Regents standards eased for disabled students

In what Hewlett-Woodmere and Lawrence administrators are calling a promising development for students with disabilities, the New York State Board of Regents has created a new option to help those students earn a regular high school diploma.

In a change that becomes effective on Oct. 31, students who score between 45 and 54 out of 100 on a state Regents exam can still earn a regular, or “local,” diploma if they score 65 or higher on another Regents exam.

Before the rule change, the lowest score allowed for credit toward a diploma for disabled students was 55, and compensating with a higher score on another Regents test was not permitted. It is expected that the rule change will be presented for adoption as a permanent rule at the board’s January meeting.

“We have to look at it more closely, but it is a step in the right direction,” said Lawrence Superintendent Gary Schall, who said that the district has 725 students with disabilities this year, including 70 at the high school.

But Nancy Greebel, co-president of Hewlett-Woodmere’s Special Education Parent Teacher Association, is less optimistic. Greebel said she has severe reservations about expanding the academic safety net for students with disabilities. SEPTA represents families of children who attend Hewlett-Woodmere schools as well as those who attend private schools in the district, and Greebel is the mother of a special-needs child.

“In general, I am not a fan of the Regents test, and I do not think that adjusting grades for that population of students is the answer,” she said. “From what I have read thus far, this is a Band-Aid, in my opinion, and lowering the bar and setting a ‘different standard’ is not the solution. The abysmal graduation rate of less than 5 percent for students [with disabilities] in self-contained classes is proof of what happens when bars are lowered.”

Lori Freeman, executive director of special education for the Hewlett-Woodmere School District, agreed with Schall. “It does help everybody, absolutely,” Freeman said of the rule change. “We no longer have the [Individualized Education Program] diploma, and with the [Regents Competency Test] being phased out, the state left us hanging. Now, with this option, it’s a step in the right direction.” Hewlett-Woodmere has approximately 600 students with disabilities.

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) diploma recognizes achievement based on what is determined to be appropriate for a particular student, and is based on state academic standards. It will be replaced by the Skills and Achievement Commencement Credential in 2013-14. The Regents Competency Test, or RCT, an easier test than the Regents exams, will be eliminated after the 2013-14 school year.

Freeman said she believes that phasing out the RCT will ultimately help students with disabilities, because the exam isn’t comparable to Regents tests and requires less rigorous preparation. “New York state should be applauded for recognizing that students are different, and need to be career-ready and college-ready, which in some way is our role or our responsibility,” she said.

But Greebel said she was disappointed with the state’s decision to phase out the RCT exams. “This test created a more level playing field for the students with learning challenges,” Greebel said, “and is a safety net for those students that are unable to get a Regents diploma.

“Requiring them to take the Regents exam, no matter what the grade acceptance is, automatically sets them up for failure,” she added. “It tells them, ‘You will likely not do OK on this test, but try it anyway.’ Is that the message we want to deliver to our kids? I do not think so. They have enough challenges on their plate already and they do not need another.”

Hewlett-Woodmere district spokeswoman Barbara Giese said that the change provides a different option for students with disabilities to earn a diploma. “This just gives those students a different pathway,” Giese said. “This population needed another avenue.”

Schall said that the main goal is to help every student with a disability become proficient in reading and writing — and the goal of having them pass a Regents exam in a subject like American history should not take a backseat to learning. “Exam prep takes away from learning basic skills,” he said. “More needs to be considered when measuring not what the student can’t do, but what they can do.”