Christina A. Samuels reports that North East Independent School District, San Antonio, TX, 90 percent of the students with disabilities were assessed on grade-level standards.
Eleven schools were ranked as exemplary in 2005-06, up from just one school in 2004-05. All of the schools that had failed to make AYP the year before now met that standard. And 90 percent of the students with disabilities were assessed on grade-level standards.
Kudos, teachers, for helping these students accomplish more than they had earlier. And, thanks, administrators, for assisting teachers to have the resources to do their job.
You’ve raised the question about how much school disabilities are, at leas in part, a function of instruction, not only of each student’s personal attributes.
Next, distribute mobile PCs to teachers and students for one-on-one, anytime, anywhere, anything learning.
I think mobile devices for each teacher and student would be a really great way to take advantage of our modern technological level. It’s a shame that it can’t be afforded for the mainstream quite yet.
Thanks for your comment. We agree about the utility of mobile PCs for students. We disagree about affordability of these devices. It’s a matter of priorities for spending existing funding. Taxpayers provide enough funding for this technology. FACT: Education in the US has had for over 30 years total annual budgets equal to one of the top ten national budgets in the world. (Can anyone tell me if my data are still current? I didn’t take time to confirm my statement.)Administrators choose to spend funds in ways other than to provide state-of-the-art technology for students, including for those with disabilities. I wonder what price, because of lack of learning, these students pay for administrator priorities?