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Ensuring Meaningful Access to the Science Curriculum for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities

Tucker, a special education teacher, reviews John’s current individualized education program (IEP) to prepare for his upcoming annual meeting. John is a very inquisitive sixth-grade student and continually shows interest in the world around him. Although he asks a lot of questions about the things he observes and experiences (such as the previous week’s tornado sirens), science has not been a part of his functional curriculum. Ms. Tucker would like to integrate science content into his instruction, but John’s current goals center more on independently performing basic daily living skills such as brushing his teeth. Could he work towards mastery of these skills while also accessing the general curriculum that has sparked his curiosity? Would integrating science content detract from his learning functional skills? Is John losing opportunities if the general science curriculum isn’t part of his education plan? Is he being denied access to the general curriculum because his IEP goals do not address academic content? Ms. Tucker knows she needs input from his IEP team about what might be best for John, but she also wants to explore how they might integrate science content with his current goals of daily functional skills.