High-Stakes Testing: Special Education
...s a positive outcome. These students should not be told they are failures just because a standardized test says they’re not in with the norm. “High-stakes standardized testing should not be imposed on students with learning disabilities unless those tests have been properly validated for their use and for those students (Disability Rights Advocates, 2001, p. 8).” If proper accommodations are not being provided to these students, then how are they going to be able to perform the same on the tests as students that are not disabled. Students with disabilities should have to take the same high-stakes tests that their fellow peers have to take. Testing is not a new procedure to students that are in the special education program. These students have had to take a variety of tests to find out if they qualify for services. These students may also have to take tests to track their progress on their goals and objectives in their Individualized Education Plan or IEP (Byrnes p. 360-361). “These kinds of assessments have been in place for 25 years, since the enactment of Public Law 94-142, the Education of All Handicapped Children Act (Byrnes, 2002, p. 360).” The high-stakes tests that are used by states and districts are usually norm referenced. Obviously students with disabilities are not on the same “norm” level as the other students so they will need proper accommodations and the right tools to assist them, in order for them to perform at their best. “In August 2000, OSEP published a report on state and district assessments. In this report, they discuss several reasons why parents should be tested: • To improve educational results for children with disabilities • To create high education expectations for all children • To make schools accountable for ALL students” (Wright & Wright, 2004, p. 2). Another question about high-stakes testing is should students with disabilities be forced to take exit exams in order for them to receive a diploma for graduation day? Not all students with disabilities have to take these tests; only if their IEP team feels that it is appropriate for that individual student. “Many states leave the decision about the participation of students in high stakes tests up to the Individualized Education Program (IEP) team (Langenfeld & Thurlow, 1997, p. 10).” Also students with disabilities are given multiple opportunities to pass these tests (Byrnes p. 364). “On the North Carolina Minimum Competency test it was found that with remediation 50 percent of the students (with disabilities) that failed it the first time passed it after their second try (Langenfeld & Thurlow 1997, p. 8).” Students with disabilities that are able to perform well on these tests should be given the opportunity to show what they can do. Should students with disabilities be forced to take high-stakes testing or do the detrimental effects on the students outweigh the need to test? Through researching this topic I do not believe that students with disabilities should be forced to take high-stakes tests. Most of these tests are norm referenced which makes it really difficult to check for progress on a student with a disability because he or she isn’t at the “norm” level. “Especially when it comes to graduation exit exams, one can assume that the effects on students with disabilities are at least as serious, if not more so, than on students without disabilities (Langenfeld & Thurlow, 1997, p. 10).” This is a very touchy topic for me. I believe that not only students with disabilities but also all students should not be forced to take a graduation exit exam in order to receive a standard high school diploma. One test cannot measure all of the knowledge that one has acquired in 13 years of schooling. In the years past the education system did not use a test to decide whether a student would graduate. There is no proof that by making our stude...