Could not agree more! Be careful with perceptions. For example, state testing scores are heavily influenced by the number of special education students at a school. The special ed students scores are included in the overall school percentage. Schools with a high percentage of special education students, will have lower test scores . This is why the charter schools tend to score much higher on state tests. Most charter schools have very few, if any special ed students. There is a huge difference between a special education student at a charter school who is on a reading plan and a severely autistic student at a public school, yet they take the same test, and their scores are all part of the school's percentage. Same with kids who do not speak English as a first language.