Dear Parent Advocate:

        It seems like school just started and already the teachers are talking about the CMT's (Connecticut Mastery Tests).  My son, Joey, is in the sixth grade and has a severe learning disability.  Up to this point, he has never been required, nor expected, to take standardized tests.  My other son, Joey's older brother, also has a learning disability and he never had to take the CMT's.  I don't think that my son should have to take the Mastery Tests.  He obviously won't do well and it doesn't seem fair to judge him against his classmates, who don't have the same learning problems.

                                                                                          (CMT's Off

Dear (CMT's Off:

        The federal government is now highly interested in whether or not IDEA '97 - the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 - Is making a difference in the lives of children with disabilities. One way to assess whether or not our system is "working", and that state and local school districts have high expectations for all children, is to require all children to take standardized tests.  There fore, beginning this fall, special education students will no longer be exempted from the CMT's in grades 4, 6, and 8 nor from the Connecticut Academic Performance Test (CAPT) in grade 10.
        George Dowaliby, Chief of the Bureau of Special Education and Pupil Services of the State Department of Education has written a letter to all parents of students receiving special education services explaining the new federal regulations and how they may affect your child.  Be on the lookout for your copy.
        While the State Department of Education's goal is to increase the percentage of special education students taking the CMT/CAPT (which now stands at 60%), there will remain some children who will be unable to participate.  For those students, there are two "alternate assessment" options, along with certain testing accommodations, that are available.  In all cases, the Planning and Placement Team (PPT), of which you as a parents are a member, must discuss and determine whether your child will take the standard tests or participate in an alternate assessment.
        Above all, try to remember that the rationale for including all children in standardized testing is a good one; we need to see if our children are learning and making progress in school.
        For further information about the new testing requirements, you can go to the ASSESSMENT GUIDELINES, 7th Edition, 2000 on the Department of Education web site at  www.state.ct.us/sde.