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Via LA Times | Howard Blume

California ranks in the bottom rung of states in the academic achievement of disabled students, according to new federal rankings released Tuesday.

The new system rates only 18 states and U.S. territories as meeting federal standards, compared with 41 under the old rules for evaluating state programs.

The prior method of ranking looked more at process, such as whether students were being evaluated for disabilities within a reasonable time frame. The new approach looks more at outcomes, such as how well disabled students are doing on math and reading tests.

For now, the changes in the rankings are based overwhelmingly on the addition of test scores to the evaluation. The education department pledges to add other outcomes in the future.

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