Position Statement: Secondary Curricula And Policy Issues For Students With Mental Retardation

Abstract

The Board of Directors of the Division on Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities (MRDD) of the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) adopted a position statement regarding the importance of equal opportunities for adolescents and young adults with mental retardation and developmental disabilities and the need to support the independent functioning of these individuals. Because current practices often fail to adequately prepare these individuals for successful adult life, the board made several curricular and policy recommendations, including adopting a more functional and future-driven curriculum, providing regular diplomas to all students who meet the requirements set out for them by the school, and providing transitional programming between the ages of 18 and 22 in age-appropriate settings, such as junior colleges and vocational-technical schools.

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