Caseload in Special Education: An Integration of Research Findings

Abstract

Despite escalating special education costs and increasing student needs, policies governing special education caseload remain inconsistent, and implementation is even more variable. This article considers links between (a) instructional group size and student engagement, (b) caseload and academic achievement, and (c) caseload and special education teacher attrition. Findings suggest that (a) larger caseloads and instructional group sizes negatively impact student math and reading achievement; (b) severity of students' needs sway teacher perceptions of efficacy; (c) group or whole class instruction dominates all class sizes, but individualization occurs more frequently in smaller groups; (d) student attending behaviors and academic engagement increase when group sizes decrease; and (e) high teacher attrition and high caseloads appear correlated. Recommendations for future research are discussed.