Graduation Disparities Loom Large for Students With Special Needs - Education Week

Graduation Disparities Loom Large for Students With Special Needs - Education Week

Published Online: January 28, 2014

Published in Print: January 29, 2014, as Graduation Disparities Loom Large

Audience: Educators, Parents, Lawmakers

Key Points: 

The wide graduation-rate gaps in many states between students with disabilities and those in regular education raise the stakes for next year's first-ever federal evaluation of how well states are serving their special education students. By 2015, the Education Department aims to take a closer look at graduation-rate disparities when it evaluates states on their special education performance.  

Relevance:
The results of the evaluation could affect what states can do with their federal aid for special education.  The director of the federal office of special education programs said that "We know there are students with disabilities who can be achieving much more."  The office of special education programs, which is charged with evaluating states on their adherence to the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act, plans by next year to take into account graduation rates, dropout rates, and other so-called "performance" indicators as it shifts from a focus on compliance to what it calls "results-driven accountability."