Raising the Academic Standards Bar: What States Are Doing to Measure the Performance of Students with Disabilities

In the past decade, 49 states have adopted rigorous curriculum standards. This has resulted in a significant impact on special education policy and practice. A research team consisting of 12 doctoral students and a faculty advisor at the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, reviewed published state standards, primary assessment procedures, and provisions related to participation by students with disabilities, to determine answers to six questions: (a) Have states adopted standards assessment criteria? (b) Are states using performance rewards and sanctions to motivate educators and students? (c) Do states require all students with disabilities to participate in the state assessment process? (d) Have states developed policies regarding testing accommodations for students with disabilities? (e) Do states link assessment performance to high school graduation? (f) How are states approaching alternate assessments? Research across states found differences in the ways in which assessment issues are being addressed and the potential impact that these policies will have on educational opportunities for students with disabilities.