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Publication Release

The No Child Left Behind Act and the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act: A Progress Report by The National Council on Disability (study conducted by AYPF and the Educational Policy Institute).

 

The National Council on Disability (NCD) released a report documenting trends in academic achievement of students with disabilities and also the successes and barriers achieved by states, school districts, and other stakeholders as a result of the implementation of No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB) and the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The National Council on Disability is an independent federal agency making recommendations to the President and Congress to enhance the quality of life for all Americans with disabilities and their families. It is composed of 15 members appointed by the President and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. The study was conducted by the Educational Policy Institute and the American Youth Policy Forum under contract to NCD.

The report is based on the collection and analysis of NAEP and IDEA data regarding student academic achievement; interviews of state administrators and representatives about trends and issues related to NCLB and IDEA; and conversations with advocates, federal officials, and other stakeholders. Recommendations from the report include:

  1. Maintain high expectations for students with disabilities and continue to disaggregate outcome data by subgroups. No one suggested that we return to pre-NCLB days, when students with disabilities were not included in academic accountability systems. Interviewees acknowledged that not every student with a disability can achieve to high standards, but they recommended holding firm to high expectations, continuing to disaggregated data, and keeping the pressure on the system to deliver higher-level instruction.
  2. Develop the capacity of teachers to provide differentiated instruction and a more rigorous curriculum. In order for students to benefit from a higher-level curriculum, teachers must have the content knowledge and pedagogical skills to work with a diverse group of learners, particularly students with disabilities. All teachers must have strong academic content if they are the lead teacher, or be paired with a content expert if they bring strong pedagogical skills, as many special educators do.
  3. Create incentives to attract, recruit, and retain special education teachers. As special education teachers retire and leave the profession, more attention needs to be paid to how to develop the profession and maintain adequate numbers of teachers with the skills and knowledge to work with students with disabilities. NCLB should be amended to include provisions such as early intervention services, response to intervention, individualized education plans for lower-performing students, and transition planning for needy students. These are key elements in IDEA, yet they affect all students, not just those with disabilities.
  4. Align NCLB and IDEA data systems and definitions. NCLB and IDEA require data collection and reporting on various student outcomes and program characteristics, but the laws use different definitions and reporting formats, which should be brought into closer alignment so that states, districts, and schools are not duplicating data collection efforts. NCLB should also be amended to require that post-school outcomes be reported, as that is a critical indicator of success for all students.
  5. Ensure that students with disabilities are measured on more than just academic skills attainment. The definition of what is assessed for students with disabilities should be broadened to include occupational, employability, and life skills.
  6. Increase funding for special education. Helping students with disabilities access a higher-level curriculum requires more support services, potentially more learning time, better-trained teachers, collaborative teaching, and new instructional approaches. The current requirement to spend 15 percent of IDEA on early intervention services on non–special education students diverts funding from an already needy population.

The report in PDF format (without appendices) is available here: NCLB Report

The appendices in PDF format is available here: NCLB Appendices

The full report in various formats and appendices are from NCD at http://www.ncd.gov