Accommodating students with disabilities may influence their academic performance. This study investigates the effects of accommodations on grade point average (GPA) by examining a sample of 1,248 students from the Office of Disability Services at the Pennsylvania State University. The results showed the significant influence that both test accommodation, specifically extension of time and modification of materials, and course accommodation, specifically assignment accommodation, had on overall GPA while controlling demographic variables and types of disability. The authors also discuss the significance, limitations, and implications of such results.
Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. PL 101-336. 42 U.S.C. § 12101 et seq.
2.
AstinA. W. (1977). What matters most in college: Four critical years. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
3.
AstinA. W. (1993). What matters most in college: Four critical years revisited. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
4.
Barnard-BrakL.DavisT.TateA.SulakT. (2009). Attitudes as a predictor of college students requesting accommodations. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 31, 189–198.
5.
Barnard-BrakL.LechtenbergerD.LanW. Y. (2010). Accommodation strategies of college students with disabilities. Qualitative Report, 15, 411–429.
6.
BeanJ. P.MetznerB. S. (1985). A conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Review of Educational Research, 55, 485–540.
7.
BoltS. E.DeckerD. M.LloydM.MorlockL. (2011). Students’ perceptions of accommodations in high school and college. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 34, 165–175.
8.
BourkeA. B.StrehornK. C.SilverP. (2000). Faculty members’ provision of instructional accommodations to students with LD. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 33, 26–32.
9.
BoutinD. (2008). Persistence in postsecondary environments of students with hearing impairments. Journal of Rehabilitation, 74(1), 25–31.
10.
BraxtonJ. M.HirschyA. S. (2005). Theoretical developments in the study of college student departure. In SeidmanA. (Ed.), College student retention: Formula for student success (pp. 61–87). Westport, CT: Praeger.
11.
BraxtonJ. M.HirschyA. S.McClendonS. A. (2004). Toward understanding and reducing college student departure. ASHE-ERIC Higher Education Research Report Series, 30(3). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
12.
BrinckerhoffL. C. (1996). Making the transition to higher education: Opportunities for student empowerment. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 29, 118–136.
13.
BurgstahlerS.CrawfordL. (2007). Managing an e-mentoring community to support students with disabilities: A case study. AACE Journal, 15, 97–114.
14.
CapraraG. V.FidaR.VecchioneM.Del BoveG.VecchioG. M.BarbaranelliC.BanduraA. (2008). Longitudinal analysis of the role of perceived self-efficacy for self-regulated learning in academic continuance and achievement. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 525–534.
15.
CejdaB. D.KaylorA. J.ReweyK. L. (1998). Transfer shock in an academic discipline: The relationship between student’s majors and their academic performance. Community College Review, 26, 1–13.
16.
CohenJ. (1988). Statistical power analysis for the behavioral sciences (2nd ed.). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
17.
CookB. G.RumrillP. D.CamarataJ.MitchellP. R.NewmanS.SebalyK. P.. . . HennesseyM. L. (2006). The impact of a professional development institute on faculty members’ interactions with college students with learning disabilities. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 14, 67–76.
18.
DaDeppoL. M. W. (2009). Integration factors related to the academic success and intent to persist of college students with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 24, 122–131.
19.
DebrandC. C.SalzbergC. L. (2004). A validated curriculum to provide training to faculty regarding students with disabilities in higher education. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 18(1), 49–62.
20.
DenhartH. (2008). Deconstructing barriers: Perceptions of students labeled with learning disabilities in higher education. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 41, 483–497.
21.
DowrickP. W.AndersonJ.HeyerK.AcostaJ. (2006). Postsecondary education across the USA: Experiences of adults with disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 22, 41–47.
22.
EckesS.OchoaT. (2005). Students with disabilities: Transitioning from high school to higher education. American Secondary Education, 33, 6–20.
FlemingA. R.FairweatherJ. S. (2012). The role of postsecondary education in the path from high school to work for youth with disabilities. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 55, 71–81.
25.
GetzelE. E. (2008). Addressing the persistence and retention of students with disabilities in higher education: Incorporating key strategies and supports on campus. Exceptionality, 16, 207–219.
26.
