From the Hartford Courant:

Differentiated instruction allows teachers to tailor lessons to students with different abilities in the same classroom, and has been on the rise in Connecticut since a 2002 federal court ruling ordered more inclusion of kids with disabilities in regular classrooms.

Educators say the method is very demanding and difficult, and requires solid training, planning time and expert classroom management techniques.

Advocates say differentiated instruction helps students progress because their individual needs are met, said Diane Ravitch, a former assistant secretary of education. But critics say, according to Ravitch, that it can be an overwhelming burden for some teachers and that some parents complain their children with higher abilities are neglected or aren’t challenged enough.

From the Seattle Times:

The Seattle School district has suspended two special education teachers for refusing to administer a standardized test to six students with physical and cognitive disabilities.

Parents said the teachers were honoring their wishes; teachers said the test was inappropriate for the students. “My kid is basically the equivalent of a toddler,” said one mother. “You wouldn’t ask a toddler these questions when they can’t do it. … You wouldn’t give a kid a test that is years beyond what they can do.”

A spokesman for the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction said the test can be tailored to individual needs, but parents and teachers dispute that.

Earlier post here.

Related posts here.

From the Palm Beach [Florida] Post:

Florida kindergarten teacher Wendy Portillo sparked a controversy last year when she allowed her students to vote to remove a child with Asperger’s syndrome from her classroom.

But parents, educators and disability advocates say the case highlights an often overlooked problem with the inclusion of children with disabilities in general education classrooms: Many teachers receive little to no training on how to manage such students.

“The trend toward inclusion really has caused some difficulties for teachers because you have to treat (special needs students) differently,” said Karen Lyman, a teacher-coach in St. Lucie County schools. “You have to learn how to teach that child without affecting the rest of the children.”

Earlier posts here.