In which way has the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) primarily impacted special education evaluation procedures conducted by an educational diagnostician?

• A. ESSA mandates longer evaluation timelines
• B. ESSA eliminates accountability for students with disabilities
• C. Accountability systems are emphasized when measuring the progress of students with disabilities using the state's academic achievement standards or alternative standards aligned to the same state standards
• D. ESSA requires evaluations only in general education settings

Answer: (C)

ESSA centers on accountability for all students, including those with disabilities. It requires states to measure and report progress toward the state’s academic standards, or toward alternate standards aligned to those same standards, for students with disabilities. For an educational diagnostician, this means the data gathered during evaluations are used to determine how well a student is progressing relative to those standards and to inform IEP goals that align with them. The emphasis is on accountability systems and how progress is tracked and reported, not on extending evaluation timelines, eliminating accountability, or restricting evaluations to general education settings.