GuyB.ShinH.LeeS.ThurlowM. (2000). State graduation requirements for students without disabilities. In JohnsonD. R.EmanuelE. J. (Eds.), Issues influencing the future of transition programs and services in the United States (pp. 85–110). Minneapolis: National Transition Network, Institute on Community Integration, University of Minnesota. Retrieved from http://www.ncset.org/publications/related/NTN_Transition_Issues.pdf
27.
HagedornL. S. (2005). How to define retention: A new look at an old problem. In SeidmanA. (Ed.), College student retention: Formula for student success (pp. 89–107). Westport, CT: Praeger.
28.
HarbourW. S. (2008). The 2008 biennial AHEAD survey of disability services and resource professionals in higher education. Huntersville, NC: Association on Higher Education and Disability.
29.
HardingT.BlaineD.WhelleyT. A.ChangC. (2006). A comparison of the provision of educational supports to students with disabilities in AHEAD versus non-AHEAD affiliated institutions. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 18(2), 125–134.
30.
Hartman-HallH. M.HaagaD. A. (2002). College students’ willingness to seek help for their learning disability. Learning Disability Quarterly, 25, 263–274.
31.
HindesY.MatherJ. (2007). Inclusive education at the postsecondary level: Attitudes of students and professors. Exceptionality Education Canada, 17, 107–127.
32.
HornL. J.BerktoldJ.BobbitL. (1999). Students with disabilities in postsecondary education: A profile of preparation, participation, and outcomes. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
33.
HornL. J.CarrollC. D. (1998). Stopouts or stayouts? Undergraduates who leave college in their first year (NCES 1999-087). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
34.
IshitaniT. T. (2003). A longitudinal approach to assessing attrition behavior among first-generation students: Time-varying effects of pre-college characteristics. Research in Higher Education, 44, 433–449.
35.
IshitaniT. T. (2006). Studying attrition and degree completion behavior among first-generation college students in the United States. The Journal of Higher Education, 77, 861–885.
36.
KohlerP. D.FieldS. (2003). Transition-focused education: Foundation for the future. Journal of Special Education, 37, 174–183.
37.
KuhG. D.CruceT. M.ShoupR.KinzieJ.GonyeaR. M. (2008). Unmasking the effects of student engagement on first-year college grades and persistence. The Journal of Higher Education, 79, 540–563.
38.
LeyserY.VogelS.WylandS.BrulleA. S. (1998). Faculty attitudes and practices regarding students with disabilities: Two decades after implementation of Section 504. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 13, 5–19.
39.
LindstromJ. (2007). Determining appropriate accommodations for postsecondary students with reading and written expression disorders. Learning Disabilities: Research & Practice, 22, 229–236.
40.
LohfinkM. M.PaulsenM. (2005). Comparing the determinants of persistence for first-generation and continuing generation students. Journal of College Students Development, 46, 409–428.
41.
LombardiA. R.MurrayC.GerdesH. (2012). Academic performance of first-generation college students with disabilities. Journal of College Student Development, 53, 811–826.
42.
MadausJ. W.BanerjeeM.HambletE. C. (2010). Learning disability documentation decision making at the postsecondary level. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 33, 68–79.
43.
MamiseishviliK.KochL. C. (2011). First-to-second-year persistence of students with disabilities in postsecondary institutions in the United States. Rehabilitation Counseling Bulletin, 54, 93–105.
44.
MarshakL.Van WierenT.Raeke FerrellD.SwissL.DuganC. (2010). Exploring barriers to college student use of disability services and accommodations. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 22, 151–165.
45.
McCarronG. P.InkelasK. K. (2006). The gap between educational aspirations and attainment for firs-generation college students and the role of parental involvement. Journal of Post-Secondary Education and Disability, 22(1), 11–17.
46.
McGuireJ. M.ScottS. S.ShawS. F. (2003). Universal design for instruction: The paradigm, its principles, and products for enhancing instructional access. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 17, 11–21.
47.
MetznerB. S.BeanJ. P. (1987). The estimation of a conceptual model of nontraditional undergraduate student attrition. Research in Higher Education, 27, 15–38.
48.
MurrayC.GoldsteinD. E.NourseS.EdgarE. (2000). The postsecondary school attendance and completion rates of high school graduates with learning disabilities. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 15, 119–127.
49.
MurrayC.WrenC.KeysC. (2008). University faculty perceptions of students with learning disabilities: Correlates and group differences. Learning Disability Quarterly, 31, 95–113.
