Reading 3 Curricular Design

Integrating Standards/ Including All Students McLaughlin, M.J., Nolet, V., Rihm, L.M., & Henderson, K. (1999). "Integrating standards: Including all students." Teaching Exceptional Children, 31 (3), 66-71. Abstracted by Barbara Higgins-Dover In this article the author discusses ways in which teachers can help students meet new content and performance based standards. New requirements for IEP's, that align special education policy with standard-based reform, collaboration, and assessment practices are all topics of discussion. Standards and IDEA: In 1997 new Amendments were added to the already existing Public Law 105-17 IDEA. The amendments include four major areas of interest: IEP's, state performance goals, student assessments, and funding issues. New IEP requirements should include statements of present educational performance, related services and aids that will be provided to the student, and a description of any program modifications or supports. The IEP must also include a statement of any individual modifications in the administration of statewide or district-wide student achievement Assessments. Team members will need to document an explanation of the extent a child will not participate in general education. Performance Goals and Funding: States must develop performance goals and indicators if they are to receive funds under Part B of IDEA. The new provisions permit a portion of IDEA Part B funds to be used in Title 1 school-wide projects. Educators may also use Part B funds for the cost of providing special education and related services. Content Standards and General Education: General education curriculum and instruction are changing. Nationwide, states and local districts are developing and implementing standards for their general education curriculum. All of the states have developed standards in four common areas: mathematics, science, social studies, and language arts. Many states have developed standards in areas beyond the core requirements, however, only the core requirements are typically assessed. Content standards encourage teachers to use more group projects and student collaboration in the classroom. Case studies for implementing standards for students with disabilities are provided in this article along with content and performance standards as required by Goals 2000. * Case studies are provided for implementing standards with students who have disabilities. Accessing the General Education Curriculum: New IEP procedures require greater focus on how a student with a disability will access and progress with general education curriculum. The emphasis is on how to decrease required memorization of facts and how to increase more complex thinking. Accessing general education information requires a timeframe for learning and an evaluation of school effectiveness. This view of learning requires teachers to integrate and align their instruction throughout the school year, determining the most critical content to focus on. *Included in this article is Table 1. Continuum of Intellectual Operations in Learning