Least Restrictive Environment

Placement decisions related to students with disabilities is an issue that arises from providing a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) and the least restrictive environment (LRE). While FAPE and LRE are not new requirements, the Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA) continues to be open to interpretation and implementation of the mandates (McGovern, 2015). A student’s least restrictive environment is the setting where the student can be integrated with his non-disabled peers. IDEA requires that students with disabilities be educated in the most integrated, least restrictive environment (Carson, 2015); however, this is where the grey area enters. The interpretation of what the least restrictive environment is, depends

Historically, students with disabilities were served in separate facilities or not at all; however, a more modern approach to education deems that all students should be served in the least restrictive environments. At first, students with disabilities were served in inclusion classrooms which are still used today, but there is evidence that a student with disabilities are better served when they attend inclusion classes instead; thus, depending on the level of the disability, some students spend all day in a self-contained classroom, some spend only a part of the day, and some are completely in inclusion classes. Thus, the two classroom styles will be compared using the observations

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) has established procedures for the placement of students with disabilities within a school setting. Members of the child study

As a result, there were many Reauthorizations and Amendments to Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. These Amendments would ensure the safety and increase parental participation in the education of children with disabilities. These acts help secure educational programs for those children that demonstrated disruptive behaviors due to their disability. It also provided help to state and local government by relieving them of some of the financial burden associated with educating students with special needs.

Many children have physical, or pathological disabilities which cause them to have a below average performance in a usual classroom environment. The government of the United States of America, having recognized this, issued the Education of All Handicapped Children Act in 1975 in order to assist children afflicted with these disabilities (Berger, 2014). This lead to the creation of multiple special education programs for these children. Programs, such as LRE and RTI strategies have allowed many children to receive education they otherwise would not be able to receive.

“One of the essential roles of special education teachers is coteaching and working with other professionals, as well as communicating with family members and between special education teachers and other school-related professionals(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”. With the importance of a least restrictive environment special education and general education teachers are working together in a classroom with varying levels and abilities of learners. It is vitally important to have an effective relationship between the two teachers while developing and implementing lesson plans for learners with special needs. The physical space and dynamics of the classroom should fit the needs of the students and the established procedures should ensure a highly functional environment. Importantly, educators need to communicate to families “encouragement about what they can do at home and about an effective plan for providing instructional supports for their child(Vaughn & Bos, 2015, p. 114)”.

Children with disabilities need to be recognized as individuals as well as be valued for the people they will grow to be. In the classroom the growing process can be difficult to achieve depending on the nature and severity of the disability. Not all children will be served by full inclusion, some students have disabilities that require medical attention or physical facilities such as specially equipped bathrooms, ramps or elevators that may not be found in the traditional school building. For example, a child with severe cerebral palsy with severe limb constriction, lack of bowel control, inability to feed themselves and confined to a wheelchair, inclusion could cause more harm than good. This student requires medical aid to care for physical

Today, under the provisions of IDEA many teachers must be prepared to help students at a variety of different levels including students with disabilities (14). More specifically the “Least Restrictive Environment,” provisions helps students with disabilities to receive time in general education classrooms with their peers (14). To learn more about this provision, special education in general, and to gain the perspective of a general education teacher working with children receiving special education, I spoke with a general education working at an inclusive school (22).

Landmark civil rights cases clearly prove that segregation does not provide equal access to quality services. Historically, students with disabilities were segregated, or not allowed access to education at all, leading the passage of the Education of the Handicapped Act. Least restrictive environment (LRE) is the special education term which refers to the mandate; children with disabilities should be educated to the maximum extent appropriate with their peers who do not have disabilities. There is an inherent paradox with LRE, in that students have a right to be educated with their peers in the general classroom setting. However instances occur where the general education setting is not what is appropriate for the individual needs of the student.

“Listening to families is key in working with them as partners in supporting the learning and development of their child with special needs”. IDEA (2004) has mandated that individuals with disabilities be provided educational opportunities with non-disabled peers in the least restrictive environment. IDEA (2004) further notes that parental involvement is required as part of the decision making process. This has proven to be one of the most important elements to the educational program of students with disabilities. Prior to laws governing

Within the past decades and a big discussion has occurred regarding the most appropriate setting within which to provide education for students in special education. Although the change in the educational environment is significant for handicapped student the concepts of inclusion also bring up new issues for the regular education classroom teachers.

The idea of children with disabilities, whether they be mild or severe has been a very controversial and misunderstood topic. In the past inclusion has brought about huge changes for not only the students, but also the parents and families of these children, and staff at schools. Teachers and education professionals were the first to really feel the wrath and intimidation of this dramatic shift in education. There were several different factors that were coming about that made it very difficult for schools and teachers, the unorganized mandates were strict and didn’t allow much time for change. “President Gerald Ford signed the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EAHCA) into law in 1975. Since the original passage of the EAHCA, the law has been amended four times and renamed the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)” (Conroy, Yell, Katsiyannis, & Collins, 2010, para.1).

If these students were placed in a regular classroom, they were often functionally excluded, when no support was provided for the child or the teacher. In addition, many students were misclassified following inaccurate assessment, placement or tracking. These past practices have been deemed in violation of a student’s constitutional rights. As a result, IDEA now requires that the educational program that is developed by the IEP team provide the child with opportunities in the least restrictive environment (LRE). LRE is the most normal setting that is possible for the student. The team should take several things into consideration when making this determination. First, they must compare the benefits in the regular class and the benefits in the special class. The U.S. Court of Appeals determined that the appropriateness of placement in the regular classroom is not dependent on the student’s ability to learn the same things the other students learn in the regular classroom. The benefit of social interaction should also be taken into account. Second, consideration should be given to the potentially beneficial or harmful effects that placement in the regular classroom may have on the students involved. Finally, cost should be considered when determining the appropriateness of student placement.

Inclusion began when The Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), was passed in 1974. IDEA marked a turning point for the placement of children with special needs. This legislation stated that all school systems are required to receive federal funding to provide a free and appropriate education for all students regardless of how handicapped they are. The term inclusion does not actually appear in the text of IDEA. Instead, the law requires that children with special needs be educated to the maximum extent appropriate in the least restrictive environment. The IDEA says that the least restrictive environment is the regular education classroom. (Special Education, 2001) The IDEA requires the Individual Education Program (IEP) team to consider placement in the regular classroom in the beginning to determine if it is an appropriate placement for the child. The law specified different environments where special services could take place. The main goal was to place special education students in regular education classrooms for gains in academics and behavior for the children. (Singleton, n.d)

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, students with disabilities should be placed in a “least restrictive environment.” One of the main ideas of this act was to improve the learning experiences of students with disabilities by giving them learning opportunities outside of a special education classroom. The number of students with disabilities being placed in their general education classrooms is increasing more and more each year. The U.S Department of Education’s 27th annual report to Congress on the implementation of The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (2005) indicates that the number of students with disabilities in general education classrooms has risen to almost 50 percent. This is about a 17 percent increase from the 1997 U.S