Special Topic Area:
Participation of Students with Disabilities
Introduction
State and district assessments are used to provide
information on the educational progress of students. Today these assessments are a key
part of standards-based reform, and are used to measure the extent to which students are
meeting standards. Beginning in the early to mid 1990s, it became evident that not all
students were being included in these assessments, resulting not only in an inaccurate
picture of education but also in several unintended consequences (such as referrals to
special education). Furthermore, data from the assessments were difficult to interpret
when different percentages of students participated (e.g., one place included 45% of its
students and another included 60%).
Participation in large-scale assessments is now recognized by many
educators and parents as a critical element of equal opportunity and access to education.
This is true for students with disabilities. Low expectations and lack of information on
which to make programmatic decisions plague the programs of students with disabilities who
do not participate in state and district assessments. Assessments help to measure:
- How successful schools are in including all students in
standards-based reforms.
- How successful instructional strategies are in helping all students
achieve at very high levels.
- What specific curriculum and instructional areas need improvement for
specific groups of students.
Participation in a state or district assessment system does not mean
that all students take the same test. There are several ways in which students can
participate in assessments. In the past, we often divided these into three categories: (1) assessments
taken in the same way as other students take them, (2) assessments taken with
accommodations, and (3) alternate assessments. More recently we tend to
think about whether assessments are general assessments or alternate
assessments, and the nature of the achievement proficiency standards to
which students are held (e.g., grade level, alternate, or perhaps modified). With this kind of approach, the question
becomes not whether students will participate in assessments, but rather how they
will participate.
Participation rates often are difficult to calculate, and sometimes
require that states and districts revise their data management systems. These revisions
have been worthwhile, and have pushed forward our knowledge about the participation of
students in assessments.
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