Secondary School Curricula Issues: Impact on Postsecondary Students with Disabilities‪.‬

********** Will standards-based education negate the benefits of individualized education for children and youth with disabilities? The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Amendments of 1997 (IDEA; Public Law 105-17) and the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 legislated a number of new obligations for school reform. National consensus regarding standards-based reforms has been reached on three guiding principles inherent in federal law: (a) there will be challenging standards; (b) all students, including students with disabilities, should have the opportunity to achieve these standards; and (c) policymakers and educators should be held publicly accountable for every student's performance (Council for Exceptional Children, 1998; McDonnell, McLaughlin, & Morison, 1997; Wagner, 1998). However, issues arising in secondary special education suggest we may be heading in two opposing directions simultaneously. McDonnell et al. (1997) noted newer legislation presents a striking difference for students with disabilities because standards-based reform stresses accountability to apply uniform standards, whereas past legislation stressed compliance to apply individualized goals and instruction.