Do special needs students have to take the PSSA?

Yes. In many circles, it hardly seems fair to have a child with a disability compared to a typical child, but according to the IDEA Act of 2004 and the NCLB Act, IEP students must have equal access to any standardized testing being given to the regular education student and they must have equal access to the materials needed to be successful in standardized testing. This sub- group of students was intentionally included so that they would have the same high expectations applied to them as are applied to the regular education students. (Cortiella, 2006) If an IEP student meets certain criteria, he/she can take an alternative test called the Pennsylvania Alternative System of Assessment (PASA). Generally, a student must have severe cognitive issues to be able to take this test instead of the PSSA. (Bureau of Assessment and Accountability Booklet 2007)

Students with IEP’s and 504 plans can take the test with accommodations. (504 plans can qualify students for special education services even when they don’t quite meet the criteria for special education.) For example, using more time, reading the Mathematics portion aloud, using large print or Braille booklets, are all allowable accommodations. The school records all IEP students, title one students, IEP students that have exited the IEP process, and students with gifted IEP’s that take the PSSA test along with any accommodations that they have used. This information is reported to the state to allow the PDE to report the progress of these groups of students and to make sure the schools are “evening the playing field” for students with disabilities. (2008 Accommodation Guidelines)

Unfortunately, some accommodations that would help IEP students are not allowable. For example, during the reading phase, a question may refer back to a bold faced printed word. Not being able to see bold faced print, a visually impaired student is at a definite disadvantage when this occurs, yet no one is allowed to even guide the student’s hand to the proper word. For a child whose disability affects their reading, charts that help these students visually map a story are not an allowable accommodation even if the student has this accommodation on their IEP.

During the development of the PSSA test, there is a sensitivity review of the test in which committees with experts in the field of special education are to evaluate questions to ensure fairness to special needs students. Unfortunately, it is difficult to be an expert in all disabilities, so, invariably; some questions will always be unfair to specific groups. (ex. A child on the autism spectrum may or may not be able to answer a question dealing with the feelings of a character in a story.)