The U.S. Congress is now engaged
in activities to prepare for the reauthorization of the Elementary
and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) - currently known as the No
Child Left Behind Act (NCLB). The Our Kids Count project will
keep you up to date on activities affecting special education
students and alert you to issues of concern.
MAY
21, 2007: ALERT:
Use
IEPs as Measure of Student Progress and
School Accountability
Recently,
Education Week reported on a closed-door meeting of the Education
and Labor Committee in the U.S. House
of Representatives. During the meeting, several House members
expressed concerns about special education students. Specifically, Rep.
Tim Murphy (R-PA) stated -
“It borders
on being abusive when we demand an 8th grade child with 4th
grade
reading
skills
take
a test
with questions worded on the 8th grade level,” said “We
need to understand … that
some children simply cannot perform at 100 percent level
for their
age and grade.”
Instead,
the law should require schools to track such students’ progress over time to document
their progress, Rep. Murphy said. Other members
suggested that such students could be tracked by
determining their success in meeting goals in their
individualized education programs, or IEPs, which
are developed by educators and the students’ parents
under the Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act.
Learn why this suggestion is impractical,
unfair and unacceptable.
Then
communicate your objections to your
member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
INFORMATION
ON NCLB AND SPECIAL EDUCATION STUDENTS:
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