Special
ed pupils improve scores on state's
tests
Tuesday, January 17, 2006 • BY
JOHN MOONEY • Star-Ledger Staff
New Jersey's special education students
continued to improve on state tests last year, according to
state data.
While still far below those of general
education students, the passing rates for students
classified with mild to severe disabilities were up
significantly in three of the four grades tested last
spring, the results show.
The results continued an upward trend in
test scores by special education students over the last
several years, with the biggest gains in math. Fifty-five
percent of fourth-graders with disabilities passed the math
test last year, and nearly 50 percent of high school juniors
passed the high school test. That was compared to 47 percent
and 46 percent, respectively, in 2004. The gains were less
pronounced in language arts.
State and school officials said they were
generally cheered by the progress and credited the results
to greater attention to -- and government pressure on --
raising the academic performance of students with special
needs.
"Schools are taking very seriously that
these students can achieve at higher levels if given the
accommodations and services they need," said Barbara
Gantwerk, an assistant state education
commissioner.
In Perth Amboy, for instance, the passing
rates for students with disabilities rose in almost every
test, and administrators credited better training of both
special education teachers and those in the general
education classes where many of these students are
taught.
"They are all being trained together so
they're on the same page," said Angela Durso, the district's
director of special services. "We've been doing it
especially with math, and saw the results this year. Now we
need to do it more with language arts."
The academic progress of special
education students has gained renewed attention in schools
nationwide as they try to meet the demands of state testing
and the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
The 2002 federal law requires that
schools show test score gains among all categories of
students, general or special education, white or minority,
wealthy or poor. Schools that don't show gains in every area
can potentially face sanctions.
But special education scores have proved
the toughest to lift. The students take the same tests as
those in general education, but often with accommodations
such as more time.
New Jersey is now looking at ways to ease
some of the testing pressures, as allowed under the federal
law. But officials said the academic pressures on special
education aren't letting up.
"On a national level and a state level,
where we are focusing now is how to further improve on
classroom instruction," said Gantwerk.
Many of the issues are coming to a head
as the state updates its special education regulations to
match the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education
Act. The state's proposed regulations set class sizes,
staffing and paperwork requirements, and scores of other
mandates on districts. But school officials worry the
regulations could further drive up costs, and parents and
their advocates fear they could weaken families'
rights.
A public hearing on the regulations is
scheduled for tomorrow evening before the state Board of
Education in Trenton, and one parent organizer said the test
score gains are just one piece to remember in debating
what's best for a child with disabilities.
"Any improvement is welcome, of course,"
said Robert Witanek, a Belle Mead father of special needs
children who has led a petition drive to maintain
protections for students and families.
"Our children need to perform
academically and be driven to their full potential," he
said. "But they also need to develop in many areas that are
not measured by standardized tests."
John Mooney covers education. He may be reached at
jmooney@starledger.com or (973) 392-1548.
© 2006 The Star-Ledger. Used by NJ.com with
permission.
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