What is a common academic achievement issue faced by students with emotional disturbance?

Students with emotional disturbance often experience significant challenges that can adversely affect their academic performance. Many of these individuals struggle to maintain focus, manage their emotions, and interact positively with peers and authority figures, which can lead to disruptions in their learning process. As a result, it is common for these students to perform one or more years below grade level.

Emotional disturbances can lead to inconsistencies in attendance, engagement, and motivation, impacting students' overall academic achievement. This history of below-grade-level performance is often rooted in the emotional and behavioral difficulties that interfere with their ability to benefit fully from the instruction and assessment opportunities provided in a typical educational setting.

In contrast, the other statements suggest levels of academic achievement that do not align with the typical challenges faced by these students. For example, claiming that most students perform above or at grade level proficiency overlooks the reality of their struggles. Additionally, the notion of consistently passing proficiency tests does not take into account the emotional and behavioral factors that often affect test performance among this population.