According to the Learning Disabilities Association of New York (LDA), too many students are placed into IEPs. In their published position statement they write:
. The IEP diploma is rarely if ever an appropriate alternative for a student with a learning disability we agree that it should limited to those who receive alternative assessments or less than 2% of the students receiving special education.
. At the same time, there are a group of students with and without disabilities that are not able to successfully meet the testing requirements for a Regents Diploma. For them, alternative diploma tracts should be developed and available, including a Career-Tech High School Diploma that is at the same level as a Regents Diploma.
The State Education Department also is phasing out IEPs. This position was confirmed in an email sent by Dr. Eastwood on August 17th to the board. All this information is very relevant to the placement of any child into an IEP program. At the August 5th meeting of the Board of Education, Dr. Mauro tried to present this information to the public as part of his discussion of an IEP approval motion. Rather than let him openly discuss this issue, Mrs. Knapp ruled Dr. Mauro out of order, and prevented him from speaking . Later, she, Mr. Estrada, and Dr. Eastwood twisted and politicized this issue and falsely characterized Dr. Mauro as being insensitive to and opposed to the needs of special eduction students. This smoke screen may have been designed to to hid the fact that the district may be assigning too many students to IEP programs, and to keep the public unaware of the value of the IEP Diploma. Namely, the IEP Diploma is a worthless credential for obtaining jobs, further education, and in the military. Hopefully, the district will reassess its criteria for placing students into IEP programs, and use IEPs only for those very few students for whom it may be appropriate.
