Recent legislation has set the stage to move students with disabilities beyond access to schools and classrooms, to progress and achievement in the general curriculum.
Standards now provide a common framework for all students.
The practice of developing and implementing a separate curriculum for students with disabilities has become unnecessary. Practices such as cooperative learning, multiple intelligence theory, inclusive education, alternative assessments, and co-teaching are being used to teach all students in regular classrooms. Students and parents are becoming partners in assessing progress and setting learning goals. As part of Maine's Comprehensive Assessment System, local school systems are beginning to provide education in how to assess students in different ways for teachers. Students with disabilities and other unique learning needs are to be included in the data collection system, which in turn will inform curriculum development, instruction and assessment at the local level.