A bill in Oklahoma could change some of the requirements of ACE. It is a test that all high school students must pass in order to graduate high school. Some feel that the test guidelines are inappropriate for students who have special needs because it does not take their IEP’s into account.
Standardized testing can be a controversial topic. Many have qualms about the connection between school funding and the results of standardized tests.
On the other side of the issue are people who believe that the only way to fairly test all students in a school, a district, or a state is to make an effort to ensure that all of them got identical tests that were presented in the exact same way. One problem with this concept is that these types of tests generally do not allow accommodations to be made.
In Oklahoma, there is the Achieving Classroom Excellence Act (ACE). It is a test that all high school students are required to pass in order to graduate from high school. Some parents of children who have special needs are concerned. They feel that new ACE guidelines will make it incredibly difficult for their children to pass the test, and therefore, to be able to graduate high school.
One specific detail that has been mentioned is a new rule regarding the use of color coding. The Oklahoma State Department of Education has banned the use of color coding for testing. Where does this leave students who have a federally supported IEP that allows them to use color coding? This could be the difference between graduation and failing to graduate.
State Representative Jadine Nollan is interested in amending the ACE legislation. Her bill is called HB 1765. The bill allows for students who have special needs to graduate from high school even if they do not pass the ACE tests.
Instead, the student would have to meet several other requirements. The student would have to retake a test that he or she failed. The student would also have to maintain a C average (or higher) and must meet all school graduation requirements. Whether or not the student graduates from high school would not be determined by the results of the ACE test. Instead, the decision would be made by the student’s IEP team and the school district.
As it stands, bill HB 1765 has passed through a committee. Next, it will head to the Oklahoma House of Representatives and Oklahoma Senate. If it passes both of them, the next step would be for the Governor to sign the bill into law.
Image by Matthew Rutledge on Flickr