It’s that time of year. News sources are covering human interest stories about graduation and, judging from the number of stories on the topic, there are many humans interested in beat-the-odds stories such as those about students with disabilities who graduate. In no particular order, here are a few sundry snips about graduation.
A student who hasn’t passed high-stakes test requests participation in ceremony.
Since second grade, Mandy’s been a student under the 504 program. It helps students with learning disabilities have modifications so they can learn at their own pace.
Mandy’s learning disability is test taking. She gets overly anxious and starts to panic before an exam, but she’s not using that as an excuse.
A high-achieving high school who has LD gets recognition.
There were others: Brent McMullen of Nimitz won a Different Learner scholarship. He has a learning disability, but he hasn’t missed a day of school since kindergarten.
Link.
State officials consider conflicts in state’s diploma policies.
In any high school, one performance level applies to all students, including disabled students, to receive one and only one type of diploma, the Maine Learning Results (MLR) certified diploma. Ironically, this thinking runs counter to Maine’s early Learning Results discussion that rejected high stakes testing and high stakes diplomas. Everyone will agree that an emphasis on high graduation standards is good, but the one-standard-fits-all approach, especially for disabled students, puts the diploma out of reach.
Link.
Individual with CP and LD earns an advanced degree.
Never mind that [Linda Linda Troutman-Zelows] was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at age 3, or that she had a consequential learning disability. Never mind that she was teased mercilessly by classmates, or that the dating scene for her in high school was an absolute nightmare.
Linda was certain she would succeed, even after her physician told her at age 16 that she’d better marry someone wealthy because of her condition.
Link.
Teacher with LD graduates, to teach special education students.
Alexandria Efros will use her master’s in education at Ellis Elementary School in Fremont, where she teaches special education. She was identified with a learning disability in fifth grade, and now helps children at that age. She will also coordinate special and regular education components for the school’s compliance with the federal No Child Left Behind Act.
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