I was wondering if my school district is the only one which does not award high school self-contained students a regular diploma. I work in Virginia Beach, VA. Does anyone know of what steps need to be taken in order to convince my district that they are discriminating our self-contained students?
Here is my concern:
Our district feels that these students must be taught by a teacher who is endorsed in that specific subject (i.e. math) in order to get the “small unit” credit needed for a modified or regular diploma. The small unit is awarded when a student passes the course. All of our self-contained students are automatically given a “special diploma” because they can’t achieve the required number of small unit credits. This is due to our district only allowing these students one regular small unit credit even though they are taking 4 self contained classes.
A special education student can be awarded a modified standard only if they are placed in a regular classes, passes the courses, but does not pass the end of course verification tests (SOL). A regular diploma can also be earned, however, there is a lot more requirements (i.e. passing their 8th grade SOLs and obtaining 6 verified credits by passing the SOL exams).
If a self contained student wants to switch to a regular or modified standard diploma, they are held back and required to repeat the ninth grade (plus must pass the course, and the SOL if they want a regular diploma). Does this happen in other districts?
Next year, our district is requiring all self-contained students to take the SOL assessments by being placed in the regular classroom. Is there a reason why they can not do this in the self-contained classroom when this is their chosen LRE and most successful environment? Our district is firm about not awarding them the small unit credit even though the students are required to take the same tests for verificated credit.
When I inquired about this unfair requirement and treatment (which is not in writing), I was told that a student must be taught by an endorsed teacher in that subject to earn the small unit credit. This sounds ridiculous since I am endorsed in special education and required to teach and follow the SOL objectives (although sometimes we do not teach 100 percent of these objectives, we do go over most of the same material). Does this mean that my special education endorsement is worthless? Does this mean that I can’t be trusted to teach the subject assigned?
Granted, some special education teachers do not have a strong background to teach a specific subject, however, we are teachers and capable of learning what we need or gather the resources to do so.
I also feel our students are being unfairly treated. They should receive a small unit credit if they pass the course that they take in self contained. In my opinion, it should not matter if they are in self contained or the regular class.
Thanks
Re: not awarding self-contained HS students a regular diploma
Many districts have issued “certificates of completion” to segregated Sped students opposed to a standard diploma. The reasoning is that because they put in their time they deserve something, but since they did not take the academics that earn a diploma they do not get that.
There are pros and cons both ways, but overall I do not see this as discrimination per se. NOT allowing a Sped student the opportunity to take academics would be discrimination (with the obvious exceptions of those students who could not possibly do so). In many states the cert of completion is enough for the student to move into the workplace, should a niche for them be available. I do not believe it will allow them to move on into post-secondary.
This has been going on for a lot longer than NCLB. The arguments supporting NCLB may strengthen the division between diploma and cert of compl, but it most certainly did not create it.
Re: not awarding self-contained HS students a regular diploma
I have very strongly mixed feelings about this.
The problem is that there is modified and then there is modified, and so on. Some modifications do not affect the academic content at all, as for example giving a visually impaired student Braille, and some “modifications” that I have seen make the whole thing into a farce — I have seen students given calculators for a pure computation skills test, a waste of time if there ever was one. So it does seem reasonable for school districts to insist that a regular diploma means that the students have completed the regular work. There needs to be some form of check that the student has indeed learned the skills — in some places, it is possible for students to write exams to prove their level of knowledge, and for example having the students write the exams of the regular class — with only *non* academic modifications, ie for time and typing — would be a fair way to check that they have learned the material.
The rule you are talking about that the credit can’t be given unless the teacher has certain papers is just plain off the wall. Credit is supposed to be given for the *student’s* learning, not for the person in front of the blackboard. A teacher with all the qualifications possible may still not teach the material well, and some students may not be ready no matter how qualified the teacher. Giving credit based on the teacher and not on the student’s work is blatantly unfair, and is an issue that should definitely be taken to the school board and possibly to the lawyer.
Not awarding standard diploma
Hi,
I work in Loudoun County VA and what your school is doing is illegal. Tell the parents to get an attourney and sue the school district. And it also is not due to the LNCB act but the interpretation of that act by VA. Last March, Secretary Paige inacted a federal bill called HOUSSE. This bill is basically a ‘grandfather’ clause for the special education teacher who has been in the field a long time to be given “quality’ teachre status for teaching multiple subjects in a self-contained classrooms without having a teaching certificate in those subjects.
VA didn’t accept this interpretation as it applied to the sped teachers so that by the year 2005-2006, a certified teacher had to teach the self-contained classses. Well, our county jumped the gun and made it effective last year and it has been a mess. I have taught reading and English for the past 6 years with a lot of success in remediating my students to pass the SOLS and I have a ‘certified’ English teacher with me that can’t teach. I continue to do the teaching. Look at the new regulations involving the IDEA and they state that we special ed teachers should come under the HOUSSE regulations. let’s see if VA interprets it correctly.
Getting back to the diploma status. If the students can pass the correct number of SOLs, total of 6 including the 11th grade English writing and reading, they are to get the standard diploma regardless of where they were taught and if our students pass the 8th grade reading and math SOLs, they can receive the modified diploma. Talk to the VA education dept. because your school district is really doing a ‘no,no’ and could loose a lot of money in law suits. I personally would call my parents on my personal time and tell them to call the department of ed. Shay
I feel your pain! This is another example of the unfortunate fallout from the No Child Left Behind legislation. After 22 years of teaching, all of a sudden I am considered “not highly qualified,” because I teach self-contained LD students algebra. It doesn’t matter that I’ve been teaching the algebra concepts for the 12 years I’ve been in this school, and that many of my self-contained students have gone on to pass the Algebra I SOL. What matters is that I don’t have a math endorsement! The difference is Richmond, though, is that we “not highly qualified folks” are still allowed to teach the courses and have the credits awarded. Our self-contained students have to take the SOL’s just like anyone else.
I don’t think what VA Beach is doing is legal. Remember - the reason the modified standard diploma was developed was to provide another diploma option for those ex ed kids who couldn’t pass the required SOL’s. The state of VA has developed a whole list of alternate courses that can help the students reach this goal. It doesn’t seem like VA Beach is up on the current regulations! The IEP diploma should be reserved for the very low-functioning students.
Let me know if you have any questions about specific courses.