COVID-19   Law    Advocacy    Topics A-Z     Training    Wrights' Blog   Wrightslaw Store    Yellow Pages for Kids 
 Home >  News  >  Federal Judge Orders California to Provide Accommodations on High School Exit Exam


The Special Ed Advocate newsletter
It's Unique ... and Free!

Enter your email address below:

2024
Training Programs

Apr. 11 - Denver, CO

June 5-8 - San Antonio, TX

Sept. 24 - MD via ZOOM

Full Schedule


Wrightslaw

Home
Topics from A-Z
Free Newsletter
Seminars & Training
Yellow Pages for Kids
Press Room
FAQs
Sitemap

Books & Training

Wrightslaw Storesecure store lock
  Advocate's Store
  Student Bookstore
  Exam Copies
Training Center
Mail & Fax Orders

Advocacy Library

Articles
Cool Tools
Doing Your Homework
Ask the Advocate
FAQs
Newsletter Archives
Short Course Series
Success Stories
Tips

Law Library

Articles
Caselaw
Fed Court Complaints
IDEA 2004
McKinney-Vento Homeless
FERPA
Section 504

Topics

Advocacy
ADD/ADHD
Allergy/Anaphylaxis
American Indian
Assistive Technology
Autism Spectrum
Behavior & Discipline
Bullying
College/Continuing Ed
Damages
Discrimination
Due Process
Early Intervention
  (Part C)

Eligibility
Episodic, such as
   Allergies, Asthma,
   Diabetes, Epilepsy, etc

ESSA
ESY
Evaluations
FAPE
Flyers
Future Planning
Harassment
High-Stakes Tests
Homeless Children
IDEA 2004
Identification & Child Find
IEPs
Juvenile Justice
Law School & Clinics
Letters & Paper Trails
LRE / Inclusion
Mediation
Military / DOD
Parental Protections
PE and Adapted PE
Privacy & Records
Procedural Safeguards
Progress Monitoring
Reading
Related Services
Research Based
  Instruction

Response to Intervention
  (RTI)

Restraints / Seclusion
   and Abuse

Retention
Retaliation
School Report Cards
Section 504
Self-Advocacy
Teachers & Principals
Transition
Twice Exceptional (2e)
VA Special Education

Resources & Directories

Advocate's Bookstore
Advocacy Resources
Directories
  Disability Groups
  International
  State DOEs
  State PTIs
Free Flyers
Free Pubs
Free Newsletters
Legal & Advocacy
Glossaries
   Legal Terms
   Assessment Terms
Best School Websites

 

Judge Orders California to Provide LD Students with Accommodations
on High School Exit Exam

On February 21, 2002, a federal judge ordered the California Board of Education to provide accommodations to more than 45,000 learning disabled high school students who will take the state's high school exit exam this month.

Judge Charles R. Breyer issued a preliminary injunction in Juleus Chapman, et. al. v. CA Dept of Education, et al., regarding the state's plans to administer the California High School Exit Exam.

Judge Breyer ruled that students must be allowed to use calculators and other aids. He also ruled that the state must develop alternative ways to assess the knowledge and skills of students who cannot pass the exit exam because of their disabilities.

Judge Breyer wrote:

". . . the March administration of the CAHSEE is likely to violate rights guaranteed to learning disabled students under federal law . . . The Court has crafted an injunction that protects the rights of learning disabled students without derailing the State of California's efforts to improve education in the state."

Although the judge ruled that the state's policy did not comply with federal requirements, he declined to make the test voluntary.

The exam, which will become a graduation requirement for the class of 2004, covers math and language arts.

When the exam was given last spring, 91 percent of disabled students failed the math section and 82 percent failed in language arts, despite some accommodations such as spell checkers and extra time.

For nondisabled students, the failure rates were 52 percent in math and 31 percent in language arts.

Initially the state Board of Education developed a policy that did not allow accommodations. In December, the Board changed course and announced that learning disabled students could use calculators and reading aids -- if their school district applied for a waiver, and if the board granted it.

The suit on behalf of learning disabled students was filed by Disability Rights Advocates.

Article about class action suit against California
.

Last year, DRA successfully represented learning disabled students in a class action suit against Oregon. Article about Oregon suit and settlement

Do you want to learn more about High Stakes Testing? Visit our High Stakes Testing Topics Page.

 

Email Newsletter icon, E-mail Newsletter icon, Email List icon, E-mail List icon The Special Ed Advocate: It's Free!