What Is the Appropriate Curriculum for Students with Disabilities? Standards-Based Curriculum versus Functional Curriculum for Students with Disabilities

The term severe disabilities refers to any student who is eligible for special education services in the United States under the category of moderate to severe cognitive impairment. The term takes into consideration a combination of shortages in both cognitive performance and appropriate behavior. Recently, in the field of severe disabilities, the benefits of the standards-based academic curriculum versus those of the functional curriculum have become one of the most critical debates--with both types of curriculum being supported by various researchers in the field. However, the debate between the advocates for each of the curricula is impacted by multiple issues, for example, the accountability related to progress in the academic curriculum that is required by such legislative mandates as the No Child Left Behind Act. Therefore, the aim of this paper is to provide an overview for both of these curricula, and it will examine the expectations for academic achievement versus the acquisition of life skills from the perspective of parents, teachers, and professionals.