On November 15, 2015, the US Department of Education Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) issued an important new "Dear Colleague" letter.
For the first time, OSERS provides a definition of "general education curriculum" under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ("IDEA"). Previously, IDEA did not provide a definition of "general education curriculum," despite requiring that a child's IEP must be designed to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum." 20 U.S.C. §1414(d)(1)(A).
Now, "general education curriculum" means the curriculum that is based on the State's academic content for the grade in which a child is enrolled. As a result of this new interpretation, annual IEP goals must now be aligned with State academic content standards for the grade in which a child is enrolled.
In the case where a child's present levels of academic performance are significantly below the grade in which the child is enrolled, OSERS instructs the IEP team to draft goals that are "sufficiently ambitious to help close the gap."
The entire document (here) provides useful guidance for OSERS educators, parents, educational advocates and special education attorneys.