10.27.2014 | Chalkbeat New York | Others see the hearing as an opportunity to get beyond the questions of legal mandates and ask questions about what those students with disabilities are learning. Kim Sweet, executive director of Advocates for Children of New York, is waiting to hear about how the department can help schools lift academic achievement for students with disabilities. Just 6 percent of those students hit the state’s proficiency standard on its English and math exams in the 2012-13 school year, compared to 35 percent of students without disabilities. “It’s really time to focus on preparing these schools pedagogically to meet the needs of a wider range of students,” Sweet said. Read article