Graduation for Students with Disabilities

Every Student Succeeds Act Preparing for Success Every Student Succeeds Act Defines regular high school diploma as “the standard high school diploma awarded to the preponderance of students in the State that is fully aligned with State standards”. The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) triggered several actions related to the calculation of graduation rates: The law eliminated the term "secondary school diploma" and replaced it with "regular high school diploma" defined as “the standard high school diploma awarded to the preponderance of students in the State that is fully aligned with State standards.“ Regulations which were adopted to amplify this law change, but subsequently rescinded under the new Administration, clearly prohibit states from including students similar to those illustrated in the examples given above in state and district graduation rates. The U.S. Department of Education (USED) issued non-regulatory guidance that further clarifies the definition of “regular high school diploma” as excluding students not meeting all graduation requirements. That guidance has not been recalled or revised. 2017 Special Education Leadership Summit

Regular High School Diploma Preparing for Success Regular High School Diploma Definition excludes students who do not meet all requirements for graduation Even if a state only has one diploma for graduation, they cannot count students as receiving a regular high school diploma if they did not meet all graduation requirements. 2017 Special Education Leadership Summit

Ohio’s Graduation Rate for Students with Disabilities Current Calculation Counts all students receiving a diploma as graduates ESSA Calculation Counts only students meeting the same requirements as their nondisabled peers as graduates In our current calculation of the graduation rate, we count all students with disabilities who receive a diploma within four years of entering ninth grade as graduates. With the changes brought on by ESSA, we can only count students with disabilities as graduates if they earn their diploma by meeting the same requirements as their nondisabled peers.

Preparing for Success Implications Starting with the class of 2018, students with disabilities who receive their diploma by being excused from the consequences of assessments or excused from course requirements under their IEP will not be counted in the graduation rate. The federal change has implications, in many cases, for district approaches to the development and implementation of IEPs and educational supports and services provided to students with disabilities. It also has implications for the district and school Report Cards, starting with the report card that includes the graduation rate for the class of 2018. The implication of this change is that students with IEPs who receive a diploma but who have been excused from the consequences of assessments (with or without allowable accommodations) or excused from course requirements under their IEPs will not be counted in the graduation rate. Ohio law continues to allow students with disabilities who graduate by meeting modified requirements the ability to receive Ohio’s regular high school diploma. 2017 Special Education Leadership Summit

SWD Do Not Meet Standard Graduation Requirements if they: Are excused from the consequences of graduation assessments; Take alternate assessments; or Under Ohio law, there are a number of ways students with disabilities can receive a high school diploma. These include: The student’s IEP specifies that the student will take assessments with or without allowable accommodations, but the student is excused from the consequences of those assessments, so the student meets a different requirement than non-disabled students; or The student’s IEP specifies that the student will take an alternate assessment designed to meet an alternate achievement level. The student is not required to meet the same requirements as non-disabled students. This option is for students with significant cognitive disabilities; or The student meets his/her individualized education program (IEP) goals, which reflect different curricular requirements than non-disabled students are required to meet for graduation, Graduate by meeting IEP goals

Ohio’s Graduation Rate for Students with Disabilities 2015-2016 Data Current Calculation 69.6% ESSA Calculation 35.0% On Ohio’s most recent state report card, the graduation rate for students with disabilities is 69.6% (15-16 data). With the new ESSA definitions, the graduation rate for students with disabilities is 35% (15-16 data). This means that while more than two-thirds of students with disabilities in Ohio complete their high school education and graduate, only half of those students do so having met the same course and testing requirements (with accommodations as appropriate) as their non-disabled peers.

Students with Disabilities Graduating by Standard Requirements Trend data show a recent decrease in the percent of students with disabilities graduating by meeting standard requirements.

How are Ohio’s students with disabilities earning their diplomas? Preparing for Success How are Ohio’s students with disabilities earning their diplomas? Let’s take a closer look at the ways in which students with disabilities in Ohio are currently earning their diplomas. 2017 Special Education Leadership Summit

How Students with Disabilities Graduated in 2015-2016 In 2015-2016, 17,106 students with disabilities earned high school diplomas. Of them: 35% (6,027) met the same requirements for graduation as their nondisabled peers; 54% (9,135) were exempt from the consequences of not passing graduation assessments; 4% (674) passed the alternate assessment for students with significant cognitive disabilities; <1% (45) graduated by IEP goals; and 7% (1,225) met some combination of modified requirements (i.e., took the alternate assessment, graduated by IEP goals, and/or exempt from the consequences of the standard assessments).

Preparing for Success With appropriate supports, about 80% of students with disabilities should be able to master the same academic content as their non-disabled peers. Research shows that, with appropriate support, approximately 80% of students with disabilities should be able to master the same academic content as their non-disabled peers (Cortiella, C. 2007). In our state, however, there are students who are capable, but are not reaching the same academic expectations as their non-disabled peers. It’s apparent that this change is intended to further support the equity interests of students with disabilities. Many students with disabilities who currently receive diplomas based on meeting different requirements than non-disabled students do not have cognitive disabilities that would preclude them from meeting the same academic expectations as non-disabled students. Cortiella, C. 2007 2017 Special Education Leadership Summit

Identify promising practices in Ohio and other states Next Steps Communicate changes Identify promising practices in Ohio and other states The federal policy recognizes and reinforces our continuing efforts and commitment to make sure that students with disabilities reach the same level of knowledge and skills acquisition as other students prior to receiving a diploma. Our next steps include: Communication to school districts and the public about these changes and their implications; Identifying promising practices in exemplar districts within Ohio and other states who have high rates of SWD meeting standard graduation requirements; and Ongoing support and technical assistance to schools to promote strategies to help students with disabilities meet the same expectations are their non-disabled peers. Provide support to districts in helping SWD to meet graduation requirements