Increased Usage of Goalbook Toolkit Leads to Increases in IEP Present Levels Quality, Student Growth

Data collected from 200+ Missouri special education teachers show a correlation between Toolkit usage, present levels statement quality, and student achievement in reading and math.

Key Takeaways

• The study was conducted to understand the relationship between present levels quality, student achievement in reading and math, and usage of Goalbook Toolkit
• Data was collected from 211 special education teachers and one corresponding special education student for each teacher
• The data show present levels quality (as rated by a rubric designed specifically for the study) was a significant predictor of student achievement in reading and math
• Goalbook Toolkit usage contributed to higher-quality present levels statements — the more teachers used Toolkit, the better the present levels statements
• Goalbook Toolkit usage also attributed to increased student outcomes in reading and math — in the cases where Toolkit usage was the highest, students grew 3.4 times more in reading and 5.64 times more in math than teachers who had low Toolkit usage

Summary

Two educators and researchers from the University of Missouri’s College of Education — Dr. Erica Lembke, Interim Dean, and Dr. Matthew K. Burns, Professor of Special Education, recently completed a research study, commissioned by Goalbook, to gain a deeper understanding of how individual educational plans (IEPs) impact student learning.

To date, there has been little research, or more specifically, high quality research done on the relationship between an effective IEP and student learning. The IEP is considered the cornerstone of effective special education instruction and services.

Within the IEP, a student’s present levels of academic achievement and performance is perhaps the most important component. Similarly, there has also been minimal research done on the efficacy of resources like Goalbook Toolkit, which is designed to improve student outcomes by empowering and supporting teachers to develop quality, standards-aligned IEPs that are implemented with effective, specially-designed instruction.

The study was guided by the following research questions:

• What is the relationship between present levels quality and student achievement, after factoring out school and achievement level?
• How does the use of Goalbook Toolkit affect present levels quality?

In analyzing data collected from over 200 Missouri special education teachers, the study found usage of Goalbook Toolkit led to higher-quality present levels statements, which in turn was positively associated with an increase in student achievement in both reading and math. Teacher usage of Goalbook Toolkit was divided into three tiers — high, above average, and low usage — and the more teachers used Toolkit, the higher the level of student growth in reading and math.

Background

This study collected data from 211 special education teachers from 23 districts, along with one corresponding student with special needs to each teacher within the Special School District of St. Louis County (SSD). The majority of the corresponding students (54.7%) were in elementary school, grades 1–5, with the remaining students (45.3%) in grades 6–11. The student sample represented multiple IDEA classification categories.

SSD has two distinct functions. It provides special education services for all St. Louis County students with disabilities and also provides technical education for the area’s high school students. Over 23,000 students receive either special education services or technical education through SSD.

SSD has used Goalbook Toolkit since the 2014–2015 school year. The District specifically began their implementation of Goalbook Toolkit with the goal to improve IEP quality. Starting with the 2015–2016 school year, Goalbook collaborated with SSD to evaluate IEP goal quality — an initiative which SSD eventually built internal capacity to continue.

From ongoing IEP goal analysis, SSD has reported considerable improvement in measurable, standards-aligned IEP goals as a result of a successful Goalbook Toolkit implementation. For the 2019–2020 school year, SSD’s implementation goals focused specifically on increasing present levels statement quality and ensuring alignment to IEP goals — showing an evolution of goal quality over time when it comes to supporting and transforming teacher practice.

Measures

This study relied on various measures, including student achievement, present levels quality, and Goalbook Toolkit usage. Student measures of reading and math were included in the analysis. Some of the students received Renaissance STAR Reading and Renaissance STAR Math assessments in the fall and winter of the 2019–2020 school year. These assessments were administered by school personnel as part of SSD’s usual seasonal screening process. Students who were not screened using STAR Reading and Math received FastBridge’s Adaptive Math and Adaptive Reading assessments, which were also administered in the fall and winter of the same school year as part of the usual seasonal screening process.

A measure of present levels quality was also identified. One IEP, which was written during the 2018–2019 school year through the use of Goalbook Toolkit resources, was selected from each participating teacher. The quality of the present levels statement within the IEP was rated using a rubric created and validated for the purpose of the study.

Teachers’ usage of Goalbook Toolkit, or “Use Score,” was determined from metrics that identified the type and frequency of resources accessed to create or implement strategies based on the present levels statement. These frequencies were divided into three usage groups for further analysis — High, Above Average, and Minimal.

Analysis & Results

A correlational study was conducted to identify the relationship between teachers’ usage of Goalbook Toolkit and the quality of present levels as related to student achievement in reading and math. When it came to predicting the winter reading and math standards scores, present levels quality, as rated by the rubric, was a significant predictor of student achievement in reading and math.

The study also examined the effect Goalbook Toolkit usage had on present levels quality. In this case, the rubric was the dependent variable, with the predictor variable being the Use Score, or how much the teacher had utilized Goalbook Toolkit. The data showed that Goalbook Toolkit usage was positively associated with high-quality present levels, and that increased Toolkit usage was associated with higher-quality present levels statements.

Educators with higher Toolkit usage had higher-quality present levels 20% more frequently than educators with minimal usage of Toolkit. From a student achievement perspective, the students of teachers who used Goalbook Toolkit at a high level grew 3.4 times more with their reading achievement than students whose teachers used Goalbook Toolkit minimally — and this increased to 5.64 times more when it came to math achievement.

Even when comparing above average and low usage, students of teachers who had above average usage patterns grew 1.5 times more in reading than students of teachers with minimal Goalbook usage.

Overall, the use of Goalbook Toolkit resulted in higher-quality present levels statements, which was associated with increased student achievement outcomes in reading and math. Upon seeing the results of the study, Amber Del Gaiso, Measurement & Assessment Coach at SSD, said:

“We often talk with staff about how the present levels statement is the heart of the IEP…these research findings really support and give new life to that statement! It’s been so powerful to be able to point to these data and show staff the connection between a strong present levels statement and an actual, measurable impact on student achievement. It’s also been exciting to see that the teachers who use the tools the district provides — Goalbook Toolkit and a variety of checklists and templates — have better present levels statements. As a result of this work, our team and administrators have a renewed passion in supporting staff in IEP writing, as we know it can have a real effect on students.”

Goalbook is committed to supporting independent research that helps deepen our collective understanding of how to improve instructional outcomes and promote continuous improvement.

This study met the Tier 3 standard of research and evidence aligned to the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (2015).

Click HERE to learn more about Goalbook efficacy! Read more about present levels here.