Tyler Jung, who has autism, studies Wednesday at his Las Vegas home. Photo by Craig L. Moran.

Like most seventh-graders, Tyler Jung doesn't like exams.

But when it comes to testing, Tyler, who has autism, doesn't want special exceptions.

Taking the same test as his friends is important, he said, "so it's at the same level as the other kids."

Next year, as required by No Child Left Behind, the federal education act, he'll take the same state curriculum test as his peers in eighth grade.

"It doesn't scare me," Tyler said.

He's the success story, the reason the act's requirement that students with disabilities take the same test as their peers can be viewed as a good idea.

"He's totally included (in general education curriculum)," said his mother, Cheryl. "For him it's working."

Tyler no longer just circles in the bubbles on standardized Scantron tests, as he did about four years ago.

"I'm able to see the progress, and so far, it's been fine with us," she said.

But numerous students are grappling with disabilities that leave them unable to keep up with their peers, and their scores in some cases are causing entire schools to be penalized.

The federal law, which uses standardized exams to measure the progress of nine subgroups -- including special education, limited-English speaking and various ethnic groups -- mandates students with disabilities take the same test as their peers.

Tools such as Braille, audio recordings and more time are available to assist them.

If one of the subgroups does not meet proficiency standards, the whole school is placed on a "watch list" or worse, the "needs improvement list."

When Congress looks to reauthorize No Child Left Behind in about two years, education officials will lobby to change how the federal education law assesses students with disabilities.

"There is no flexibility," said State Superintendent Keith Rheault. "(The federal law) treated all special education students as the same and there is a huge difference between some students who just have a speaking impediment and some students with severe mental incapacities."

In Clark County, 13 schools were placed on watch or needs improvement lists because their students with learning disabilities failed to make adequate yearly progress. The standard for measuring proficiency will rise each year until 2014, when 100 percent of all students are expected to be proficient in state curriculum.

"Last year we had about 1,850 students. It was a subgroup of 34 out of 1,850 students that caused an entire school to fall off a high achieving list and down to a watch list," Bob Miller Middle School Principle Tam Larnerd said of the school's special education population.

Of the 34 special education students taking the eighth- grade No Child Left Behind assessment exam at Miller last year, nine were one point away from being proficient in the math or writing portion of the test.

"It's difficult for me as a principle at this school to hand a test to a child that I know is profoundly above their ability," Larnerd said. "When you see the impact that that has on those children trying to do algebra, for example, when they really are on the level of doing maybe one- or two-digit addition, possibly regrouping, think about what that does to a child's self-esteem."

It's another reminder that they are so far behind their peers, he said.

When schools like Miller don't meet federal standards because of a small group of students, the only thing the community hears is that the school is now on the watch list, he said.

Rather than comparing this year's eighth-graders to last year's, he said he wants students to receive testing at their skill level. That way, the school is successful when a sixth-grader, reading at a fourth-grade level, leaves middle school with at least a seventh-grade reading level.

"It's reasonable to say by the time you're done with this child in eighth grade we expect him to increase his reading level at least three grades," Larnerd said.

He also noted schools have a similar conundrum with limited-English speakers, who are also required by federal law to take the same tests as their peers. A large number of schools' limited-English speaking students failed to make adequate yearly progress.

"I certainly have issues with No Child Left Behind. But the one point no one can argue with is when you look at a school like Miller Middle School, there are no longer invisible students," Larnerd said.

Out of the 272 district schools, 127 failed last year to meet federal education standards for students with disabilities.

"As students progress through the system, it gets tougher and tougher for special education students to keep up with their peers and all the requirements counted to be proficient. (Special education) is a small group of students so one or two students can make a big difference in a school making adequate yearly progress," said Sue Daellenbach, director of district testing.

But No Child Left Behind has helped students with disabilities make incredible strides, she noted. More students like Tyler are being taken out of isolated classes -- where they learned solely with other disabled students -- and placed into general education classes.

Those students often have "co-teach" classes, where they learn the same curriculum as their peers with the help of a special education teacher in the room to translate complex geography or chemistry curriculum in a way the student can better understand.

About 1 percent of special education students are exempted from taking the standardized tests. This group of severely disabled students can take an exam geared toward their abilities and not their grade level.

The U.S. Department of Education is in the process of directing states to allow 2 percent to take the alternative exam, Rheault said.

But whether allowing 2 percent of the state's students to take alternative exams is enough to encompass the growing population of students with severe disabilities is still a question.

"There is some work out there that says if kids are taught appropriately, 98 percent of all kids can gain basic reading skills," said Kathy St. Clair, state director of Title I, or schools that serve low-income families. "But you have to teach them the right way."

She said she doesn't know if some schools will perpetually remain on a watch list because those alternative exams do not allow enough disabled students to use them.

"It's all or nothing with No Child Left Behind. Even though 100 percent proficiency is an admirable goal, everybody you talk to says, 'Uh, I just don't know.' No one's ever reached perfection before. That's really what's expected here," St. Clair said.

There were 30,934 students with disabilities in the district last year compared to 18,320 in 1996. Last year there were 16,409 who had learning disabilities, 1,136 with autism, 1,996 with developmental delays, 1,594 emotionally disturbed, 1,399 who were mentally challenged, 733 with multiple impairments and 140 with traumatic brain injury. There were 7,527 with disabilities such as hearing, vision, verbal and orthopedic impairments.

When Congress moves to reauthorize No Child Left Behind, St. Clair hopes it provides more scoring flexibility to keep schools whose subpopulations are making progress from being placed on the watch list even if not all of the required students reach proficiency.

Rheault noted that students with disabilities have their educational curriculum dictated by an Individualized Education Programs, the unique pedagogical road map established by specialists for each student with a disability.

The plan should also dictate at what level the student tests, he said.