Do you know what the expectations are for a third grader, a sixth grader, or tenth grader in Connecticut?  The likely response to this question is NO, however, in order to write meaningful IEP goals and objectives for student with disabilities, this is critical information to have.  The Connecticut Framework:  K-12 Curricular Goals and Standards outline the State’s expectations of what students should know and be able to do in relation to the content areas.  The curriculum frameworks present key information of what students need to know and performance indictors (statements of what students should do to provide evidence that they understand the key areas). 

Connecticut’s curriculum frameworks are not a state mandate, but are intended to provide guidance to schools and districts that are developing curriculum.  They are designed to provide a framework for thinking about the knowledge, skills and understandings that prescribe a curriculum.  Local school districts are responsible for developing curriculums that define what students will learn and what teachers teach at specific grade levels.

The CT Bureau of Curriculum and Instruction has recently released a pair of DRAFT documents that add, “grade-level expectations” (GLEs) to the English language arts and mathematics curriculum standards.  These GLEs further delineate the performance standards and/or expectations in the original frameworks.  GLEs define what every student should know and be able to do in the specific content area by the end of a grade level.  The curriculum standards also include a correlation to the Connecticut Mastery Test. 

Federal law requires that all children have access to and progress in the general education curriculum.  Students with disabilities must be provided the opportunity to achieve the high academic standards established for all students.  Therefore, IEP goals and objectives should be directly related to these state standards. 

Further Reading

Raising Standards of Learning Students with Disabilities and Standards-Based Education

Aligning the IEP and Academic Content Standards to Improve Academic Achievement

To view the draft copies of the new curriculum standards, please visit the CT State Department of Education, Bureau of Curriculum and Instruction, What’s new in curriculum? section.