Presumed competence reflected in the educational programs of students with IDD before and after the Beyond Access professional development intervention

Abstract

Background Judgements about students' competence influence the goals of their individualised education programs (IEPs), the location of service delivery, and their placement in general education (GE) as opposed to special education (SE) classes. The purpose of this study was to describe how presumed competence to learn the GE curriculum was reflected in the IEPs of students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD), and in the reported percentage of time that these students spent in GE classes prior to and following the Beyond Access professional development intervention.

Method Five educational teams of students with IDD participated in a professional development intervention that emphasised students' presumed competence to learn grade‐level GE curriculum. Students' pre‐ and post‐intervention IEPs were qualitatively analysed and team member reports of percentage time spent in GE classes were averaged.

Results Five categories of presumed competence were identified. Following intervention, emphasis on learning the GE curriculum, a shift in location of service delivery from outside to within the GE classroom, and increased time spent in GE classes were reported.

Conclusions The Beyond Access intervention shows promise for enhancing views of the competence of students with IDD to learn the GE curriculum and for increasing their inclusion in GE classrooms.

Keywords:

• Competence
• inclusion
• general education
• professional development
• intervention
• intellectual and developmental disabilities

Notes

1. In this paper, the term “mental retardation” is only used when quoting an original source.

2. In the US, the terms “alternate” and “alternative” have very different meanings with respect to students with IDD. The No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 allows schools to assess up to 1% of students based on “alternate achievement standards”. Thus, the US has developed “Alternate Assessments based on Alternate Achievement Standards”. The word “alternative” refers to “alternative schools”, which are established by local school districts for “at risk” students, who often have labels of emotional disability.