News Brief
Tennessee Education Chief Kevin Huffman Sharpens Focus on Special Ed
The Tennessean (TN) (07/18/13) Fingeroot, LisaTennessee Education Commissioner Kevin Huffman plans to reform the state's special education programs. As nearly 14 percent of students are in special education programs across the state, he said, "special education is a huge focus in Tennessee, but they are not achieving at the levels we would consider acceptable." During the 2012-13 school year, Huffman made progress with efforts to have more children with disabilities take the Tennessee Comprehensive Assessment Program, instead of an alternative test. Although the scores were not good and the achievement gaps between students with disabilities and those without grew, he says that all schools should use the Response to Intervention plan, which offers varying degrees of additional help before enrolling students in special education classes, to allow students to catch up with their peers.
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