EVALUATING OUTCOMES: COMPARATIVE METRICS FOR MEASURING EDUCATIONAL INCLUSION AND QUALITY FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

AUTHORS – HARSHVARDHAN VERMA* & ANUJ SETHI**

* STUDENT AT LAW COLLEGE DEHRADUN, UTTARANCHAL UNIVERSITY

** ASSISTANT PROFESSOR AT LAW COLLEGE DEHRADUN, UTTARANCHAL UNIVERSITY

BEST CITATION – HARSHVARDHAN VERMA & ANUJ SETHI, EVALUATING OUTCOMES: COMPARATIVE METRICS FOR MEASURING EDUCATIONAL INCLUSION AND QUALITY FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES, INDIAN JOURNAL OF LEGAL REVIEW (IJLR), 6 (8) OF 2026, PG. 481-487, APIS – 3920 – 0001 & ISSN – 2583-2344. DOI – https://doi.org/10.65393/IJLRV6I848

Abstract

It is evident that the issue of special educational rights of children with disabilities is becoming more dependent on the ability of education systems to determine the quality and inclusion of the case, rather than the legal acknowledgment of the right. Although countries like United Kingdom, the United States, Finland and India have embraced different statutory and policy systems to govern special education, there is still no consensus on standard measures to assess outcomes of learning by students with disabilities. This paper aims at comparing two measurement systems, outcome-based and rightsbased measurement system, that are used to evaluate educational inclusion and quality in these four jurisdictions. It looks at the quantitative measures, such as enrollment, retention, completion, and transition measures and qualitative (a classroom participation, an individualized support effectiveness, and a social integration). The paper also examines institutional assessment instruments like individualized education plans and inspection regimes, accountability models, and education databases to determine systemic weakness, limitations on data, and situational issues, especially in emerging jurisdictions. It is the responsibility of the article therefore to emphasize the need to have harmonized, inclusive as well as disability-sensitive evaluation measures that are in accordance with international human rights standards. It adds to the comparative education law literature by suggesting a multidimensional approach to measuring educational outcomes harmonizing legal compliance and good pedagogy and lived educational experiences of children with disabilities.

Keywords: special education; children with disabilities; educational inclusion; quality of education; comparative education law; outcome-based evaluation; disability rights.