ABSTRACT

DEFINITIONS OF PULL-OUT PROGRAMS The nomenclature associated with service delivery models varies considerably in the literature and program documents. One service delivery model frequently used in elementary schools, the pull-out program, is the focus of this chapter. Pull-out programs are also referred to as “resource programs,” “resource rooms,” or “magnet programs.” While the use of pull-out programs is fairly common, a consistent definition of the model is lacking. On a very literal level, “pull-out” means removing specific students from general education classrooms and bringing them together in another location for instruction. The number of times that students leave the classroom, the total amount of time per week out of the classroom, the number of students per class, and the use of multi-grade or single-grade classes vary. Looking across just six definitions (Cox & Daniel, 1984; Davis, Rimm, & Siegle, 2011; Gubbins et al., 2002; Moon, 1995; Olszewski-Kubilius & Limburg-Weber, 2010; Rogers, 2002), variability can be identified in:

a. time frame (from less than an hour a week to a full day or more a week); b. the types of activities in which students engage, with some making no mention

of instructional activities, others offering general descriptions such as enrichment activities or extension activities, and still others specifying content, process skills, or an instructional strategy (thinking-skills building, creative problem solving, independent learning, or independent projects); and

c. who provides instruction.