Special Educational Needs

The NCCA is responsible for advising the Minister for Education and Science regarding curriculum and syllabuses for students with a disability or other special educational needs (Education Act, 1998). In fulfilling its remit, the NCCA began by addressing the needs of students with general learning disabilities and exceptionally able students.

	Current work
	A New Steer: Article from info@ncca (April 2009) The NCCA is taking a new steer by looking at ways that curriculum and assessment can best meet the needs of students with special educational needs. It is those students who, even with the support of teachers using differentiate approaches to teaching and learning are unable to access the mainstream junior cycle curriculum. These are students within the range of general learning disabilities and their priority learning needs are focused on personal, social and vocational skills. With this in mind the NCCA is exploring the development of a junior cycle curriculum framework that would encompass the learning that is most important, relevant and beneficial to the students in question. To read more about the thinking in this area, check out the paper below and we would welcome any comments you have on the ideas in the paper, just send an email to info@ncca.ie Junior Cycle Curriculum Framework for students with General Learning Disabilities: Towards a discussion paper (March 2009)
	Guidelines for teachers of students with general learning disabilities Supporting the teaching and learning of students with mild, moderate, severe and profound general learning disabilities …guidelines for teachers Find out more
	Exceptionally able students: draft guidelines for teachers In every school, there will be a group of students who are exceptionally able and require greater extension of breadth and depth of learning activities than is normally provided for the main cohort of students….guidelines for teachers Find out more