploring these issues in a separate contract.
Data from a number of individual colleges note the same trends as the statewide data from MIS. At Santa Barbara City College, LD students had average term GPA’s and semester retention rates that were comparable to those of their non-disabled peers. Their persistence rates in four out of the five reported semesters ranged from 3.6 to 11.5% higher, and their degree/certificate completion rates for the five reported semesters ranged from 16.3 to 22.2% higher than those of their non-disabled peers. At Diablo Valley College, the success and retention rates of LD students mirror those of students without disabilities. College of Alameda found that students who use DSPS services:
- Earn grades comparable to peers
- Complete courses at a rate significantly higher than college peers
- Drop courses at a significantly lower rate
- Persist in courses (enroll next semester) at a significantly higher rate
Although their data was not specific to LD, it is most likely representative of LD students who make up almost 25% of students in their DSPS program.
While these statistics cannot substantiate a cause and effect relationship between LD and student success, LD support services provided throughout the CCC system almost certainly represent a contributing factor in the success rates of students who have been identified as eligible for these services. Since more than half of the 24,528 LD students in the CCC system had their eligibility determined by the statewide LD assessment process, the role of LD assessment in student success is significant.
Quantitative data provides valuable information in understanding the role of LD assessment in student success; however, qualitative data can offer another perspective on this issue. The following commentary, written by a student with dyslexia who went through the LD assessment process at a community college,offers a student perspective on the role of LD assessment in academic success.
I have a learning disability that has taken me to misplacements in the hallways of my brain and the hallways of various educational offices. During my younger educational years in school, my time and energy for learning were consumed by the lack of and support for an accurate diagnosis. I felt as though I wore a mask by developing coping skills to barely squeak by from one grade level to the next. What I did not know was there is a name as well as a process that could have empowered me to deal with my learning disability. After a constant struggle in elementary and high school classes, I attempted higher education immediately upon graduating high school. In 1977, when I entered college for the first time, there was no learning disability assessment available. During my first semester, one of my college professors told me to “go home and become a wife and mother.” He went onto tell me that I would not cut it in college. I lived the next 30 years believing what that college professor told me. By the time I reached the age of 49 and realized that I have the ability to connect with and educate others, especially those who struggle with learning disabilities, I found the courage to return to higher education to seek a degree in elementary education.
Upon entering Mt. San Jacinto College at 49 years of age in 2007, I discovered there was an extremely valuable program, the Assessment for Learning Disabilities (LD). Unlike the professor I encountered many years previously, I was fortunate enough to be approached by a professor who herself had the education to detect that I was a candidate for Assessment for Learning Disabilities. My English professor recognized that I was not aware of the accommodations available for those with learning disabilities and referred me for assessment. Through this assessment, the confusion and misplacements of so many years were finally diagnosed as dyslexia. In addition to the translation of information going into my brain I also struggle with the outputs from my brain to my hand and the words from my brain to my mouth which are not always in proper order. As I went through the LD assessment process to determine my abilities (instead of lack of abilities) I found new strength in understanding the complexities of dyslexia that was and always will be a part of who I am. Through the tremendously valuable LD assessment process I have learned new skills to manage my abilities and finally continue my education. I had to learn to stop masking my disability, and through accommodations made possible from an accurate diagnosis, I was assisted with many new tools to succeed at the college level. Some examples of LD accommodations I use to succeed in my college courses are 1) the aid of a note-taker so I can read their notes comparing them with mine; 2) the testing center is available which I use as an aid to not disturb other students while I speak out loud since I am an auditory learner; 3) letters for me to present to my instructors which explain the strengths and weaknesses of my learning styles; and 4) the use of a tape-recorder in lecture courses. These are just a few of the LD accommodations that have assisted me in improving my confidence and my ability to learn the educational material which has resulted in improving my grades. I now feel that obtaining a higher education is a possibility that is available to me. I am now able to manage the frustration that comes about when I get overwhelmed with new material and information.
LD Assessment Needed for Student Transfer to Four Year Schools, Licensure, and Other Standardized Examinations
The student above, like many others in the CCC system, plans to transfer to a four-year institution to pursue more advanced degrees. In order to receive accommodations in that setting, LD students must provide comprehensive documentation of their learning disabilities and of the educational limitations imposed by those disabilities. Community college LD Specialists have worked with LD Specialists from the University of California (UC) and the California State University (CSU) campuses to agree on what type of documentation is needed to ensure a seamless transition for students with LD. The CCC LD assessment process provides this documentation so that LD students can continue to receive the accommodations that allow them to be successful in post-secondary education.
In addition, many students from the CCC’s are required to take high-stakes tests as they transition to academic,vocational, and professional areas. Examples of these tests are the licensure exams for Licensed Vocational Nurses(LVN), Registered Nurses (RN),and psychiatric technicians, the Graduate Record Exam (GRE), the Law School Admission Test (LSAT), the California Basic Educational Skills Test (CBEST), the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) and many others. Students with learning disabilities are entitled to use appropriate accommodations on these exams as long as they provide documentation of their disability. The CCC LD assessment provides the documentation that enables students with LD to access needed accommodations on these high-stakes tests. LD assessment increases the likelihood of success for students with learning disabilities during their community college experience as well as in their preparation for transfer and for transition to vocational and professional endeavors.