Implications for High School Students with Disabilities
California’s
Exit Exam, Transition, and the IEP
As almost every student,
teacher, and parent in the state knows, all high school seniors must pass the
California High School Exit Exam (CAHSEE) if they are to receive a diploma. And
even more people know the importance of a diploma for young people who are
transitioning into adult life. In addition to being required for entry into
many technical schools, colleges, and universities, a high school diploma is
often necessary to even qualify for the kinds of jobs that promise a living
wage or any possibility of advancement.
While there are many other
requirements for graduation in addition to the CAHSEE, the exam itself has
proven to be a stumbling block for many hard-working students with disabilities.
As a result, while the state is maintaining its commitment to high standards
for all students, it is also working to provide additional support for students
who deserve a diploma.
Assembly Bill 347, signed
into law in October 2007, is designed to assist these students by requiring
school districts that receive “Intensive Instruction” funds to “ensure that all
pupils who have not passed one or both parts of the CAHSEE by the end of grade
twelve have the opportunity to receive intensive instruction and services as
needed based on the results of . . . diagnostic assessment and prior results on
the high school exit examination, for up to two consecutive academic years
after the completion of grade twelve or until the pupil has passed both parts
of the CAHSEE, whichever comes first. School districts must employ strategies
for intensive instruction and services that are most likely to result in those
pupils passing the parts of the CAHSEE that they have not passed (Education
Code, Section 37254 (d)(4)).” In addition, this new legislation requires that
districts use a variety of methods to notify and counsel pupils of this
opportunity for intensive services and instruction after twelfth grade: by
written notices sent to students’ homes, by postings in classrooms, and through
counseling programs.
Also in support of students
who have difficulty passing the exam, the California Department of Education
(CDE) is recommending that school districts review the individualized education
programs (IEPs) of high school seniors who have not yet met the CAHSEE
requirement to ensure that all appropriate (or necessary) accommodations and
modifications, supports, and services are in place to assist these students.
The CDE suggests that the students themselves be included in discussions of
test variations, so that they can express what would be helpful to them in
passing the exam. The CDE also suggests that IEPs be amended to reflect any
changes to the accommodations, supports, and services that may be needed; and
that schools provide students with simple accommodations for the test, such as
testing the student alone in a separate room, providing the student with
frequent breaks, and testing over more than one day. The CDE hopes that these
strategies may help to reduce the anxiety that a great many students experience
when taking such a high-stakes test, and thus allow the student to fully
demonstrate his or her knowledge and ability.
Alternatively, the CDE
encourages schools to provide students with modifications to the exam itself
for those students who qualify. For example, a student who is unable to pass
the written portion of the exam may benefit from the use of a scribe or a word
processor with “spell check” and “grammar check” functions activated.
Invariably, however, there
will be students who do not pass the CAHSEE, regardless of how hard they try
and how diligently adults work to support their efforts. What are their
options?
If a diploma is the goal,
then there are additional avenues that students can pursue. They can consider
attending a community college that awards high school diplomas through
non-credit adult education programs, which do not require passage of the CAHSEE
for admission. If students are 16 years or older, they can also take the
California High School Proficiency Exam (CHSPE) to obtain a diploma equivalent
(go to www.chspe.net/). Or they can work to pass the General Educational
Development (GED) test, a national program for adults eighteen years old and
older, to obtain a diploma equivalent (go to www.cde.ca.gov/ta/tg/gd/gedfaq.asp).
But what about those
students who simply are not able to earn a diploma, despite their
best efforts? Transition experts insist that no student needs to be blindsided
by this possibility if the
student’s IEP is used effectively. Diploma or
no diploma, the IEP remains the key to a successful transition into adult life
for students with disabilities. Diagnostic assessments are a critical part of
this effort, and they should be used to determine a student’s strengths and abilities.
Once assessment results are known, the IEP team — including
the student and parents — can use them as a basis for creating a realistic
plan for the future. For some students, this could involve scheduling more
intensive academic instruction so they can pass the CAHSEE and go on to
postsecondary education. For others, it might suggest career technical training
that concentrates on a wide range of job readiness skills. For still others, it
will require a focus on independent living skills. And for many, it will be
some combination of all three.
Mary Hudler, Director of
the Special Education Division of the CDE, confirms this approach in a letter
to school administrators as she writes, “It is important that transition for
these students be well planned so that the student can become independent and
self-sufficient” (go to www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/lr/om012808.asp for the full
text).
Many special education
experts across the country maintain that transition needs to be part of the
conversation at the very first IEP meeting for any child who has been
identified as having a disability, regardless of age. Some even go so far as to
advocate writing a student’s transition plan first, and then writing the IEP.
In general, conventional wisdom has come to insist that “the sooner, the
better” for including transition into the conversation for all students, thus
placing them on track for envisioning a future that realizes their fullest
potential. Ultimately, the IEP remains the ideal — and the most
critically helpful — vehicle for imagining, and then creating, a
successful and fulfilling adult life for students with disabilities.