Indiana Among Few States Meeting Federal Requirements For Special Education

Indiana is one of the few states in line with the national framework for special education, after the U.S. Department of Education recently shifted the way it oversees the effectiveness of those programs.

The new federal framework, known as Results-Driven Accountability, focuses less on state compliance and more on how well special education students are being taught. State assessments now include measures of math and reading performance for students with disabilities.

On last year’s National Assessment of Educational Progress, 35 percent of students with disabilities in Indiana scored below basic in 4th grade reading. Nationally, the rate was 45 percent.

U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan said the outcomes for students with disabilities are too low in too many states.

“We can, and we must, do better," Duncan said. "It’s not enough for a state to be compliant if students can’t read or do math at the level necessary to graduate from high school, prepared for adult life.”

Only 15 states met federal requirements, including Indiana. That’s less than half the amount that hit the mark last year under the old framework.