by Jessica Bacon, Carrie Rood & Beth Ferri
This paper critically examines a resultant phenomenon of the Standards-Based Reform movement: the emergence of self-contained Prioritized Curriculum classes, designed to provide students with disabilities access to standards-based general education curriculum in segregated classes.
by George Theoharis, Julie Causton & Chelsea Tracy-Bronson
This article reports on a project to better understand how educators grapple with externally imposed pressures as they work to change the organizational structure of their schools to implement greater inclusion of their students served by special education.
by Federico Waitoller & Barbara Pazey
This article examines the tensions that can materialize at the intersection of high-stakes accountability assessments and the rights of parents of students with dis/abilities.
by Brittany Aronson, Kristin Murphy & Andrew Saultz
This article draws from the lessons learned from the Atlanta Public Schools cheating scandal that occurred from 2009–2011, with particular attention paid to the unintended consequences of high-stakes accountability practices, especially for students with disabilities.
by Peter Martin
This article presents a longitudinal study of an urban charter middle school to examine the impact testing pressures can have on the education of students with disabilities and English language learners, and how this may lead to a narrowing of the content they are taught.
by Neal Kingston, Meagan Karvonen, Sue Bechard & Karen Erickson
The Dynamic Learning Maps™ Alternate Assessment is based on a different set of guiding principles than other assessments. In this article we describe its characteristics and look at the history of alternate assessment and the problems in implementing useful assessment programs for students with significant cognitive disabilities.
by Robert Cotto Jr.
Connecticut experienced two major changes in testing policy for children with disabilities that played a major role in conclusions about educational progress in the state. The responses to these changes in testing policy make Connecticut an illuminating case regarding the problem of high-stakes testing and changes in policies for students with disabilities in a state characterized by deep racial and economic inequity.
by Argun Saatcioglu, Thomas Skrtic & Thomas DeLuca
Drawing on state-level panel data for the 2007–2009 period, this study examines the potential overuse of test accommodations for students with disabilities as a gaming strategy to inflate state-level proficiency gains in response to high-stakes accountability pressures. We identify particular conditions under which test accommodations are more likely to be used for gaming and specify several directions for further research.
by Todd Glover, Linda Reddy, Ryan Kettler, Alexander Kunz & Adam Lekwa
The accountability movement and high-stakes testing fail to attend to ongoing instructional improvements based on the regular assessment of student skills and teacher practices. The purpose of this article is to describe the School System Improvement Project’s hybrid approach to utilizing both formative and summative assessments to (a) inform decisions about effective instruction based on all students’ and teachers’ needs, and (b) guide high-stakes decisions about teacher effectiveness.
by Adai Tefera & Catherine Kramarczuk Voulgarides
This article critically examines the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and No Child Left Behind. Authors demonstrate how and why these policies have failed to adequately ensure that students of color with disabilities receive the educational opportunities the policies were intended to provide.
by Felicia Castro-Villarreal & Sharon Nichols
This article provides a general overview of educational policy and practice as it relates to special education student populations.
by Jeanette Joyce, Judith Harrison & Danielle Murphy
The purpose of this article is to discuss student learning objectives as components of high-stakes teacher evaluation systems, within the context of learners with special needs.
by Sharon Nichols & Felicia Castro-Villarreal
Introduction to the Yearbook on Accountability Practices and Special Education Services: Impact and Implications
