They become such non-entities, their teachers and peers, and even family members, do not know them. To help such students, Reilly recommended that educators make it a point to support the rejected student and establish credibility with him or her. Reilly also said that educators should pay attention to any feelings of unease they may experience with a student. In such instances, the educator should refer the student for evaluation and seek help from other professionals. While only 23 states know how many students with special needs are included in broad-based assessments, others have the information but lag behind in analyzing it, according to Sandy Thompson from the National Center on Educational Outcomes.
States also report differences in how the scores for students with disabilities are used.
They are also used to guide decisions about curriculum or instruction, general school reforms, and individual student issues, such as graduation or promotion. One assessment quandary special educators are trying to navigate is high stakes testing. While some special educators fear students with disabilities will fail exit exams and be unable to graduate, others warn that high stakes testing can be used as an excuse to exclude students with special needs from state-wide assessments. In addition, such tests may exacerbate the drop-out rate of students with disabilities, according to Lou Danielson, Director of Research to Practice at the U.S. Department of Education. Special educators are also worried that their students will be unable to meet state standards.