"I am a Special Education Teacher who teaches high school science courses to students with autism spectrum disorders and students with social and emotional disorders. I find that to meet the requirements of high-stakes state and local one-size-fits-all assessments and exams, I am having to spend more and more time teaching to the tests rather than providing my students with instruction and activities that meet their individual needs.

"The parents have expectations that their children will be able to meet the requirements for a high school diploma. The students are trying to meet the state and local requirements to earn their diploma; however, the high-stakes state assessments do not accommodate and recognize that students with special needs may not be able, or socially and emotionally available, to be successful on these tests, and they may not have success in the stressful environment associated with the testing situation.

"As a teacher, it is very difficult to watch these students work so hard in my classroom and then be overwhelmed by the mandated state assessments."

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