Forty years after President Gerald Ford signed Public Law 94-142 on Nov. 29, 1975, opening public education to students with a wide range of physical, emotional and learning disabilities, the U.S. Department of Education this week issued new guidance clarifying that students with disabilities must have an education program that is aligned with grade-level state content standards. "Research has demonstrated that children with disabilities who struggle in reading and mathematics can successfully learn grade-level content and make significant academic progress when appropriate instruction, services, and supports are provided," the Department said in a so-called Dear Colleague letter. The guidance emerged from concerns that expectations have been set too low for too many special education students who have been denied access to the "general curriculum." At the same time, the state may "define alternate academic achievement standards" for children with the most significant cognitive disabilities, the guidance said. To mark the 40th anniversary of the law, now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, the Department also released:
In a symposium at the White House on Nov. 17, Melody Musgrove, director of the Office of Special Education Programs for the U.S. Department of Education, said that the past 40 years have brought enormous gains in what educators know about teaching students with disabilities. But, she said, "At same time I'm so frustrated and sad because No. 1, why haven't we improved outcomes?" She added, "Why is that, when I visit classrooms across the nation, I don't see those evidence-based practices in place?"
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