The Function of Special Education, 2017

The main issue raised in this study was the teaching of pupils identified as having special needs in school. In 2017 about 18 % of the available lesson-resources were allocated to special education, which represented a noticeable increase compared to the year 2004, when 5,4 % of the pupils received special education. The school year 2010-2011 a total of 51 853 compulsory school pupils - or 8,4 % of the pupil population - received special education in Norway. The main question in the SPEED-project was how special education is functioning in Norwegian schools: The quality of teaching, how pupils who received special education experienced school and what the outcomes were. Pupils in special education and their teachers were the main informants. In addition, data was collected among classmates and from the classroom in which the pupils participated. Audio and partly video recording were used, together with observation forms, interviews and questionnaires. In order to compare development in learning outcomes for different groups of learners, all children in the involved classes were tested by means of national tests on two occasions (T1 and T2).