DCMO BOCES -- Arts in Education

Access to Courses and Tests	The Board of Regents and the New York State Education Department have made a strong commitment to ensure that students with disabilities are included in the total school program, meet high standards and are integrated with their non-disabled peers. Students with diverse learning needs may require accommodations, program modifications or adaptations of instructional methods and materials to maximize their learning and/or adjust for their learning capabilities.
Safety Net for Students with Disabilities	The Board of Regents ensures a safety net for students with disabilities during the phase-in period of requiring that all students take and pass five Regents examinations in order to graduate. During the phase-in period, students receiving special education services and entering 9th grade between September 1996 and September 2004 will take each Regents exam required for their entering class. Students receiving special education who fail a Regents exam required for their class will be allowed to take a Regents Competency Test (RCT) in that subject and receive a local diploma. The student may take the RCT before or after the Regents examination. For some students, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) diploma is available based on satisfactory completion of the goals and objectives on the student's IEP.
References	Adapting Curriculum and Instruction in Inclusive Classrooms: A Teacher's Desk Reference, 2nd Edition, The Center for School and Community Integration, Institute for the Study of Developmental Disabilities, Bloomington, Indiana, 1999 (phone 812-855-6508). Deciding What to Teach and How to Teach It: Connecting Students Through Curriculum and Instruction, Castagnera, E., Fisher, D., Rodifer, K., and Sax, C. Peak Parent Center, Colorado Springs, Colorado, 1998. (phone 800-284-0251) www.peakparent.org.
Web Sites with Additional Information Regarding Students with Disabilities	Effective Practices: http://web.nysed.gov/vesid/sped/effective/effecmain.html. Resources on the Inclusion of Students with Disabilities into General Education Classrooms: www. systemschange.syr.edu. Special Education Training and Resource Centers (SETRC): www.vesid.nysed.gov/lsn/setrc.htm.

The DCMO BOCES provides these links to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of any link does not imply endorsement of the site by the DCMO BOCES. The links in this area will let you leave the DCMO BOCES Web site. The linked sites are not under the control of the DCMO BOCES and the DCMO BOCES is not responsible for the contents of any linked site or any link contained in a linked site, or any changes or updates to such sites.