WASHINGTON, Aug. 23 (UPI) -- The U.S. Education Department said Friday it plans to phase out the so-called 2 percent rule used to assess students with disabilities.

Under current regulations, states can develop alternate assessments aligned to modified academic achievement standards for some students with disabilities and use the results for accountability reporting required by several federal acts, the department said in a release. They can use up to 2 percent of the modified scores when reporting.

The proposed regulations, published in the Federal Register Friday, emphasize the department's commitment to holding all students to high standards that better prepare them for college and career, officials said.

Under the department's proposed regulation, students with disabilities who have been taking modified academic achievement standards will transition to college- and career-ready standards and general assessments that are in line to those standards and accessible to all students, education officials said.

"We have to expect the very best from our students and tell the truth about student performance, to prepare them for college and career," Education Secretary Arne Duncan said. "That means no longer allowing the achievement of students with disabilities to be measured by these alternate assessments aligned to modified achievement standards. This prevents these students from reaching their full potential, and prevents our country from benefiting from that potential."
Topics: Arne Duncan

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