Students with Disabilities in Educational Policy, Practice, and Professional Judgment: What Should We Expect? NCEO Report 413
Author: Quenemoen, Rachel F.
Date: 2019-05-00
Type: Reports - Research
Subjects: Students with Disabilities,Educational Policy,Educational Practices,Educational Change,Expectation,Student Rights,Academic Achievement,Inclusion,Teacher Expectations of Students,Educational Legislation,Elementary Secondary Education,Federal Legislation,Equal Education,Court Litigation,Legal Problems,Academic Standards,Alternative Assessment,Evidence

A chain of interconnected events has occurred over the past four decades that can transform the lives of students with disabilities and their families. These events include the national policy shift to standards-based reform, legislative action that is reflected in reauthorizations of federal educational laws and regulations, and sustained state and local educational practice reforms. These reforms have resulted in state-by-state work to rethink and define what all students need to know and be able to do in order to be successful grade to grade, and ultimately, well-prepared for college and career. As part of a larger theory of action based on national policy and shifts in law, these reforms raised expectations for all students along with improved methods of measuring achievement for accountability purposes. State-led practice reforms have included, and in some cases focused on, rethinking how to ensure that students with disabilities are included in and benefit from these reforms. This report offers a cross-disciplinary introduction to topics in educational policy, practice, and law that have highlighted critical questions related to expectations for students with disabilities. Within the field there have been disagreements about how to conceptualize the question of expectations and rights for students with disabilities, disagreements on how to interpret evidence or context for the larger field or for an individual, and disagreements on the path forward. This paper can help foster shared knowledge among people with diverse perspectives. It is time to acknowledge and articulate what is thus far known about expectations for students with disabilities in the context of policy, practice, and evidence from implementation of reforms. The following three questions are addressed and examined from educational, and legal perspectives: (1) What evidence exists that there are students with disabilities who cannot achieve to the same level expected for other students, even after appropriate, evidence-based instruction in the general curriculum based on state standards set for all students; (2) If there is compelling evidence that some students cannot achieve, can educators agree upon and reliably determine which students with disabilities cannot be expected to learn to the same level, and why, even after appropriate evidence-based instruction; and (3) If some students cannot be expected to learn to the same level, how can an appropriately ambitious but different standard of expectation be defined for them to ensure they are not ignored or excluded from benefits that other students are receiving from school accountability? The paper provides recommendations for action based on what thoughtful, informed professional judgment of appropriate educational opportunities for students with disabilities should be.