From Education Week (registration required):

The Department of Education’s office for civil rights has written to school district leaders, reminding them that students with disabilities are eligible to take part in advanced academic programs and do not forfeit their right to special education services by enrolling in such classes.

The Dec. 26 “Dear Colleague” letter refers to students with disabilities who want to enroll in Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, or other accelerated classes.

Without citing specifics, the OCR says that some schools and districts have refused to allow qualified students with disabilities to enroll in advanced classes. In other cases, students have been allowed to enroll as long as they give up services designed to meet their needs under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

Such conditions violate federal law, which requires individual determinations of student needs, said Stephanie J. Monroe, the Education Department’s assistant secretary for civil rights.

Part of a continuing series in the Quincy [MA] Patriot Ledger:

Massachusetts spends $1.8 billion each year on special education, but consistently ranks near the very bottom in state spending on programs for students who are unusually gifted or talented.

… The money for gifted and talented programs disappeared in the 1990s, educators say, the victim of changing priorities, tight budgets and the education reform movement that led to No Child Left Behind.

… For two decades, state and federal mandates have shifted more and more dollars into programs for children with special education needs because of physical limitations and learning disabilities.