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NO
If the answer is NO, then four options are possible:
1. Accommodations
The team may create new accommodations through the addition of teaching or support strategies. Assistive technology may also be identified
and put into place with the expectation that the student will complete the performance assessment with the same rigor as his or her peers. The student will achieve the standard at a “Pass State” level.
2. Alternative Tasks for Assessment
The team may create an alternate performance assessment. Brainstorming solutions through the tools and processes offered by
GS SETT may give new options to students. A trial plan (e.g., setting up a six-to-eight-week trial of a portable notetaker) may be one of the solutions. Implementation of the trial plan is next. A team
member monitoring the student progress during this extended consideration should record student progress and document on the IEP that the student is working at the “Pass State” level.
3. Modifications
After using GS SETT, the team may decide that the student cannot meet the standard using only accommodations or by creating an
alternate performance assessment. Altering the expectations by modifying the standard may consist of eliminating the requirements of a portion of the performance assessment or reducing the rigor
expected for the individual student.
The team may change the rigor of the performance assessment in order for the student to succeed. The result of the student’s work will
be evaluated using an individual rating procedure and recorded as “Pass Individual” on the IEP.
4. Exemptions
An option for “Exempt,” not requiring a student with an IEP to complete a particular standard but work toward an individual goal, is
decided by the IEP team when a student’s disability prevents success on a specified content standard. A team may only consider an exemption if the IEP has specifically modified the educational goals of
a student at a cognitive level considered significantly below the range or scope of the standards.
Consider the following in determining whether an individual student is incapable of participating in the specific content standard.
- The special education statewide guidelines define incapable as “a total lack of cognitive ability to participate within the subject
area.”
- The team may consider exemption for a student if participating in a content standard would be detrimental (e.g., cause
extreme anxiety) to the student. This is not a wide door and does not include reasonable levels of stress or anxiety in an instructional or testing situation.
- A team may consider an exemption if the IEP has specifically modified educational goals so that a student has not been
exposed to material within the range or scope of the standard.
Teams need to remember that an exemption should be based on the student’s inability to complete the standard, not a district’s inability
to deliver the standard to the student. A student may only be exempted when individual needs dictate this decision. It should also be noted that a student has a right to refuse exemption(s) and may
pursue graduation without the proposed exemptions(s). Minnesota Graduation Rule Profile of Learning/High Standards requires written parent consent whenever the standards are exempted, adjusted, or modified.
A student should not be exempted because of:
- His/her disability category
- Anticipated low scores
- History of low test scores
- Cognitive, physical, sensory, emotional, or communicative disabilities
- Program placement or setting
If a team decides a student is exempt from a content standard, they should consider whether there is another content standard or an IEP
goal specific to that area of learning that is appropriate for the student and include the goal(s) in the IEP. In some cases, the student may be incapable of addressing any of the standards for the
school year. The decision to exempt is documented on the student’s cumulative report and progress of the student’s goal and level of progress is documented in the student IEP.
return to Step 1
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