Students with borderline intellectual functioning: Dropping the label and reducing the ‘line’

Authors

• Samantha M. Sitzman, James Madison UniversityFollow

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License

Date of Graduation

8-2026

Semester of Graduation

Summer

Degree Name

Educational Specialist (EdS)

Department

Department of Graduate Psychology

First Advisor

Tiffany Hornsby

Second Advisor

Deborah Kipps-Vaughan

Third Advisor

Tammy Gilligan

Fourth Advisor

Molly Bowman

Abstract

Students with Borderline Intellectual Functioning (BIF) often experience significant academic and social-emotional difficulties while remaining ineligible for many formal special education services, creating challenges in identifying and supporting this population within school settings. This convergent mixed methods study examined school psychologists’ perspectives regarding the challenges experienced by students with BIF, the interventions commonly used to support them, and the systemic barriers associated with service delivery. Twenty-two practicing school psychologists in Virginia completed a researcher-developed survey containing quantitative and qualitative items. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative responses were analyzed using thematic analysis.

Findings indicated that school psychologists frequently encounter students with BIF and primarily rely on Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), classroom accommodations, differentiated instruction, and targeted intervention supports. Participants identified limited staffing, insufficient training, inconsistent intervention implementation, and misconceptions about BIF as major barriers to effective support. Qualitative responses further highlighted the importance of strengths-based communication, consultation, collaboration with educational teams, and advocacy for continued services when students do not qualify for special education.

Overall, the findings suggest that students with BIF remain underserved despite demonstrating significant educational needs. Strengthening intervention systems, increasing professional training related to BIF, and developing more flexible service delivery practices may improve support for students with borderline cognitive profiles.