69传媒

Opinion
Assessment Letter to the Editor

State Exams Offer Pathways for Some鈥擭ot All鈥擫earners

April 25, 2023 1 min read
  • Save to favorites
  • Print
Email Copy URL

To the Editor:

I was pleased to see Education Week covering the state of exit exams in this country in the article 鈥States Have Soured on the High School Exit Exam. Here鈥檚 Why鈥 (Jan. 26. 2023). I鈥檓 writing to add some context with regard to what is happening in my state.

In New York, our child鈥檚 development doesn鈥檛 follow the same trajectory as his allistic peers. His autistic learning style requires differentiated instruction, which we fight to attain. My husband and I are proud of our son鈥檚 determination and perseverance as he navigates systems that were not designed for him but heartbroken that he is made to assimilate in ways that do not suit his neurology. Takiwatanga, the Maori word for autism, translates to, 鈥渋n one鈥檚 own time and space.鈥 Unfortunately, my son has not been able to learn in his own time or space. From the first day of school, he has struggled to follow the academic timeline that the state has determined is appropriate for all鈥攂ut which only serves one part of the population.

New York鈥檚 achievement-exam requirements are gatekeeping access to meaningful education. Many students with an IEP classification are placed on an alternate assessment pathway, eliminating their chance to receive a high school diploma. For other students who may have unclassified learning disabilities, they may get to high school only to find out when it鈥檚 too late that there is no pathway to a diploma for them.

While organized activism around decoupling the exams from graduation requirements has been minimal, I know that there are thousands of parents like myself who want educational justice for their children. I hope that EdWeek will bring more attention to what is happening in New York. The state鈥檚 Blue Ribbon Commission on Graduation Measures has reconvened; let鈥檚 hope their work is not performative.

Sarah Seigel
Procurement & Logistics Coordinator
Columbia Mailman School of Public Health
Ossining, N.Y.

A version of this article appeared in the April 26, 2023 edition of Education Week as State Exams Offer Pathways for Some鈥擭ot All鈥擫earners

Events

School & District Management Webinar Crafting Outcomes-Based Contracts That Work for Everyone
Discover the power of outcomes-based contracts and how they can drive student achievement.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
School & District Management Webinar
Harnessing AI to Address Chronic Absenteeism in 69传媒
Learn how AI can help your district improve student attendance and boost academic outcomes.
Content provided by 
School & District Management Webinar EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?
What issues are keeping K-12 leaders up at night? Join us for EdMarketer Quick Hit: What鈥檚 Trending among K-12 Leaders?

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide 鈥 elementary, middle, high school and more.
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.

Read Next

Assessment Massachusetts Voters Poised to Ditch High School Exit Exam
The support for nixing the testing requirement could foreshadow public opinion on state standardized testing in general.
3 min read
Tight cropped photograph of a bubble sheet test with  a pencil.
E+
Assessment This School Didn't Like Traditional Grades. So It Created Its Own System
Principals at this middle school said the transition to the new system took patience and time.
6 min read
Close-up of a teacher's hands grading papers in the classroom.
E+/Getty
Assessment Opinion 'Academic Rigor Is in Decline.' A College Professor Reflects on AP Scores
The College Board鈥檚 new tack on AP scoring means fewer students are prepared for college.
4 min read
The United States Capitol building as a bookcase filled with red, white, and blue policy books in a Washington DC landscape.
Luca D'Urbino for Education Week
Assessment Opinion 69传媒 Shouldn't Have to Pass a State Test to Graduate High School
There are better ways than high-stakes tests to think about whether students are prepared for their next step, writes a former high school teacher.
Alex Green
4 min read
Reaching hands from The Creation of Adam of Michelangelo illustration representing the creation or origins of of high stakes testing.
Frances Coch/iStock + Education Week