This paper outlines how the Austin Independent School District (Texas) tried to deal with the following questions: (1) Should special education students be included in the administration of standardized tests?; (2) Should their scores be included or excluded in the reporting of test results?; and (3) What are the evidences that test scores reflect…

Although increasing numbers of students with disabilities are included in general education classrooms for greater portions of the day, little guidance or direction has come from the field of special education to help address the challenge of grading students in inclusive settings. The shift to standards-based grading and reporting has further…

During the spring of 1980, Texas tested all of its ninth graders for the first time as part of a legislatively-mandated competency program. This forced all Texas districts which already had established programs to decide whether to drop, modify, or retain them. The political, economic, and practical information which was important within the…