Overview of UDT

Prior to these requirements, special education supports and services were often very separate from the academic content taught to students without disabilities. Some were included in general education classrooms and/or received instruction from that general education curriculum, but that was not the case for all (or even most) students with disabilities. This was particularly the case for high school students with disabilities who only received instruction designed to prepare them for their adult lives (particularly employment and community living).

The changes to increase the academic rigor of instruction provided to students with disabilities did not eliminate the need to prepare students with disabilities for their adult lives, but instead to blend the two seemingly disparate goals. It recognized that all students are best prepared for adult lives when they have a solid academic foundation and they exit high school with an understanding of and plan for their lives in multiple domains.