Graduation Requirements for Students with Disabilities

Publications and Other Graduation Requirements Resources

NCEO Resources

Online resources available at NCEO’s Web site (the publications are listed chronologically, with the most recent first; Policy Directions will give a general overview of the issues with other publications providing greater depth):

• Revisiting Graduation Requirements and Diploma Options for Youth with Disabilities: A National Study (Technical Report 49) 
  HTML document / PDF document (2007)
• High Stakes Graduation Exams: The Intended and Unintended Consequences of Minnesota’s Basic Standards Tests for Students with Disabilities (Synthesis Report 62) HTML document / PDF document (2006)
• Alternative Routes to the Standard Diploma (Synthesis Report 54)
  HTML document / PDF document (2005)
• Large-Scale Assessment and Accountability Systems: Positive Consequences for Students with Disabilities (Synthesis Report 51)
  HTML document / PDF document (2004)
• High Stakes Testing and College Admission: A Review of Admissions Policies in New Mexico (2003)
  HTML document

For reports before 2003, see NCEO's Archived Publications.

Additional Resources

Achieve. (2009). Closing the expectations gap. Washington, DC: Author. http://www.achieve.org/files/50-state-2009.pdf

American Education Research Association (2000). AERA Position Statement Concerning High-Stakes Testing in PreK-12 Education. Washington, DC: Author.

Center on Education Policy. (2008). State high school exit exams: A move toward end-of-course exams. Washington, DC: Author.

Chambers, D., Rabren, K., & Dunn, C. (2008). A comparison of transition from high school to adult life of students with and without disabilities. Career Development for Exceptional Individuals, 32(1), 42-52.

Christenson, S.L., Decker, D.M., Triezenberg, H.L., Ysseldyke, J.E., & Reschly, A. (2007). Consequences of high-stakes assessment for students with and without disabilities. Educational Policy, 21(4), 662-690.

Education Trust. (2003). Telling the whole truth (or not) about high school graduation. Washington, DC: Author.

Hall, D.. (2007). Graduation matters: Improving accountability for high school graduation. Washington, DC: Education Trust. http://www2.edtrust.org/NR/rdonlyres/5AEDABBC-79B7-47E5-9C66-7403BF76C3E2/0/GradMatters.pdf

Hartwig, R., & Sitlington, P. L. (2008). Employer perspectives on high school diploma options for adolescents with disabilities. Journal of Disability Policy Students, 19(1), 5-14.

Heubert, J. P., & Hauser, R. M. (Eds.). (1999). High stakes testing for tracking, promotion, and graduation. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Johnson, D. R., Thurlow, M., Cosio, A., & Bremer, C. D. (2005). High school graduation requirements and students with disabilities. Information Brief, 4(2), 1-4.

Lehr, C. A., Clapper, A. T., & Thurlow, M. L. (2005). Graduation for all: A practical guide to decreasing school dropout. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press.

National Education Association. (2008). Changing the landscape including students with disabilities in high school graduation rates. Washington, DC: Author. http://www.nea.org/assets/docs/PB21_StudentDisabilities.pdf

Thurlow, M., & Johnson, D. (2000). High-stakes testing of students with disabilities. Journal of Teacher Education 51(4), pp. 305-314.

Zabala, D. (2008). State high school exit exam: Students with disabilities. Washington, DC: Center on Education Policy.

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