Special+Needs+Students

Specialized learning programs have been designed in schools not only for students with special needs, but also for those students who are considered to be gifted and talented. The Standards for Special Education was ammended in 2004, and it requires all school boards to provide effective programming for all students from grades K-12 with Special Needs. This ammendment supports Alberta Learning's Business Plan which states that each school should have "high quality learning opportunities" that meets the needs of all learners in our society.
 * Special Needs Students:**

In the 1800's there were schools formed especially for those students with physical disabilities such as schools for the deafd or for the blind, but educators were not sure about the needs of students with learning or emotional disabilites. In the 1980's there was a school opened in New York for those students with "special needs" In the 1800's and early 1900's students with these learning disabilities didn't go to school. They were not understood and it was too hard for them to go to school. However those special needs students who were gifted and talented acceled. Most programs that dealt with Special Needs kids were for those who were gifted and talented. These programs are traced back all the way to 1918. In the current Education system we believe that every student should be given the same opportunities no matter what their needs. We have systems designed for all types of students and we even have some forms of integration. We now have forms of homogeneous grouping in our schools which allows all students to have the same opportunites, and we also have ability grouping for those students who are gifted and talented. By using the ability grouping, we allow those students to accel, and give them all the opportunites available. In our current school system we have progressed incredibly, but we still do segregate special needs students in our schools. In my old high school those students who were considered to have special needs went to school in basement, and all of their classes were in the same area. In the past special needs kids were isolated from the rest of the students, and I think our schools are still doing that today.
 * What We Believed Before:**
 * What We Believe Now:**
 * How Do Schools Act As If We Still Have The Old Belief:**

History of Gifted Education: http://ericec.org/faq/gt-hist.html New York Institute for Special Education: http://www.nyise.org/ Legislation and Accountability: http://www.education.gov.ab.ca/k_12/specialneeds/legacc.asp