What questions should Ms. Flores and Mr.
Ericson ask the general and
special education teachers?
Page 9: Using the Curriculum
Intended Curriculum
Makes up the official curriculum
of a state or school district:
 Often takes the form of
graduation requirements
 Contains content that
students are expected to learn
 Linked directly to
assessments
Keep in mind, for students with
disabilities:
 The state makes the
intended curriculum more
immediate and specific for the
student.
 Legal goals and objectives
should supplement and support
the intended curriculum but not
replace it.
Taught Curriculum
Includes all aspects of activities
in the classroom, such as:
 Lessons and activities
 The teacher’s instructional
behaviors (e.g., questioning,
lecturing)
 Classroom rules
 Materials (e.g., textbooks,
worksheets, electronic media)
Keep in mind, for students with
disabilities:
 Too often, the IEP becomes 
the taught curriculum. This
limits the student’s entire
educational program to specific
goals and objectives written into
the IEP.
 Teachers should aim for
learning that is broader than the
IEP and is connected to larger,
more global contexts.
Learned Curriculum
What students actually learn as
a result of being in the
classroom:
 Includes additional
information that may or may not
be part of the intended or
taught curricula (such as a
negative attitude about math)
Keep in mind, for students with
disabilities:
Assessments often show
that students haven’t learned
what the teacher intended them
to learn. The learned curriculum
may include inaccuracies,
misconceptions, and
incomplete information.
 A child’s success depends
on the teacher’s ability to match
specific instructional strategies
with the content. More complex
information, which involves
higher-order thinking, requires
 different types of instruction.

(Nolet & McLaughlin, 2000)