Brookhart v. Illinois State Board of Education (1983)

Details:

Students with disabilities attended a high school requiring a minimum competency test (MCT) in order to graduate. The Seventh Circuit Court heard a case on whether requiring the passing of the MCT constituted illegal discrimination under the Rehabilitation Act. It was determined that altering the content or waiving the test was not a reasonable accommodation, and that "a student who is unable to learn because of his handicap is surely not an individual who is qualified in spite of his handicap."

However, it was also determined that if a student's disability prevents the student from accessing the format or the environment of the assessment, accommodations must be provided to create a format or environment that is accessible and that truly assesses the learning the student has achieved.