Overidentification in special education has two possible meanings. First, it may mean that there are too many students identified as needing special education in a school or district. Estimates of students needing special education services range from 3% to 8% of all students. Head office staff generally try to stay within the 10% range; however, it sometimes reaches highs of 13% or more. Second, it may mean that a certain group of students is overrepresented in the special education population compared to their composition in the general student population. Ideally, the proportion of the subgroup of students in the special education population should be identical to that of the general population.
Over-identification of students as needing special education services results in a number of negative outcomes for students, the school district, and, to a greater extent, society. Students identified as needing special education services often do not receive the same rigorous curriculum as those who do not receive services. Therefore, they are not as prepared for the demands of the next grade level as unidentified students. They often have lower expectations of themselves, may be socially stigmatized, may display greater behavior problems requiring disciplinary action, and are more likely to fail to complete school or to complete school with fewer abilities than other students.
Overidentified students place an unnecessary burden on already limited school resources and take existing resources away from those students who truly need them. Staff time is spent on additional preparation for their daily needs, going to additional meetings, and completing assessments. If discipline becomes an issue, then the manager’s time is taken away from other tasks.
With respect to potential impacts on society, the reduced demands of over-identification, diluted curriculum, and potential social stigma make students unprepared to continue their education or lack the skills necessary to take on a role. productive in the workplace and support themselves. When these students are unable to become productive members of society after school, their educational institution has failed them.
Some of the reasons for overidentification include:
- Poverty and income inequality
- Inequity in school funding
- Inability to access early interventions
- Lack of training regarding referrals and appropriate placements in special education
- Lack of understanding of diverse populations.
Research has found that students from impoverished backgrounds are more likely to be unprepared for the rigors of education and lack the basic knowledge and experiences of their wealthier peers. The Head Start Program was developed in 1965 to meet this need and provide comprehensive services to low-income families during the preschool years. However, while progress has been made, a gap still exists and many families are unable to access these services for a variety of reasons.
Schools are not always adequately funded, and many schools require students to bring their own work supplies, lack resources for paraprofessional support, or lack the funds to have full-day kindergarten or hire enough teachers to have smaller classes. When schools are adequately funded, the district often determines where and when the money is spent, which may not always be on the greatest needs or the ones that will make the biggest difference in the long run.
Unfortunately, some schools do not always make appropriate referral or placement decisions. Sometimes they wait too long before making a referral, and sometimes they do it too soon. The advent of Response to Intervention (RTI) can help in this area as schools must have data on how students respond to interventions before making a referral.
Lack of understanding about different cultures and the way children learn can also lead to students being overidentified, especially for behavior problems. Not all children can sit in a chair for six hours a day learning. There are many ways to learn, and students should be exposed to as many of them as possible before being identified as having a disability.
Parents and educators should be aware that over-identifying students for special education services has short- and long-term consequences. These consequences affect the student, the school and, potentially, society. It is the school’s responsibility to keep an open mind, look at individual differences, and look at all possibilities before identifying a student who needs special education services.