An Act relating to secondary school assessments for students with disabilities; and providing for an effective date.

SB 372 ensures that the Exit Exam regulations address the needs of the learning disabled student while still holding schools accountable. SB 372 provides for individualized assessment mechanisms, not just the use of tools to assist the student on the standardized exit exam, to address the needs of learning disabled students.

SB 372

1. Allows disabled students (who do not achieve a passing score on the exit exam) to receive a diploma if the student successfully completes an individualized assessment which demonstrates proficiency on the performance standards established and required by the student's individualized education plan.
2. Allows for students with a severe cognitive disability to participate in an assessment based on alternate academic standards and to receive a diploma without taking the exit exam if the student meets graduation requirements and successfully completes the assessment. This would address a void in the statute wherein the statute does not provide a system for a severely cognitively disabled student to earn a diploma.
3. Delays for one year the deadline for a student's IEP to provide for an individualized assessment mechanism.

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