Ensuring Progress in the General Education Curriculum ED 222 Spring 2010

What does progressing in general curriculum mean?  Assessing student progress?  Progress is what the fed promotes and requires  Progress in the general ed. Curriculum is achieved by standards-based reform  NCLB requires states to establish challenging academic content and student achievement standards that apply to all students, including those with disabilities

Standards Based Reform  A process that identifies the academic content that students must master  General education curriculum  Academic content standards  Student achievement standards  Alternative achievement standards

Connecting the Curriculum to the Standards  States use three approaches to assessment:  Define standards  Define benchmarks  Define indicators

Making Accommodations in Assessment  IEP Team must consider any accommodation needed in the assessment process  Five most frequent test accommodations  Dictate responses  Extended time  Large print  Braille  Interpretation of instructions

Alternative Assessments  For students who cannot learn the same content as same-age peers and who cannot take the state assessment even with accommodations  Aligned to the state content standards  Serve the same purpose as the standard assessment  Accountability  Decision-making

Those in favor of accountability and standards based reform  Comparable standards will result in higher expectations and higher levels of student achievement  By being part of the standards process, students with disabilities will also be part of the education reform movement

Opponents of identical standards for all students approach:  Holding students to the same standards can conflict with IEP Goals  Students may become frustrated, discouraged, and drop out of school  NOT ALL STUDENTS ARE THE SAME— what is the goal of public schools???

What is Universal Design for Learning?  UD makes learning accessible to all students  Promotes flexibility in:  Multiple means of representation (how materials represent content)  Multiple means of action (how materials provide alternative ways for students to demonstrate knowledge)  Multiple means of engagement (how materials take advantage of student interest and motivations to engage them in learning)

Placement categories  Special education outside the regular classroom for less than 21% of the day  Special education outside the regular classroom for more than 60% of the day  Public separate facilities  Private separate facilities  Public residential facilities  Private residential facilities

For Characteristics of Inclusion  Home-school placement  Principal of natural proportions  Restructuring teaching and learning  Age and grade-appropriate placements  Which includes  Eliminating the continuum of placements  Increasing the amount of time students spend in general education classrooms  Educator, parent, and student perspectives on inclusion

Four consecutive phases of inclusion  Mainstreaming  Regular education initiatives  Inclusion through accommodations  Inclusion through restructuring

Student outcomes associated with inclusion  Students with disabilities gain social and communication benefits from their involvement in inclusive settings  Students without disabilities educated in the inclusive classroom made significantly greater academic progress in mathematics and reading than did students without disabilities who did not have students with disabilities in their classroom.

Facilitating Progress  IDEA and NCLB have changed the focus on access to the general curriculum from WHERE to:  WHAT, a focus on what the student is taught (curriculum mastery) AND  HOW, a focus on methods and pedagogy

Required components of an IEP  The student’s present level of performance  Measurable annual goals  How will progress be measured  Special Ed. Services, related and supplementary services  An explanation of the extent a student will participate in the general ed. Setting  Accommodations for state and district assessments  The beginning date of services  When a child is 16, transition services

5 special factors to consider when developing an IEP  If a child’s behavior impedes learning, the team must consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports  If a child has limited English proficiency, the team must consider language needs  If the child is blind or visually impaired, the team must provide instruction in Braille and the use of Braille  The team must consider the child’s communication needs  The team must consider whether a child needs assistive technology devices or services

Addressing progress through the IEP  Determining Supplementary Aides and services  Determining Annual Goals  Determining Specially Designed Instruction  Specifying Related Services  Determining Test Accommodations and Alterations

What Should Educators Do to Support Progress  Create learning communities  Design units and lessons  Cognitive Taxonomies  Implement School-wide instructional Strategies