Moving Beyond the Mainstream
Helping Diverse Learners Master the Common Core
October 30, 2013
How well educators manage to adjust the common core to the needs of each student could prove pivotal scholastically, but also politically, as the standards themselves face skepticism in the states. This special report looks at the challenges educators face in adapting the standards for students with disabilities, English-learners, and gifted students.
- Special Education Common Core's Promise Collides With IEP RealitiesWhile special education teachers hope the standards will help students with disabilities access the general curriculum, they struggle to align individualized education programs to the rigorous academic goals.Special Education 'Read Aloud' Assistance on Common Tests Proves ContentiousThe consortia developing common assessments are taking different approaches to addressing the controversial issue of accommodations for students with print-related disabilities.Special Education A Common-Core Challenge: Learners With Special NeedsFor students with special needs, English-learners, gifted students, and others beyond the mainstream, educators have to work harder to make new standards fit.College & Workforce Readiness Common Core Needs Tailoring for Gifted Learners, Advocates SayPedagogically, the common-core standards are already akin to gifted education but teachers will still need guidance on how to differentiate them for the most able learners.Federal ESL and Classroom Teachers Team Up to Teach Common CoreIn some schools, the new standards are leading to a closer collaboration between content-area teachers and those who serve students with special needs.Special Education Tech Assistance in Testing Poses Practical IssuesThe developers of tests aligned to the Common Core State Standards wrestle with how to provide assistive technology for students with disabilities, while assuring test security.Standards & Accountability Common Core Ratchets Up Language Demands for English-LearnersThe Common Core State Standards' focus on persuasion, analysis, and other discourse skills is accelerating the push to teach English-language learners to master "academic" English.