Regents mull new diploma path for special education students |
On Board Online • June 13, 2016
By Cathy Woodruff
Senior Writer
The Board of Regents is expected to consider widening the path to a high school diploma for some students with disabilities at its June meeting, when the board also is scheduled to finalize previously approved adjustments to graduation requirements for all students.
Pushing for the move is Regent Roger Tilles of Long Island. He says more students with disabilities should have more options for earning a meaningful graduation credential if they pass all of their Regents-level courses, even if they do not pass all of the Regents exams associated with the courses.
"I believe there are too many cases of kids who pass all of their courses but can't get a diploma," said Tilles, who has been urging his fellow Regents and Commissioner MaryEllen Elia to brainstorm ways to address the issue.
The specifics of what the board will consider remained unclear as On Board went to press a few days before the June 13-14 meeting. Department officials have described the agenda item as "a regulatory proposal" that would "provide an additional opportunity for students with disabilities to demonstrate their mastery of the required educational standards in order to meet graduation requirements."
One superintendent, William H. Johnson of Rockville Centre, has suggested a system that would enable students to earn points, cumulatively, based on both their Regents exam scores and their course grades. He envisions a system tailored mainly for students with learning disabilities who pass Regents-level courses but struggle to demonstrate their knowledge on exams or on particular types of exams.
Tilles said the Regents will need to walk a careful line with any adjustments, balancing their interest in providing multiple ways for students to demonstrate proficiency with their desire not to lower or dilute graduation standards.
While so-called "local" diplomas remain available to some students, the Regents have narrowed the circumstances under which they may be available, and relatively few are awarded.
Tilles noted that the Regents have created new graduation options for students with disabilities, including two non-diploma credentials - the Career Development and Occupational Studies Commencement Credential (CDOS) and the Skills and Achievement Commencement Credential (SACC). But he said these credentials are poorly understood and often do not appeal to prospective employers or the military.
It also is not clear how many students would be helped by a change along the lines of what Tilles has suggested, but he said the numbers would likely be relatively low. "It's not going to work for all kids," he said.
Meanwhile, the board also is scheduled to permanently adopt an expansion of the Regents exam score appeal process this month and drop an attendance requirement tied to the appeals. The changes should allow more students to qualify for diplomas if they successfully appeal low Regents scores.
Under a provisional rules change approved in March, students who are required to earn a score of 65 to pass their Regents exams can appeal scores of 60-64 (expanded from 62-64) on one or two Regents exams. Students who are granted one appeal by their superintendent can earn a Regents diploma. Students granted two appeals can earn a local diploma.
The new rules also eliminate a requirement that students meet a minimum attendance requirement of 95 percent for the year they last took the exam they are appealing. The attendance requirement is eliminated for all students, including students with a lower passing score threshold on Regents exams.
Last year, the Regents also made other adjustments to the appeals process for students with disabilities and for English Language Learners, which are newly in effect this spring.
In December, the board approved an appeal option for some students with disabilities seeking a local diploma through a "low pass safety net" option. These students, who have an individualized education program (IEP) and can pass with a score of 55, now may appeal scores between 52 and 54 on up-to two Regents exams and earn a local diploma.
In January 2015, the board extended the appeal process to allow some English language learners to appeal scores of 55-61 on the English language arts Regents exam.
For more information on graduation options for students with disabilities, see goo.gl/mpfLR7 .