Module:

Accountability: High-stakes Testing for Students with Disabilities

Assessment

In this module, you learned about federal requirements that mandate standardized assessments for students with disabilities. You learned why standardized assessments are called "high-stakes" and about some of the potential benefits of including students with disabilities in standardized testing. You also read that school systems and personnel are held accountable for assessment outcomes for students with disabilities and that problems arise when school personnel are not held accountable for including students with disabilities in school-wide assessments.

Please answer the questions below. If you have difficulty answering the questions, go back and review the Resource and Perspectives pages in this module.

What is meant by terms such as "standards-based reform," "high stakes," and "accountability test"? What are some of the benefits of high-stakes testing for school systems? For teachers? What is problematic about school personnel not being held accountable for including students with disabilities in school-wide assessments? How should standards-based reform change the education that students with disabilities receive?