A growing number of students with disabilities are being excluded from federal accountability provisions, driving up the number of public schools able to make adequate yearly progress but raising questions about the pledge to leave “no child behind.” Yet-to-be-published analysis found that more than 80 percent of schools that made AYP under the federal law in 2003 or 2004 did so without having to meet standards of proficiency for their special education students as a separate subgroup.
How will this trend affect special education students? What additional steps or rules on the state and federal levels need to be implemented to address this issue? Can subgroup accountability ensure high achievement for all students?
