Placement Options For Students With Disabilities

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legal document used by schools in order to map out a plan of action for those that are in need of special education. An IEP is created for students who have been classified with a disability and are between the ages of 3 and 21. An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written statement of the educational program designed to meet a child’s individual educational needs. Every child who receives special education services must have an IEP. An individualized education program has the goal of setting reasonable improvement

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

As a general rule, the classes are small with a lead teacher and at least one support teacher at all times. If a student is assigned to a self-contained classroom, the student will usually spend a majority of their day in a self-contained classroom. Some students simply need a smaller group in which to learn and thrive, moreover, some students need the extra attention to grow and succeed. “Self-contained classes are not inherently non-academic, and can be a great place for kids who need space or quiet beyond that which is feasible in general education. For some children, the day to day noise of even a quiet classroom, even with appropriate accommodations, can interfere with learning” (Landmeier, 2017). Although both necessary and beneficial to many students, the self-contained classroom is not without its

In public schools across the United States, students with special needs are placed in self-contained and resource classrooms in an attempt to facilitate effective teaching and learning practices. However, for some students, the physical placement of self-contained classrooms in and of itself is cause for concern and can impede the learning process (Jones & Hensley, 2012). When students feel isolated or stigmatized by their school environment, their confidence and self-determination levels can be negatively impacted, thereby, diminishing academic progress.

The right of entry to education resources is more than uncomplicated admission to a college. The right to use means to provide students with the devices they will need to be victorious in higher learning. Students with a recognized disability ought to be no omission. In reality, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, “ensure that all qualified persons have equal access to education regardless of the presence of any disability.” Objective replacement, class waivers, and revision of classroom management, testing and course necessities are all illustrations of behavior to supply access for the learner with a disability. A break down to the creation of such practical adjustments can place schools in breach of federal and state statutes, ensuing expensive fines.

There are many problems with today’s education, but one of the main problems would be the topic of inclusion vs. self-contained classroom. Many people have different opinions on this topic. For instance, some believe that disabled children should be separated from non-disabled children in classrooms, while others believe they should not be separated. There are many advantages and disadvantages to both sides of this situation. The views of both of these choices are completely opposite. On one side something may have a positive outcome, but on the other side, it may result in a negative outcome. Choosing which one has more positive outcomes for students is not the easiest choice, but it is a choice that has to be made in order for students

In elementary school, my classroom had students with and without disabilities, and we all shared the same space while working towards a common goal, but over time this diverse community diminished. This phenomenon of tracking and hierarchy of opportunity in education that I notice today is also responsible for creating an environment in which secondary special education is often a segregated locale, physically and socially removed from mainstream public schooling. I've witnessed Syracuse University push against this norm and challenge these boundaries time and time again, and I feel that before entering my own my classroom I want to address these issues of homogeneity and continue to build my tool box of inclusionary practices that extend past my current

My observation this semester is in a self-contained classroom for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. The class is taught by one special education teacher who is assisted by a teaching aide. The desks are spaced out from one another, allowing each student a lot of room to move around. I believe the desks are arranged this way so that the students have limited contact with one another. There are books and games on a shelf that the students are allowed to use during break time. There are also two computers that they may use during breaks or after they have completed their work. In one corner of the room, there are two bean bags and a sign that says quiet zone. The students are taught reading, math, and language arts in this room. They go to an inclusion room for science and social studies. They eat lunch in the cafeteria with the rest of the fifth-grade students. They also leave this room every day to attend related arts with the rest of the student body.

This program falls under the Self-contained classroom within the special education continuum. Even though it was a self-contained classroom, a portion of the students went to a general education classroom for some of their school hours.

Students with special needs need deserve the same education general education students are presented with. The philosophy of “ Disability Inclusion” concentrates on creating a safe, loving, and effective learning environment for students who suffer from physical, learning, and behavioral disabilities. When a student with disabilities is placed in the same environment as a non-disabled student, the results show wonderful improvement. When we are able to discover the strength of the student we are able to see just how much the student can improve in an inclusion classroom. Disability Inclusion not only sets a new beginning for an equal education of special education students, but it allows for more interaction with the child, and a more hands-on assessment.

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.

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.

Orr (2009) conducted interviews with special education teachers and the attitudes they have seen in their schools since inclusion was implemented in their schools. Orr (2009) chose fifteen teachers, which included fourteen female and one male teacher who agreed to participate in the study so it was a purposive criterion sample. Twelve of the fifteen teachers taught in a suburban area, two in a rural area, and one in an urban area; but they varied in the age they taught and school. Seven of the fifteen teachers taught in a self-contained classroom while the remaining eight taught in a resource room, where they only saw a student for less than an hour or two a day. Another pattern that showed was that many teachers found that they did not receive any classes that focused on differentiation or inclusion while completing their undergraduate work (Orr 2009). These results are important when considering the implementation of inclusion because it may mean that there is a need to reteach teachers. It is important to consider professional development classes district-wide before implementing inclusion in the classroom.

Many children have had learning disabilities for many years. Each year more and more of these children are being helped. Schools are working to improve their special education programs and to have all kinds of students work together in the same classroom. The practice of inclusion was started because educators felt that special needs students would achieve more in traditional classrooms with non-learning disabled students than they would in special education classes. However, research findings suggest that there really is no difference in academic achievement levels for special needs students when they are placed in regular classrooms.

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