Report: No Child Left Behind is out of step with special education
Report: No Child Left Behind is out of step with special education
Report: No Child Left Behind is out of step with special educationSurvey reveals conflicts for school administrators
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Nov. 15, 2006EDITORS: The No Child Left Behind Act is scheduled for reauthorization in 2007. Federal hearings are currently underway to determine potential revisions to the law. The policy brief described in this release is intended for use by state and federal decision makers who are presently reviewing reports on the implementation of the act.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — How has the No Child Left Behind Act affected students with disabilities? A report issued today by the Center for Evaluation and Education Policy and the Indiana Institute on Disability and Community, both at Indiana University, outlines both the positive effects and the unintended consequences of the law. The report indicates that while efforts to meet NCLB accountability standards have improved short-term student outcomes, the act’s narrow assessment criteria creates pressure for schools to reverse inclusion efforts and may contribute to higher drop-out rates among students with disabilities.
Researchers at CEEP and IIDC conducted a statewide survey of school administrators in Indiana in addition to reviewing data from a range of national studies. They report that progress toward NCLB objectives is evident among students with disabilities, but most states are not making Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as defined by the act due to the special education subgroup. This situation puts pressure on schools to remove special education students from general education classrooms, undoing years of progress toward inclusion in mainstream schooling.
"Few people would argue with the intent of No Child Left Behind. We do need high standards, and we do need to be accountable for every child in every school. But there have been a number of unintended consequences that have had a negative impact on students with disabilities," said Sandi Cole, director of the IIDC’s Center on Education and Lifelong Learning and author of the report. "The best and most positive effect that NCLB has had on special education is that students with disabilities now count as part of the assessment system.
"But the system needs to make sense," she continued. "Don’t we want to know how much a child is progressing towards the standards? Don’t we want schools to be measured according to that progress? Right now, they either pass or they fail. We need a system that values learning and growth over time, in addition to helping students reach high standards."
The policy brief can be viewed at http://www.ceep.indiana.edu/projects/PDF/PB_V4N11_Fall_2006_NCLB_dis.pdf. The brief cites many positive effects of NCLB, including access to high standards and curriculum, improved test scores and enhanced collaboration between special education and general education teachers.