Ian’s friend is currently taking advanced math and probability classes at New Jersey’s best technical college. Smart kid, right? In high school, they wouldn’t let him out of special education. They wouldn’t let him take a general education math class or science class. He was kept in a basement room doing math alongside kids, who were struggling with long division. Why? Because he had autism. 

Ian’s friend, who will remain nameless here, had a really mild case of autism, just some speech and communication difficulties. A speech impediment and physical differences, combined with a thick Indian accent, probably made teachers think he had an intellectual disability. (Hello! Better professional development on autism, please!) So, he got put in the basement classroom, where all kids with IEPs are never challenged, held back by IDEA expectations. 

Straight up (as my son, Jonah, says), few kids with a high school diploma are ready for a competitive college, even in my fancy suburb. Most parents aren’t aware than a “college prep” course prepares kids for a community college, not a traditional college. Typically, student need honors level classes to thrive at a competitive college. Most students, who are placed in classes below the “college prep” level, are not adequately prepared for community college.

Read more at The Great Leap.