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The curricular decisions for educators of students with severe mental retardation rest on the simple question "Will I need it when I"m 21?" Students who are eligible for special education have the right to be educated until they turn 21 years old. Therefore, teachers try to focus on teaching what will be most important for them to be independent when they are 21. Families and teachers must continuously look ahead to the future for each child (Beck et al ., 1994). .
Students with more severe mental retardation who participate in community-based curriculum find and retain jobs at a greater rate than do those who participate in self-contained educational programs. Learning experiences in the community prepare these students for a better quality of life as adults. .
In a personal communication with Frances Broome on April 11, 2003, she noted that the most difficult thing about teaching a student with mental retardation is that she must constantly think about where the student is and what he needs, rather than trying to catch him up with the other students. In reality, his parents know he may never be up with the other students his age. He needs to learn things that will make him more independent. Frances Broome teaches first grade in a general education classroom, but with inclusion occasionally has a student with mental retardation or other disability in her classroom. .
The general education curriculum divides information into subject areas, but in the real world, students must combine skills and knowledge and use them in functional ways. Traditional approaches to curriculum and instruction are teacher centered, standardized, deficit driven, and disconnected from students" experiences. Whereas community-referenced curriculum helps students to learn in ways that are meaningful, relevant, active, and interesting (Kluth, 2000). According to Beck et al. (1994) experiences in community settings generate opportunities for all students to draw on their skills and use problem-solving strategies.
