News Brief
Department of Education Wants Changes in Assessing Students With Disabilities
Hays Post (KS) (08/24/13)On Aug. 23, the U.S. Department of Education proposed regulations that would transition away from the 2 percent rule, emphasizing the department's commitment to holding all students to high standards in order to prepare them for college and career. The rule stipulates that states can count proficient scores for up to 2 percent of students in the grades assessed using alternate assessments aligned to modified academic achievement standards (AA-MAAS). States were allowed to develop AA-MAAS for disabled students and could use the results of their assessments for accountability purposes. The proposed regulation would transition disabled students taking AA-MAAS to college and career ready standards and general assessments, which will be aligned with the standards and be accessible by any student. Research shows that students with disabilities are able to make academic progress when they have strong supports and instruction. U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan said, "We have to expect the very best from our students and tell the truth about student performance, to prepare them for college and career. That means no longer allowing the achievement of students with disabilities to be measured by these alternate assessments aligned to modified achievement standards. This prevents these students from reaching their full potential, and prevents our country from benefiting from that potential."
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