To Don Pascoe, the federal "No Child Left Behind" law has been a mixed blessing for special education students in Osseo School District.

The director of research, assessment and accountability for the district says the law mandating testing for all the district's students has forced it to look more carefully at the special education students' academic needs. Teachers have discovered that some kids can do more than the district ever expected.

But for those who are significantly behind their peers, it's demoralizing.

"It would be like me wanting to be in a track meet," said Pascoe. "Then, they stick me in the high jump and when I go up for the first time, it's 6 feet high and all the jumps available to me are way harder than I could do. And I would just get beat up by it."

Statewide, a quarter of the 729 Minnesota schools listed as not making "adequate yearly progress" on last spring's standardized tests were on the list because of the performance of their special education students alone, according to the Minnesota Department of Education.

In the west-metro area, that's the case at several schools, including Orono, Maple Grove and Minnetonka high schools.

School officials across the board say that the tests, a requirement of the federal No Child Left Behind law, have helped raise expectations and achievement for many special education students. But they also question the wisdom of expecting children with proven learning disabilities to pass the same standardized tests as their peers -- and punishing the school if they don't succeed.

"I'm not going to pretend that we haven't had special education kids throw the test across the room and walk out on us," said Kathy McKay, director of special education services in Shakopee. "I don't know where common sense comes into No Child Left Behind, but it's not there yet."

Higher expectations

No Child Left Behind is a 2001 law mandating that states test how different groups of students fare in school. If one student group -- such as special education students -- fails to meet targets on a statewide standardized test, the whole school is labeled as not making "adequate yearly progress" for the year. The law is up for congressional reauthorization this year.

For schools that receive federal Title I money for low-income students, failure means penalties that increase over time, such as having to offer transfers and tutoring or restructuring staff and programs. Most west-metro school districts do not get Title I funds, but they still want to avoid the stigma attached to not making adequate yearly progress.

In Minnesota, No Child Left Behind comes in the form of the MCA-II test, which students in grades 3 through 11 take each spring in reading or math, or both. By 2014, the law says, every student group in the country is supposed to be proficient on the tests.

"I think the concept [of the law] puts the burden on schools to make sure we educate all students," said Scott Douglas, principal of Lakeville South High School, where special education students weren't proficient on the math or reading tests. "I think that's a viable expectation. I think that's what we're here for."

Educators are divided on whether these constant assessments are good for special education students, however.

Mary Kreger, director of special education for the Rosemount-Apple Valley-Eagan School District, has serious reservations. She said the system verges on blaming students for their disabilities and that teachers now focus less on the social, emotional and work skills students need.

But, she said, she thinks special education has changed for the better.

"Special education has been plagued by having low expectations," she said. "We need to improve our instruction, and we need to make sure that kids leave the educational system with the literacy and math and writing skills they need in our society. My concern is that we don't lose what we're about."

Pascoe, of Osseo, pointed out one fundamental problem: The physical act of sitting down and taking the standardized tests is very difficult for some of the special education students.