Special education students struggle with Gateway exams

Starting this year, all students are required to pass the end-of-course exams in biology I, algebra I and English II.

The state Department of Education recently conducted a sample of students who took all three exams during the past four years to get an idea of what the fallout might be this first year. The study showed that 89 percent of students in the sample group — about 1,000 statewide — passed all three exams.

But only 16.8 percent of special education students passed all three compared with 77.3 percent for English as a Second Language students and 79.5 percent of low-income students — the three groups that typically lag behind others in standardized exams.

Officials say the study provided valuable information but wasn’t meant to be a projection of how many students would miss out on a diploma.

Keith Brewer, Tennessee’s deputy education commissioner, said the state had yet to collect the number of students denied a diploma this year because of the Gateway. He expects a report later this year.

All high schools are required to have a plan to help students who fail an exam, and it often includes after-school tutoring and remedial classes. Some schools also have started to identify and help struggling students before they take the first test.

A study group recommended that the state develop different ways for students to show what they know so they can get a high school diploma even if they fail a Gateway test.

Brewer said there had been some discussion of allowing students with special needs and those in ESL courses to pass the exams with fewer correct answers or to take mini-tests of the parts of the exam they missed.

There’s also been talk of creating different diplomas for students. Special education students who satisfy graduation requirements as spelled out in their individual education plans can still receive a special education diploma.

But some special education advocates fear the alternative diploma will create a problem for students who want to go to college or compete against other students for scholarships.

Mickey Dunn, principal of Lawrence County High, wasn’t surprised by the results of the state’s study. Schools must take extra steps to help all struggling students, but especially those in special education, he said.

“If they weren’t going to have difficulty, they wouldn’t be in special education. It indicates that we have a learning deficiency,” Dunn said.