AISD Makes Changes To Meet State Requirements For Special Education Students
By: Marlisa Goldsmith
Updated: January 17, 2012
"Many of our students regardless of their disability, or because of their disability, their curriculum may have to be modified or adjusted," says AISD's Executive Director of Special Education, Larry Davis.
Two years ago Abilene Independent School District moved several special education students from the Taks-Modified version to the Taks-Accommodated.
The results showed that some students did not perform as well on the Taks-Accommodated and it was difficult for them to make that leap.
"Quite a few of our students who did move up passed, about a third, but then there were a lot of those students who did move up who did not pass," says Davis.
Now the district is trying to provide those students who did not pass with extra remediation, more time, and more instruction on what they will be tested on.
"All students are expected to be on grade level and have access to grade level curriculum, as well as grade level tests."
All students, including those who qualify as special education students.
Davis explains, "It's causing some concern, and frustration in the district, in the state, in the nation, that's just where we are."
One of the issues is with the upcoming staar test that the district doesn't have much information about it yet, leaving AISD asking one particular question, "How can we create a system that best meets the needs of our kids?"
The STAAR test will only have three versions of it and guidelines are very specific on who is to take which and who is not.
Davis says, "What our challenge will be as we take this STAAR test this year is again, the standard, what is the standard that is going to be set? We don't know yet."
AISD and many other districts in the state are concerned about how the students in special education are going to perform.
"They feel as if these students are being pushed into a test that they're not ready for or unprepared," says Davis.
Although this new test will be much more difficult and challenging for students, Davis is sure AISD is headed in the right direction to achieve success.
He says, "I'm excited when I go into some of those classes that kids are achieving at a level that we never thought that they could achieve before."
Two years ago Abilene Independent School District moved several special education students from the Taks-Modified version to the Taks-Accommodated.
The results showed that some students did not perform as well on the Taks-Accommodated and it was difficult for them to make that leap.
"Quite a few of our students who did move up passed, about a third, but then there were a lot of those students who did move up who did not pass," says Davis.
Now the district is trying to provide those students who did not pass with extra remediation, more time, and more instruction on what they will be tested on.
"All students are expected to be on grade level and have access to grade level curriculum, as well as grade level tests."
All students, including those who qualify as special education students.
Davis explains, "It's causing some concern, and frustration in the district, in the state, in the nation, that's just where we are."
One of the issues is with the upcoming staar test that the district doesn't have much information about it yet, leaving AISD asking one particular question, "How can we create a system that best meets the needs of our kids?"
The STAAR test will only have three versions of it and guidelines are very specific on who is to take which and who is not.
Davis says, "What our challenge will be as we take this STAAR test this year is again, the standard, what is the standard that is going to be set? We don't know yet."
AISD and many other districts in the state are concerned about how the students in special education are going to perform.
"They feel as if these students are being pushed into a test that they're not ready for or unprepared," says Davis.
Although this new test will be much more difficult and challenging for students, Davis is sure AISD is headed in the right direction to achieve success.
He says, "I'm excited when I go into some of those classes that kids are achieving at a level that we never thought that they could achieve before."
Comments
I firmly believe that every student deserves the best education available. And I believe that we need to have standards to see where the student has a deficiency so that area can be addressed. We also need standards to make sure that we have the best teachers available to teach students. I also believe that sometimes we need to lovingly push our students to step out of their comfort zones and learn more than they think they are capable of learning. Special Education students deserve no less.
That being said, I sometimes wonder if we are expecting some of our Special Education students to know too much. Would we expect an eighth grader to pass a Sophomore TAKS test? Yet this seems to be what we expect of our Special Ed. students. If previous tests have shown that a Sophomore student is achieving at the level of an eighth grader, should we expect them to pass a Sophomore test? Would we not better serve the student by teaching them how to pass the Freshman test first? Then we could move that student to the next level.
Just asking questions for us to think about.
Gordon H.
January 17, 2012 at 9:26 pm
