Yes, accountability should and does extend to special education. According to No Child Left Behind (NCLB), all children will be 100% proficient in Language Arts and Math. This includes special education students. At my school site, all students regardless of their learning disabilities are encouraged to participate in STAR testing. Accommodations for testing are made for students who have learning disabilities. Some of these accommodations include: flexible seating or having directions read to them. The expectations at our school site is that all students will participate in STAR testing. It is very rare that any students miss the test. And if they do miss the test, it is usually due to an illness. Students make up the test when they return. The purpose for including special education students in the STAR accountability is that first of all, No Child Left Behind requires that 95% of the student population participate in testing. Secondly, it reinforces the school culture that all students are a part of the school and will demonstrate what they have mastered on the state test.
In the regular classroom, special education students are also held accountable for mastering state standards. Accommodations are in place to make sure that special education students have equal access to the curriculum. Accommodations include: extended time on test, projects, or quizzes, having directions repeated to them more than once, small group instruction, and answer keys to notes so that they can take their time writing down the content.
Alternative forms of assessments should also be included, in addition to traditional paper and pencil test. Alternative forms of assessments can include: hands-on projects, videos, or other products that demonstrate mastery of the content. This gives the student an opportunity to demonstrate what they learned in a means that may be easier for the student.
In todays educational setting, all students are held accountable for mastering state standards.
In the regular classroom, special education students are also held accountable for mastering state standards. Accommodations are in place to make sure that special education students have equal access to the curriculum. Accommodations include: extended time on test, projects, or quizzes, having directions repeated to them more than once, small group instruction, and answer keys to notes so that they can take their time writing down the content.
Alternative forms of assessments should also be included, in addition to traditional paper and pencil test. Alternative forms of assessments can include: hands-on projects, videos, or other products that demonstrate mastery of the content. This gives the student an opportunity to demonstrate what they learned in a means that may be easier for the student.
In todays educational setting, all students are held accountable for mastering state standards.
