Document text
http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend February 18, 2007 Testing for disabled students to focus more on academics New evaluations more in keeping with No Child Left Behind Act By Paris Achen Mail Tribune Oregon schools will roll out new alternative state tests in March for developmentally disabled students, featuring an academic component missing from former assessments. Teachers and school officials from around the state, including some from Medford, received training on the new tests Thursday and Friday at the University of Oregon in Eugene. The new alternative tests for pupils with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities gauge academic performance rather than life skills. In the now-defunct life skills test, teachers used to observe a student performing a life skill such as standing in line at a store or boarding a public bus. The new alternative test might involve a teacher asking a student to point to a letter of the alphabet, hand out a piece of paper or listen to a paragraph and recount what it was about. Advertisement "I think we are doing right by our students" by changing the test, said Nancy Latini, state schools assistant superintendent. "Hopefully, these tests will form the instruction these children get." The federal government last spring ordered the state to overhaul the special tests for failing to reflect disabled students' performance in reading and math. The No Child Left Behind Act requires states to give standardized reading and math assessments each year and show progress in the percentage of pupils who pass the tests, regardless of their race, economic status or disability. The order by the U.S. Department of Education last spring caught state education officials off guard. It sparked concerns among local special education officials that new assessments might not be created in time for the next testing window, which begins in March. Even with a new more academically geared test, they worried some students with severe disabilities might not be capable of taking the tests. Any student who does not or cannot take state tests counts against school districts when the federal government evaluates districts' annual progress. "The children taking these new tests will be able to count toward participation and possibly toward scores," Latini said. State education officials partnered with the University of Oregon to craft the new alternative assessments, trying them out on students along the way. Each alternative test now also has different levels: elementary, middle school and high school. "It's sort of unbelievable that we could get to this point in such a short period of time," Latini said. "We didn't have a choice." In addition to training sessions Thursday and Friday, the state has sent out training DVDs to school districts. The state will determine a scoring system for the tests after districts report their results from the first alternative tests this spring. Nearly 12 percent of the state's special education students have generally taken alternative state tests in recent years, according to Oregon Department of Education figures. Oregon's special education population has been increasing each year, exceeding 80,000 this school year, though they still only represent 13 percent of pupils. In Jackson County, special education students are increasing slightly as well in the largest school districts, except for Eagle Point. Jackson County's patterns follow the state with slight decreases in the percentage of pupils with specific learning disabilities and increases in the numbers of autistic students. Local school officials attribute both trends primarily to early interventions and better diagnostics. Would you like to respond to this story? If so Click Here to visit our forums. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Entertainment Guide Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Men's Clothing Debt Help