Exit exams get bad grade

The Senate Health, Education and Social Services Committee heard comments from commissioner of Education Roger Sampson last week on SB 372, a bill which would further regulate exit exams for students with disabilities. Sen. Lyda Green, R-Wasilla, who sponsored the bill, also provided a quick explanation of her bill during the committee meeting.

"Since the beginning of the conversation of the exit exams, one of my primary concerns has been testing of learning-disabled students," said Green.

SB 372 would provide more exact details on the exit exams for students with disabilities. Regulations based on last session's bill discussing this subject, formerly SB 133, have been questioned by many parents and educators across the state.

A lawsuit questioning the regulations has been filed in Anchorage, and Green says that this new bill will hopefully address some of the concerns brought forth in that lawsuit.

"If need be, I will take full responsibility for the language not being adequate in the previous bill," said Green. "For that reason I have come back with additional legislation."

Commissioner Sampson spoke of the difficulty in writing regulations dealing with exit exams for students with disabilities.

"There isn't a magic wand that is going to be a fix for every student. What we are trying to do is come up with a methodology that works for the majority of the student population without punishing those that have special requirements or needs," said Sampson.

The new bill would allow regulations to be written in order to set up individualized assessments for students with disabilities.

These assessments would be based on the students' individual education programs already used by special education instructors and would replace the secondary school exit exam.

"It's ideal to think we could come up with a system that measures apples to apples for students with disabilities versus students that don't have disabilities," said Sampson. "We haven't found one of those yet, nor have we found other states [that have]."

SB 372 remains in the Senate HESS committee. Once passed in committee, the bill will be visited by the Senate Finance Committee. Green said she hopes the bill will move forward, and she's excited to be taking steps toward finding a fair assessment for students with disabilities.

"This legislation makes clear that with regard to the students with disabilities, assessment options must expand beyond modified versions of the secondary competency exam," said Green.

Contact Jen Ransom at jen.ransom@frontiersman.com