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The U.S. Department of Education (ED) has awarded more than $14 million in grants to states to help them meet requirements for students with disabilities under the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Twenty-seven states will benefit from the awards in a grant program (Technical Assistance on State Data Collection–Idea General Supervision Enhancement Grant) in which states were encouraged to work together and apply for funding in a consortium with other states.
The funds will be used for developing:
- modified academic achievement standards;
- alternate academic achievement standards (for students with the most significant cognitive disabilities);
- state assessments based on modified or alternate academic achievement standards;
- clear and appropriate guidelines for Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams, which include parents, to identify children with disabilities who should be assessed based on alternate or modified academic achievement standards; and
- training on those guidelines for IEP teams.
ED released final regulations that allow states to assess certain students with disabilities using an alternate assessment, commonly referred to as the 2% rule which became effective on May 9, 2007. Specifically, states may develop modified academic achievement standards based on grade-level content—and alternate assessments based on those standards—for students with disabilities who are capable of achieving high standards but who may not reach grade level in the same time as their peers. It allows states to count 2% of proficient and advanced scores on alternate assessment when measuring adequate yearly progress (AYP). Previously, ED issued final regulations on January 8, 2004 that established a 1% cap on the number of proficient and advanced scores of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities who take alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards that may be counted in the calculation of adequate yearly progress.
Visit ED's Web site for more information on the IDEA General Supervision Enhancement Grant program or contact Catherine D. Clarke, ASHA's Director of Education and Regulatory Advocacy, via e-mail at cclarke@asha.org or at 800-498-2071, ext. 4159.
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