NCLB test options for disabled loosened

New guidelines under the No Child Left Behind Act grant states greater flexibility in the way they test certain students with disabilities. In April, U.S. Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings announced that students who are capable of achieving high academic standards but may not reach grade level on the same timetable as their peers will be eligible for new alternate assessments.

In California the new rules, which were issued in draft form in 2005, mean that schools will be able to gauge achievement in 20 percent of disabled students by using the California Modified Assessment, a test the state is already giving a trial run on a limited basis. Jack O’Connell, state superintendent of public instruction, said that the ability to use the California Modified Assessment will give hundreds of districts more flexibility in the way they test disabled students for up to two additional years.

While CSBA welcomes the additional options for disabled students that the new regulations provide, concerns still exist regarding the need for assessments tailored to children’s needs.

“We’re happy about the new guidelines from the U.S. Department of Education in that they will provide greater clarification as California continues its work on the California Modified Assessment,” said Holly Jacobson, CSBA assistant executive director for Policy Analysis. “Ultimately, CSBA believes that the Individualized Education Program should drive assessment decisions for students, so while this flexibility is a first step, it doesn’t meet all of the unique needs of our entire special education population,” Jacobson said.

“I see the new rules as an acknowledgement that different students learn and test in different ways, especially our special education students who face a number of challenges in reaching the state’s educational goals,” said Erika Hoffman, CSBA principal legislative advocate. “Allowing for modified testing will enable special education students to succeed in meeting the state’s educational goals and their own goals as determined by their Individualized Education Programs.”

Currently, some disabled students take the same California Standards Tests that most students take, and students with the most acute cognitive disabilities take the California Alternate Performance Assessment. Under the new statute, more students who may have struggled previously with the state standards test will take the California Modified Assessment.

“These new regulations address the flexibility that is needed in order to appropriately show what students have learned,” Hoffman said. “However, this is only one of a number of issues that need to be addressed during the [current NCLB] reauthorization process in order to provide all students with a full range of assessments to show their abilities. One test does not show all students’ abilities. Having multiple measures available to demonstrate student success will better show the progress students are making in meeting the state’s academic standards.”