A modified version of the Maryland State Assessment now under development could help improve the performance of local students in special education programs.
Under the proposed plan, a modified test could be expanded to include the top 3 percent of students with the greatest disabilities, said Bill Reinhart, spokesman for the state Department of Education.
“Now, under federal guidelines, 1 percent of the most severely disabled take a completely different test,” he said.
Across the state, 11.9 percent of elementary students and 12.2 percent of middle school students are in special education classes, according to the Department of Education.
Some area principals think a modified test could help their schools meet adequate yearly progress goals.
On Tuesday, Murray Hill Principal Donyall Dickey met with his staff to discuss test results at the school, which failed to meet adequate yearly progress on the assessment for two years in a row. Among the groups of students who fell short were those in special education classes.
Oakland Mills Middle School Principal Cindy Dillon, whose school also has failed to make adequate yearly progress for two years in a row, said these special-needs students had to take the same tests as everyone else, and as a result, they sometimes suffered.
“If you look at special education, they?re the ones who struggle the most,” she said. “It?s not like we?re not working hard on it. You look at the areas that need to improve.”
Students will take this year?s assessment in April, and it?s yet to be determined whether the new test will be available by then.
Since it?s under development, the exact contents of the test are not known, but there could be fewer questions, Reinhart said.
