Special Needs Students High Stakes Thesis

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While some suggest that high-stakes testing is an inadequate way of measuring the academic achievement and learning of most students, many also agree that high-stakes testing has severe disadvantages for special education students. Kymes points out that high-stakes testing may be a discriminatory assessment method for special needs students, placing an "unfair burden" on these students. The scholar argues that testing plans cannot be created for each and every student, and even when they can, these testing plans are not always put into practice (Kymes). In addition, Ralabate notes the importance of finding alternate testing methods that allow students with disabilities to perform to their highest ability.

Determining that high-stakes testing is not a correct method of assessment for special needs students, however, is just half of the task at hand. In fact, significant information exists to argue that students with disabilities, in addition to schools, can be seriously harmed by these assessment methods. First, Kymes notes that special needs students who are assessed using a high-stakes testing method may feel like failures, suffer from low self-esteem and other emotional health problems, and even drop out of school. Instead of focusing on leaving no child behind, therefore, this type of testing may actually encourage students to leave themselves behind -- for good. Second, Kymes also writes that students "often feel personally responsible for their district's failure to receive.

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..awards" because such awards are based on test scores. Similarly, as test scores determine what schools are penalized and which are rewarded, schools with high populations of special education students may be the unfair recipients of such penalties. This could lead schools to encourage special needs students to be absent on testing days or to move to other schools, which would have a similar detrimental affect on them.

In conclusion, the NCLB Act was signed into law by President George W. Bush in order to reform education. Unfortunately, its prime assessment tool is high-stakes testing, upon which schools can receive either rewards or penalties. Because this testing has been long questioned as to its validity, students, parents, and teachers cannot be sure that the assessment is accurate for any student. Furthermore, the problem is compounded for special education students, who often cannot perform to the best of their ability on these tests. The use of the tests not only penalizes the school districts, therefore, but also the students, who may suffer from emotional problems and guilt due to the assessment model. Thus, as Ralabate suggests, different assessment models must be perused in order to make NCLB more inclusive and fair to special education students.

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"Special Needs Students High Stakes" (2008, November 19) Retrieved June 28, 2025, from
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"Special Needs Students High Stakes" 19 November 2008. Web.28 June. 2025. <
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/special-needs-students-high-stakes-26611>

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"Special Needs Students High Stakes", 19 November 2008, Accessed.28 June. 2025,
https://www.aceyourpaper.com/essays/special-needs-students-high-stakes-26611
   

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