Special Topic Area:
Graduation Requirements for Students with Disabilities

Introduction

Are student skills at the end of high school good enough to meet the needs of a global economy? This question reflects a public concern that has existed since the early 1980s. Since then, states and districts across the country have increased their graduation requirements to include more rigorous coursework and passing tests to demonstrate knowledge and skills needed after high school. These types of tests create many challenges for students with disabilities.

With or without the tests, there are several graduation requirements that become barriers for students with disabilities. States and districts have created a variety of documents to indicate the status of students at the end of high school. In addition to diplomas, there are certificates of completion, certificates of attendance, special education diplomas, and a host of other documents. How students with disabilities meet the requirements for high school graduation, what options are available to them to document their knowledge and skills, and what the effects are of receiving various end-of-school documents are important questions to answer.

Many states and districts now also set benchmarks to ensure that students are at appropriate points along the pathway to receiving a standard high school diploma. Concerns about social promotion are bound to affect students whose learning is challenged by disabilities. Several states and districts have either enacted, or are considering, policies that prohibit the promotion of students from one grade to the next unless they have demonstrated their knowledge and skills through adequate performance on an assessment.

Thus, despite warnings from various groups that high stakes assessments should not be used for students until the system has been held accountable for having adequate programs for all students, the use of high stakes assessments for students is increasing. This increase in assessments that determine whether a student moves from one grade to the next or leaves high school with a standard diploma creates significant challenges for students with disabilities, their families, and the educators who work with them. Increasing rates of students dropping out of school is just one of many possible results of these policies. However, the research is not yet conclusive on the effects of using assessments to impose high stakes consequences on students with disabilities. There is great need for further consideration of the issues, for research on the intended and unintended effects of such policies, and for improvement in educational and assessment programs so that all students are able to demonstrate their knowledge and skills.

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This page was last updated on April 02, 2008