2 Percent Flexibility Option for
Assessment of Students with Disabilities
The proposed regulations for
the 2 Percent Flexibility Option give states and districts more leeway
in assessing students with disabilities. States can develop modified
assessments for 2 percent of their students with disabilities who do not
meet grade-level standards despite high quality instruction, including
special education services. Though the modified assessments must be
aligned with grade level content standards, they may differ in breadth
or depth from the achievement standards for non-disabled
students.
High expectations will be held for
students with disabilities who take modified assessments. The students
must have access to grade-level instruction, and the modified standards
cannot preclude the students from receiving a regular diploma. Further,
the students must be appropriately assessed on modified achievement
standards. The IEP team will play a critical role in determining not
only which students will take modified assessments, but also the type of
modified assessment individual students will take. The regulations are
scheduled to go into effect by the end of the 2005-06 school year or the
beginning of the 2006-07 school year at the latest.
Concerns about the 2 Percent
Flexibility Option
Though overall the 2 percent flexibility option has been well
received, some questions remain about its implementation. One is
ensuring that students eligible for the modified assessments are
correctly identified.
Questions also exist about whether 2
percent is the appropriate number for students eligible for modified
assessments, with some believing it too high and others that it is too
low.
Also, concerns exist about the
feasibility of developing validated assessments in a short time frame.
Many states are looking to see how their current assessments may be
modified rather than developing new assessments.
CEC Approves 2 Percent Option But
Wants More
CEC sees the 2 Percent Flexibility Option as a move in
the right direction. It reflects many of our recommendations to make
NCLB requirements for students with disabilities more equitable,
ensure these students receive high quality instruction, and maintain
high expectations for these students.
However, CEC will continue to work for other measures that will show
the academic progress of students with disabilities. Foremost among
those recommendations is including a longitudinal growth model in the
accountability system, which would put more focus on individual student
achievement. In addition, CEC recommends basing NCLB's
proficiency targets on the success rates achieved by the most effective
public schools. CEC also recommends allowing states to measure progress
by students' growth in achievement as well as their performance in
relation to pre-determined levels of academic proficiency.
- Other conditions CEC deems necessary to fully support the 2 Percent
Flexibility Option are:
- Students with disabilities have access to grade-level content.
- Students with disabilities have access to early and effective
scientifically based interventions to remediate academic skill
deficiencies.
- Students with disabilities have access to highly qualified teachers
to teach core academic subjects.
- Educators must embrace high expectations for students with
disabilities.
- IEP team members, including families, receive training to identify
children in this subgroup and choose appropriate assessments.
- Appropriate stakeholders receive training in the development of
modified achievement standards and assessments.
| 
