The problem this study addressed was educators of students with severe and profound disabilities face barriers to teaching a functional curriculum due to the lack of training and targeted curriculum. The purpose of this qualitative single exploratory case study was to examine the benefits and barriers faced by teachers of students with severe and profound disabilities in implementing the Common Core and a functional curriculum. Purposive sampling was used to acquire a sample of 30 secondary special education teachers who responded to questionnaires and semi-structured interviews addressing three research questions. There were four emergent themes for the first research question: ready-made lessons, real-life skill development, independence, and meeting individual needs. Three themes emerged for research question two: relevant to student needs, adapting the curriculum, and aligning with the Common Core. There were three emergent themes for research question three: no training, support, and trust. The implications emerging from the findings are (a) cognitive functioning and skill presentation must be connected to the materials and lessons in a functional curriculum for students with SPD to succeed, (b) a functional curriculum should be designed for easy use, with lessons scaffolded to teach real-life independent living skills, (c) is administrators and teachers of students with SPD need to communicate more about the needs of the students and how best practices can be implemented in the classroom, (d) collaboration is an effective tool that allows teachers, specialists, and administrators to work together to meet the needs of the students, and (e) students with SPD need opportunities in the community to gain life experience and more real-life practice in the classroom to acquire daily living and functional skills. More research is needed on the usefulness and appropriateness of a functional curriculum for students with severe and profound needs. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]