Professional Documents
Culture Documents
is to guide instructional activities and provide consistency of expectations, content, methods, and
outcomes." (Hitchcock, Meyer, Rose, & Jackson, 2002) In recent years, the general curriculum
has come to be influenced more and more by the adoption of standards by many states, and local
school districts (Nolet & McLaughlin, 2000).
In 1997, Congress made a number of important changes to the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). One of the most significant changes is the requirement that
students with disabilities receive access to the general curriculum. Under the new law, students
with disabilities must have equal access to the general curriculum; be involved in the general
curriculum; and show progress in the general curriculum.
Having access before IDEA 97 was vastly different, from when the first national special
education law was first passed in 1975 by Congress. At the time, Congress estimated that one
million children with disabilities were being excluded from public schools. The purpose of the
1975 law was to give children with disabilities the right to a public education, individually
tailored to address disability-specific needs. This preliminary law focused mainly on providing
students with disabilities with access to special education services and physical access to school
buildings. This 1975 law did not pose any requirements on educating (CWD). During these early
years, the concepts of mainstreaming and inclusion also evolved, but tended to center on the
placement of students with disabilities in the regular education classroom without the need for
many necessary supplementary aids and services, accommodations, modifications, and supports.
Beginning in the 1990s, many enhancements and developments have been made in the education
of children with disabilities.
However, with the amendment or revision of the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and
IDEA in 2004, the nature of this debate has changed substantially over the last decade, given the
emphasis on high stakes accountability for all students in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act
and IDEA 2004. In spite of this continuing attention for CWD, increasing numbers of students
with Learning Disabilities (LD) are being educated in general education classroom settings. This
journal reviews research connected to the degree to which full inclusion programs provide
students with learning disabilities the support needed to meet high stakes accountability
standards in reading and math. The results reveal that while some elementary students with LD
in full-time inclusion classrooms made significant educational progress, a majority of students
made very little academic progress, even when extraordinary resources were used to develop the
programs. In addition, this literature review also revealed that overrepresentation of African
Americans in special education programs has produced much concern within the education
system. (Butler & Samuels, 2013).
Formulating Meaningful and Purposeful IEP Goals and Objectives
The IEP goals drive placement decisions at Annual Review Dismissal (ARD) meetings. If
a student is demonstrating the ability to make progress toward the goals in an inclusive
environment, the committee should not consider a more restrictive placement. It is important that
these goals be appropriate and achievable for the general education classroom. For example,
learning how to use public transportation would not be appropriate in a general education
inclusion classroom. When establishing long term goals for a student, the parent wishes and
desires should always be considered first. Parents should express to the committee their long
term realistic goals, for their child. It is critical that the committee sees the student's future
through both the parents' and the student's eyes. For example, some future goals to consider are
after high school expectations, such as, future employment, education, community involvement
and daily independent living. These goals should be specific. IEP goals should be individualized
to a students particular strengths and weaknesses. It should be explicit. An IEP goal should
clearly lay out what is expected of a student and how they can demonstrate their achievement of
the goal. An IEP goal should be clear and concise to anyone with a need to pick up the document,
including other service provides or collaborating teachers, parents, administrators, or next years
teachers. It should be ambitious. These goals should be present knowledge, coupled with a
connection to future goals. An IEP goal should require a significant amount of learning and skills
practice to take place before mastery occurs. This determines the overall growth in which a
student has made over a period of time.
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References