Rallying for special-needs diploma

Concerned parent Annette Eli of Oceanside wants New York State to do something to help the special-needs children who aren’t eligible to receive a high school diploma, and she wants something done … now.
Eli’s daughter completed her high school education but didn’t earn an official high school diploma based on standards set by the State Education Department (SED).
“My daughter needs something as soon as possible,” Eli said. “The kids who graduated in 2015 don’t have anything to help them be able to move on with their lives into adulthood. The options offered to them are not long-term and something needs to be done about that.”
Eli was one of nearly 20 parents with children in the identical situation who attended a rally held at the Lawrence High School library on Sunday. Also in attendance were Assemblyman Todd Kaminsky (D- Long Beach), Long Island’s state Board of Regents representative Roger Tilles and Assemblywoman Shelley Mayer (D-Yonkers), who serves as chair of the Assembly’s subcommittee on Students With Special Needs.
In New York, special needs children are eligible to receive a Career Development and Occupational Studies Commencement Credential, commonly called a CDOS certificate, which shows that the students completed required coursework at the high school level, but it’s not a diploma.
The SED used to offer students the option to take the Regents Competency Tests (RCTs) in place of the standard Regents exam, which helped compensate for their disabilities and allowed them to graduate with a high school diploma. In 2011 those tests were phased out. The RCTs were also replaced with requirements to pass five Regents exams to earn a high school diploma with a Safety Net option. The students earn a passing grade with a 55 out of a hundred, instead of the standard 65, on three out of five Regents exams. Despite this option some students still can’t pass these tests. These changes were made to bring graduation requirements for special-needs students in line with the Common Core standards.
Tilles said that he will present three different alternatives to the current CDOS certificate to his fellow board members: lowering the current passing test score to allow more students to pass the tests, make project-base assessment a priority, and offering the CDOS as a substitute diploma.
“I believe that the project-based assessments should be the first way to assess students over performance-based,” he said. “I hope that we will be able to respond to the heartfelt concerns of students and parents on how this program affects their future.
He added, he empathized with the parents as his special-needs daughter has also struggled to complete her education.
Kaminsky said he wanted to bring attention to the matter since the Board of Regents will meet this week to discuss the issue. In February, the board is expected to ratify one of the recommended graduation alternatives.
“Everyone deserves an equal chance to succeed in the career path of their choice and that starts with a high school diploma,” he said. “I urge the Board of Regents to urgently expand diploma options for students which will immediately open up the doors to a world of opportunity to all our students. Our students are so much more than the tests they take and I will keep fighting to ensure that they have the opportunity to succeed.”