CURRICULUM MODIFICATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH LEARNING DISABILITIES

Past and current legislative actions have impacted why curriculum must be modified. At the time of writing this chapter, the IDEA 1997 is up for reauthorization. Concurrently, NCLB was signed into law followed by a report submitted to the President by the President’s Commission on Excellence in Special Education. This Commission summarized its findings after communications with various stakeholders vested in the educational performance of students with disabilities. In the NCLB report and IDEA reauthorization debates, concerns over students with LD access to the general curriculum were highlighted. There are revelations that limited access to the general curriculum was synonymous with students with LD not participating in state assessments. The standards based reform movement has been anchored in the belief that students with disabilities should be included in state assessments, thus transforming the curriculum to meet all students’ needs.