Source Note 2

Title: Tested, but often left behind; Special-ed students need to be measured in ways other than state tests, advocates say.

Summary: Most of the achievements made by disabled students are not adequately measured by the tests mandated by No Child Left Behind.

Topic: Should President Obama reform the No Child Left Behind law?
Category: Journalistic
What is it? Online article from the Philadelphia Inquirer

Publication Information: Philadelphia Inquirer, 3/6/05, philly.com
Author: Dan Hardy
Location: http://0-www.lexisnexis.com.janus.uoregon.edu/us/lnacademic/results/docview/docview.do?docLinkInd=true&risb=21_T5655583458&format=GNBFI&sort=RELEVANCE&startDocNo=1&resultsUrlKey=29_T5655583461&cisb=22_T5655583460&treeMax=true&treeWidth=0&csi=247189&docNo=10
Accessed: 1/30/09

Support:
Marty Muzzy, a special education teacher for Downington West High School in Pennsylvania explains that standardized testing is a typical weakness of her students. Margaret Spellings, U.S. Education Secretary under the Bush administration, is referred to as promising to look into problems caused by No Child Left Behind. Education Department spokeswoman Susan Aspey is quoted directly, saying that it will take time to look into the problems. Mary O’Connor, a special-education teacher at Chester County’s Unionville High School, is also directly quoted, stating that many of her students will be successful in something despite scoring poorly on standardized tests. Bob McDonough is mentioned (and quoted directly) as a successful student of O’Connor that scored poorly on tests, but is doing well in college. Karen Scola, a high school teacher at Burlington County Special Services District is also quoted directly and explains that for many of her students, small tasks such as job interviews and mastering a calculator are major deals.

Audience and Agenda:
Philly.com is the online media form for the newspaper, the Philadelphia Inquirer. It was obtained by accessing the Lexus Nexus online database.

Usefulness:
This document was created to show how standardized testing is not a useful tool in analyzing the progress of most special education students. It is aimed towards audiences in Pennsylvania, specifically towards those with an invested interest in the subject (educators, parents, students), and towards those with the power to change the law. It is arguing that disabled students need to be measured in ways other than standardized testing, because many of them can still become productive members of society. This article leaves out any student that is not disabled and is affected by No Child Left Behind. It also leaves out the other side of the story—why No Child Left Behind includes these children in the first place.

Works cited:
http://www.ed.gov/news/staff/bios/spellings.html