Chapter 6: Patterns of Rates of ExD in Use/No Use Groups

A unique purpose and goal of this data story is to better understand school's tendencies to use/not use ExD across time and what are the implications of change and consistency in its use for its students and for the schools. As previously noted, every school in our data set was assigned to a Use/No Use groups depending on whether they reported any cases of ExD across the three data collections. To begin to understand the implications of change and consistency, we first present information describing the patterns of Use/No Use across states and what differences may exist in terms of the types of schools that make up the different Use/No Use groups.

A unique purpose and goal of this data story is to better understand school's tendencies to use/not use ExD across time and what are the implications of change and consistency in its use for its students and for the schools. As previously noted, every school in our data set was assigned to a Use/No Use groups depending on whether they reported any cases of ExD across the three data collections. To begin to understand the implications of change and consistency, we first present information describing the patterns of Use/No Use across states and what differences may exist in terms of the types of schools that make up the different Use/No Use groups. Because schools in the No Use/No Use/No Use group (N/N/N) did not report any cases of ExD across the data collections (all data points are 0), this group is not depicted in these data. The remaining seven Use/No Use ExD Groups across the 3 data collections were:

No Use/No Use/Use (N/N/U)

No Use/Use/No Use (N/U/N)

No Use/Use/Use (N/U/U)

Use/No Use/No Use (U/N/N)

Use/No Use/Use (U/N/U)

Use/Use/Non Use (U/U/N)

Use/Use/Use (U/U/U)

The results of these analyses are presented in Figure 6.1 and here are some key takeaways from these data:

• In general, rates of ExD decreased over time.
• ExD rates were greatest in the schools that used ExD consistently across all three data collections (U/U/U).
• For those schools that changed in use of ExD, even when they used ExD, ExD rates were generally almost half that rates of the U/U/U group.
• For those groups that changed in use of ExD over the three data collections, the mean ExD rate was about the same before and after stopping its use (Mean rate before and after stopping use of ExD  = 2.7 and 2.6, respectively).
• As such, once a school starts using ExD with its students, rates of use generally went back to what they were before they stopped using ExD.

Figure 6.2 examines these same data broken down by race/ethnic group. Here are some key takeaways from Figure 6.2:

• Rates of ExD decreased over time for all student groups. Black and Native American students showed the greatest declines relative to Hispanic and white students (who had lower rates beginning in 2013-2014).
• Once again, for all groups of students, ExD rates were greatest in the schools that used ExD consistently across all three data collections (U/U/U). 
• The gap between the U/U/U group and all other groups was greatest for Black and Native American students than it was for white and Hispanic students.
• For those students in the U/N/U group, the ExD rates in 2017-2018 when ExD was reinstated rose to about the same levels seen in 2013-2014 before ExD was stopped in 2015-2016.
• Even though rates of ExD generally dropped over time, it appears that the disparities seen prior to the stoppage of use of ExD returned to generally the same levels once ExD was reinstated.