Academic curriculum for students with significant disabilities: Evidence from five states

Meagan Karvonen
karvonen@email.wcu.edu
Western Carolina University
Shawnee Wakeman, UNC Charlotte
slwakema@uncc.edu
Melinda Smith, Western Carolina University
Claudia Flowers, UNC Charlotte
cpflower@uncc.edu
Diane Browder, UNC Charlotte
dbrowder@uncc.edu

In response to federal requirements for general curriculum access and participation in large-scale academic assessments, states have shifted curriculum for students with significant cognitive disabilities from a primarily functional model to one that includes academics. What does academic instruction look like for students with significant cognitive disabilities, ten years after IDEA and six years after NCLB?  The purpose of this paper is to present aggregated findings from a teacher self-report curriculum measure administered in five states during the 2006-07 academic year. Findings highlight the curricula being taught to students eligible to take alternate assessments based on alternate achievement standards; gaps in academic instruction; and differences in curricular priorities for students with varying levels of symbolic communication.