A Conservative Approach to Special Education Reform: Mainstreaming Through Transenvironmental Programming and Curriculum-Based Measurement (original) (raw)
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In 1964, Samuel Kirk wrote a definitive review of the literature to that date and concluded that the research methodology used to make the comparisons was flawed and that the only sound study found no significant long-term differences in academic outcomes. In more recent years, other authorities have voiced similar concerns with regard to both methodological adequacy and relative efficacy. Despite the lack of consistency regarding the benefits of general education placement, students with disabilities are primarily enrolled in that setting because the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) mandates placement in the least restrictive environment (LRE).
Are We Moving Toward Educating Students With Disabilities in Less Restrictive Settings?
The Journal of Special …, 2010
The least restrictive environment (LRE) mandate provides a preference for educating students with disabilities in general education classrooms while allowing separate class services as necessary to meet student needs. This study investigated changes in national LRE placement trends for students with disabilities from 1990-1991 through 2007-2008. Findings revealed a significant increase in placements in general education settings and a substantial decrease in more restrictive placements. Placement practices for students at the secondary level changed substantially more than placements for elementary students, although both groups moved toward significantly less restrictive placement practices. Students with learning disabilities accounted for much of the overall change in placement practices, whereas students with emotional or behavioral disorders and intellectual disabilities experienced smaller changes in less restrictive placements.
Placing Students with Disabilities in Inclusive Settings: Legal Guidelines and Preferred Practices
Preventing School Failure: Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 2004
Two federal laws have been extremely important in providing rules and regulations to guide the educational placement of students with disabilities. The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) created a detailed set of guidelines to ensure an appropriate education in the least restrictive setting for students who are eligible for special education programs. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 also addressed the placement of students with disabilities (Relhabilitation Act, 1973). These laws provide guidance in determining the appropriate placement of students; nevertheless, what constitutes an appropriate placement for an individual student has often proven to be a very difficult issue for school districts. The purpose of this article is to clarify some of the confusion and controversy surrounding the placement of students with disabilities by examining its basis in the IDEA and Section 504, and subsequent legal interpretations by the U.S. Department of Education and in courts across the United States. Based on these considerations, the authors propose recommendations to assist school officials to meet the placement requirements of IDEA and Section 504 in a legally correct and educationally appropriate manner.
The purpose of this study is to analyze the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) data that states and U.S. territories report from the Office of Special Education Programs and discuss the status of the most restrictive special education placement settings for students with disabilities. In this analysis, we found that (1) states do not set rigorous improvement goals to reduce restrictive placements; (2) that the percentage of students with disabilities (SWD) placed in restrictive placements have remained essentially unchanged over the past decade; and (3) that students with low-incidence (severe) disabilities are disproportionally placed in restrictive placements. These results suggest that segregated educational experiences continue for thousands of students with disabilities in spite of evidence that shows that opportunities to learn and develop are enhanced in more inclusive educational settings. Factors that contribute to student placement in restrictive settings are discussed.
How to Determine the Least Restrictive Environment for Students with Disabilities
Exceptionality, 2010
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that students with disabilities be educated with peers without disabilities "to the maximum extent appropriate." When the individualized education program (IEP) team is reviewing the student's current performance, establishing the student's goals, and determining the services that the student will require, they must also identify the least restrictive environment (LRE) in which these services can be provided. In this article, we (a) define LRE, (b) summarize the legislation and case law that impacts the selection of the LRE, and (c) offer a decision tree for IEP teams determining a student's LRE. Since 1975, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA; formerly the Education of All Handicapped Children Act) has required schools to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) to students with disabilities. That FAPE should allow students with disabilities to be educated with peers without disabilities in the least restrictive environment, specifying that: to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. (IDEA, 20 U.S.C. § 1412) This language clearly established that (1) students with disabilities had a right to be educated with their peers without disabilities, and (2) schools had to make serious efforts to identify
LRE and the Placement of Students with Severe Disabilities
Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 1992
This study addresses the issue of state variability in the placement of students with disabilities in integrated or segregated (students with disabilities only) settings. The study examines actual placement patterns of students with severe disabilities (“severely handicapped”) in a small sample of states in order to more closely identify and analyze factors that might influence national monitoring and reporting of LRE issues. Three states representing different geographical areas and including rural, suburban, and urban population bases participated in a direct survey. The survey asked respondents to identify the number of students with severe disabilities (as defined by the U.S. Department of Education) in the state and the educational placement of these students. A survey validity check was also carried out on a sample of 139 students across the three states. Students were observed and rated using a scale that reports degree of disability (moderate to profound) across nine charact...
Examining the Past Decade of Education Settings for Students with Significant Disabilities
2017
Using the least restrictive environments (LRE) data from annual Reports to Congress, this study examined national trends in placement between 2000-2014 for school-aged students considered to have significant disabilities from among the categories of autism (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), multiple disabilities (MD), and deaf-blindness (DB). Educational placement trends were calculated using a log ratio index, and students with significant disabilities were compared to groups of students from the other disability groups. Results confirmed that access to general education settings is lacking for this group of students. Implications for policies and practices as well as suggested future research are provided.
Reauthorization of IDEA in 2004 established procedural mandates and accountability requirements ensuring all students with disabilities participate and progress in general education curriculum. Broadly speaking, improvements toward greater access have been found for many students with disabilities, however the extent to which this holds true for students with extensive and pervasive support needs is not evident. Past research associated with LRE for students with extensive and pervasive support needs was considered when replicating previous research using the cumulative placement rate to analyze LRE data for students with extensive and pervasive support needs (autism, intellectual disability, deaf blindness, and multiple disabilities). Results indicate that student with extensive and pervasive support needs have substantially less positive LRE placement trends over the past 15 years with most placed in separate classrooms and settings. Recommendations for transforming federal and state policies and procedures are shared.
Examining National Trends in Educational Placements for Students with Significant Disabilities
Using the least restrictive environments (LRE) data from annual Reports to Congress, this study examined national trends in placement between 2000-2014 for school-aged students considered to have significant disabilities from among the categories of autism (ASD), intellectual disability (ID), multiple disabilities (MD), and deaf-blindness (DB). Educational placement trends were calculated using a log ratio index, and students with significant disabilities were compared to groups of students from the other disability groups. Results confirmed that access to general education settings is lacking for this group of students. Implications for policies and practices as well as suggested future research are provided.