Are students with LD included in the accountability system of NCLB?
Yes. In fact, NCLB requires all schools to test all students, including students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans. According to the requirements of the law, a state’s assessment system must be designed to be valid and accessible for use by the widest possible range of students. To increase the accountability of at-risk groups of students and begin to close the achievement gap, NCLB further requires that schools, school districts, and states disaggregate, or separate out, the test results for several subgroups of students. Students with disabilities who are receiving services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), that is, students with IEPs, are one of the subgroups that must be reported.
