Washington, DC, March 29, 2007 - Gene Wilhoit, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO), today praised the House Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education for examining how the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) affects students with disabilities.
Testifying before the House subcommittee this morning was Rebecca Cort, deputy commissioner of the New York Office of Vocational and Education Services for Individuals with Disabilities, who provided state perspective and called on Congress to permit states to develop modified standards and modified assessments that will measure proficiency on these standards and to better align NCLB with the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA). Please click here to view Cort’s written testimony.
New York State Commissioner of Education Richard P. Mills stated, "New York, along with other states, remains committed to improving the educational outcomes of our students with disabilities. What we need is a more rational assessment system for these students that provides educators with the information they need to improve their interventions."
CCSSO has asked Congress to ensure the reauthorized Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) encourages the inclusion of students with disabilities in state assessment and accountability systems in a manner that is most meaningful for the full range of students with disabilities, based on ambitious but educationally sound performance goals and measures. The new law should permit use of alternate assessments measured against alternate/modified achievement standards based on individualized growth expectations across grade levels as needed for some students. The law should also be amended to count the performance of students with disabilities who recently transitioned out of that subgroup in subgroup accountability determinations for an appropriate period. Please click here for a copy of CCSSO’s specific ESEA reauthorization recommendations.
"We have a moral responsibility to provide every child with the opportunity to rise to their full potential," stated Gene Wilhoit, CCSSO executive director. “This is another complicated issue we are faced with in reauthorization, and we are pleased to see that Congress has once again included the state perspective as we work together to improve this law.”
The Council of Chief State School Officers (CCSSO) is a nationwide, nonprofit organization of public officials who head departments of elementary and secondary education in the states, the District of Columbia, the Department of Defense Education Activity, and five U.S. extra-state jurisdictions. CCSSO provides leadership, advocacy, and technical assistance on major educational issues. The Council seeks members’ consensus on major educational issues and expresses their views to civic and professional organizations, federal agencies, Congress, and the public.
