Students with special needs require an assortment of accommodations to attend public school. Parents usually work with school officials to establish an individualized education program (IEP) that helps meet the student’s needs and allows them to attend school with their peers.
Accommodations can help students overcome performance deficits, developmental delays, physical disabilities and behavioral challenges. Frequently, IEPs include testing accommodations.
Can parents request that schools exempt their students from testing requirements?
Some testing is mandatory
Schools can offer flexibility regarding testing in a variety of manners. Students who struggle with focus and task management could receive partial exemption from certain class-related testing. Teachers might allow them to take tests with assistance or bypass many tests in favor of performing alternate work.
However, the school generally can not exempt a student with special needs from standardized testing. Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), students with special needs must participate in school district and statewide assessment testing.
While schools cannot exempt students from those mandatory testing and requirements, they can provide a variety of accommodations to help students optimize their performance on these standardized tests. Students may be eligible for one-on-one support, private space for testing, alternate assessments and other accommodations that can help them focus and perform to the best of their abilities.
Parents may need support reviewing proposed accommodations and enforcing them when students do not receive the support they require. Partnering with an attorney familiar with IEPs and special education laws can help parents ensure their children receive the support they require to thrive in public schools.