Often Excluded, More Special-Needs Students Taking NAEP

Following a push to make “the nation’s report card” better reflect the academic performance of all children in America’s schools, most states boosted the numbers of students with disabilities and English-language learners who participated in the 2011 reading and math tests that are part of the National Assessment of Educational Progress , or NAEP.

But many states still have far to go to reach the inclusion targets set for them last year by federal policymakers.

Overall, the numbers of 4th and 8th grade students who took the NAEP and were identified as having a disability or being an English-language learner rose in 2011, continuing a longer-term trend that began over a decade ago when NAEP began allowing students to use accommodations, such as additional time,...