Thorny issue for exit exam
Sacramento Bee 2/15/07
The issue had been on hold for the last year because the state -- under pressure from a lawsuit -- exempted special education students in the classes of 2006 and 2007 from passing the test. That amounted to between 20,000 and 25,000 students last year. All other students, beginning with the class of 2006, must pass the California High School Exit Exam in order to receive a diploma.
The Board of Education is looking at the issue now because the exemption for students with disabilities expires Dec. 31. That means that starting next year, special education students will have to pass the test to graduate -- unless the Legislature alters the exit exam law.
In a series of three meetings between now and June, state education officials will formulate a recommendation to the Legislature on what kinds of graduation requirements are appropriate for students with disabilities.
It's a thorny question because the students' disabilities vary greatly and affect learning in many different ways. The exit exam, in contrast, is a highly standardized test of 10th-grade-level English and middle school-level math plus algebra.
Three-quarters of California students who are disabled have a specific learning disability or a speech and language impairment, said Alice Parker, one of several special education experts to address the board Wednesday.
The remainder of students with disabilities are mentally retarded, health impaired, emotionally disturbed, autistic, orthopedically impaired, deaf, blind or have some degree or combination of those conditions, she said.
The hearing made clear that lawmakers face a huge challenge in creating a graduation policy that is sensitive to that range of abilities but also pushes schools to educate disabled students to the highest possible level.
Even special education advocates disagreed on the best course of action. Some argued that exempting students with disabilities from the test or making a special test for them would amount to state-sanctioned segregation. Others criticized the requirement that they take the same test as their non-disabled peers.
"Special education students are going to be penalized for not being able to answer questions about material they haven't been taught," said Roger Heller, an attorney with Disability Rights Advocates, which sued the state over the exit exam.
He pointed to disabled students' low pass rate last year to prove his point: About 48 percent passed the test, in contrast with 91 percent in the general population.
But some board members raised doubts about the special ed pass rate because it doesn't include disabled students who passed the test using modifications, such as calculators or dictionaries. Those students must go through the so-called "local waiver" process to be considered passing.
That involves a parent requesting a principal to lobby the school board for a waiver. Some districts grant them and some don't, leaving some students without a diploma even if they get a passing score on the test.
The waiver issue was a source of much discussion Wednesday. It has parents, teachers and school district officials confused, many people said. It creates an unfair burden on students with disabilities, Heller said. And the reliance on parents and principals to initiate the process means some children will end up with strong advocates and some will not, said board member James Aschwanden.
The Board of Education meets again to discuss the exit exam for special needs students March 7-8 and May 9-10.