50.
MurrayC.WrenC. T. (2003). Cognitive, academic, and attitudinal predictors of the grade point averages of college students with learning disabilities. Journal of Learning Disabilities, 36, 407–415.
51.
National Center on Education Statistics. (2000). 1999-2000 National Postsecondary Aid Study. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education.
52.
National Council on Disability. (2000). National disability policy: A progress report. Washington, DC: Author.
53.
NewmanL. (2005). Post-secondary educational participation of youth with disabilities. In WagnerM.NewmanL.CametoR.LevineP. (Eds.), Changes over time in the early post school outcomes of youth with disabilities: A report of findings from the National Longitudinal Transition Study (NLTS) and the National Longitudinal Transition Study-2 (NLTS2). Menlo Park, CA: SRI International. Retrieved from www.nlts2.org/reports/2005_06/nlts2_report_2005_06_complete.pdf
54.
OlsonJ. F.GoldsteinA. A. (1996). Increasing the inclusion of students with disabilities and limited English proficient students in NAEP (Focus on NAEP, Vol. 2, No. 1). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics.
55.
PalmerC.RoesslerR. T. (2000). Requesting classroom accommodations: Self-advocacy and conflict resolution training for college students with disabilities. Journal of Rehabilitation, 66, 38–43.
56.
ParetteP.SchererM. (2004). Assistive technology use and stigma. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 39, 217–226.
57.
PascarellaE. T.TerenziniP. T. (2005). How college affects students: A third decade of research (Vol. 2). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
58.
PeñaE. V. (2014). Marginalization of published scholarship on students with disabilities in higher education journals. Journal of College Student Development, 55, 30–40.
59.
ReasonR. D. (2009). An examination of persistence research through the lens of a comprehensive conceptual framework. Journal of College Student Development, 50, 659–682.
RohlandP.EricksonB.MathewsD.RoushS. E.QuinlanK.SmithA. (2003). Changing the culture (CTC): A collaborative training model to create systemic change. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 17, 49–58.
62.
SireciS. G.ScarpatiS. E.LiS. (2005). Test accommodations for students with disabilities: An analysis of the interaction hypothesis. Review of Educational Research, 75, 457–490.
63.
SitlingtonP. L. (2003). Postsecondary education: The other transition. Exceptionality, 11, 103–113.
64.
SnyderT. D.DillowS. A.HoffmanC. M. (2009). Digest of educational statistics 2008 (NCES 2009-020). Washington, DC: National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education.
65.
SowersJ.SmithM. R. (2004). Evaluation of the effects of an inservice training program on nursing faculty members’ perceptions, knowledge, and concerns about students with disabilities. Journal of Nursing Education, 43, 248–252.
66.
StoddenR. A.WhelleyT.ChangC.HardingT. (2001). Current status of educational support provision to students with disabilities in postsecondary education. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 16, 189–198.
67.
ThurlowM. L.YsseldykeJ. E.SilversteinB. (1995). Testing accommodations for students with disabilities: A review of the literature (Synthesis Report No. 4). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota.
68.
TintoV. (1975). Dropout from higher education: A theoretical synthesis of recent research. Review of Educational Research, 45(1), 89–125.
69.
TintoV. (1993). Leaving college: Rethinking the causes and cures of student attrition (2nd ed.). Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.
U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Special Education Research. (2010). National Longitudinal Transition Study—2 (NLTS2), Waves 4 and 5, 2007 and 2009. Unpublished tabulations. Retrieved from http://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d10/tables/dt10_397.asp
73.
U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2009). 2003-04 and 2007-08 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04 and NPSAS:08) Retrieved from https://nces.ed.gov/programs/digest/d10/tables/dt10_240.asp.
74.
WarburtonE. C.BugarinR.NunezA. (2001). Bringing the gap: Academic preparation and postsecondary success of first-generation students (NCES 2001-153). Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
75.
WesselR. D.JonesJ. A.MarkleL.WestfallC. (2009). Retention and graduation of students with disabilities: Facilitating student success. Journal of Postsecondary Education and Disability, 21(3), 116–125.
76.
WilsonK. E.GetzelE. E. (2001). Creating a supportive campus: The VCU professional development academy. Journal for Vocational Special Needs Education, 23(2), 12–18.
