Supporting Students with Disabilities in Science Classrooms

Start with high-quality, grade level, standards-aligned curricular materials.

For School & District Leaders

Ensure that special education staff are included in curriculum-based professional learning, and ensure that general education staff are included in training on inclusion and their legal requirements to serve students with disabilities.

For Science Educators

For Special Education Teachers

The 2016 Science & Technology/Engineering Frameworks represent a shift in the way science is taught and assessed. Equal emphasis is placed on students engaging in science as practice as is placed on learning science information. This represents broader opportunities for students to engage in and demonstrate their science competency.

Each standard encompasses a science concept as well as a science practice.

Further Reading/Resources

The Massachusetts Curriculum Framework for Mathematics articulates rigorous grade-level expectations. These learning standards identify the mathematical knowledge and skills all students need in order to be successful in college and careers and in everyday life. Students with disabilities-students eligible under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)-must be challenged to excel within the general mathematics curriculum and be prepared for success in their post-school lives, including college and/or careers. The standards provide an opportunity to improve access to rigorous mathematics content for students with disabilities. The continued development of understanding about research-based instructional practices and a focus on their effective implementation will help improve access to the mathematics content standards and the mathematics practice standards for all students, including those with disabilities.

Students with disabilities are a heterogeneous group. Students who are eligible for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) have one or more disabilities and, as a result of the disability/ies, are unable to progress effectively in the general education program without the provision of specially designed instruction, or are unable to access the general mathematics curriculum without the provision of one or more related services (603 CMR 28.05 (2)(a)(1). How these high standards are taught and assessed is of importance in reaching students with diverse needs. In order for students with disabilities to meet high academic standards, their math instruction must incorporate individualized instruction or related services, supports, and accommodations necessary to allow the student to access the general mathematics curriculum. The annual goals included in students' IEPs must be carefully aligned to and facilitate students' attainment of grade-level learning standards.

Promoting a culture of high expectations for all students is a fundamental goal of the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks. In order to participate successfully in the general curriculum, students with disabilities may be provided additional supports and services as identified in their IEPs, including:

• Instructional learning supports based on the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) which foster student engagement by presenting information in multiple ways and allowing for diverse avenues of demonstration, response, action, and expression. UDL is defined by the Higher Education Opportunity Act (PL 110-135) as "a scientifically valid framework for guiding educational practice that (a) provides flexibility in the ways information is presented, in the ways students respond or demonstrate knowledge and skills, and in the ways students are engaged; and (b) reduces barriers in instruction, provides appropriate accommodations, supports, and challenges, and maintains high achievement expectations for all students, including students with disabilities and students who are limited English proficient."
• Instructional accommodations (Thompson, Morse, Sharpe & Hall, 2005), such as alternative materials or procedures that do not change the standards or expectations, but allow students to learn within the framework of the general curriculum.
• Assistive technology devices and services to ensure access to the general education curriculum and the Massachusetts standards for mathematics.

Some students with the most significant cognitive disabilities will require substantial supports and accommodations to have meaningful access to certain standards in both instruction and assessment, based on their expressive communication and academic needs. These supports and accommodations must be identified in the students' IEPs and should ensure that students receive access to multiple means of learning, and opportunities to demonstrate knowledge, but at the same time retain the rigor and high expectations of the Mathematics Curriculum Framework.

References:

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 34 CFR §300.34 (a). (2004).

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), 34 CFR §300.39 (b)(3). (2004).

Thompson, Sandra J., Amanda B. Morse, Michael Sharpe, and Sharon Hall. "Accommodations Manual: How to Select, Administer and Evaluate Use of Accommodations and Assessment for Students with Disabilities," 2nd Edition. Council for Chief State School Officers, 2005. (Accessed January 29, 2010).

Last Updated: June 30, 2026