| LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT |
| Least Restrictive Environment definition: 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, special 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 the education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. |
| LEVEL FOUR: FOURTH most inclusive; fewer students than level 3; (inclusion is rapidly declining ...) Student is placed in a self-contained classroom for children in special education for the majority of the day. The student attends the general education classroom in subject areas consonant with his/her capabilities. LEVEL FIVE can't really be called inclusive any more ... fewer student than level 4; The student is placed full time in a self-contained special education classroom. The classroom, however, is in a general education school. LEVEL SIX no longer inclusive; fewer students than level 5; Student is placed in a separate school designed for children with disabilities. LEVEL SEVEN Most restrictive; least number of students; Student is educated through homebound or hospital instructional program. |
| LEVEL ONE: the MOST inclusive; the MOST number of students with disabilities; The student is placed in the general education classroom with no additional or specialized services. LEVEL TWO: SECOND most inclusive; fewer students than level 1; The student is placed in the general education classroom. The special education teacher acts in a consultive role and provides assistance to the general education teacher. LEVEL THREE: THIRD most inclusive; fewer students than level 2; The student is placed in a general education classroom for the majority of the day but goes to the self-contained classroom for specialized instruction in his/her particular area of need. |
| Educational Service Options for Students with Disabilities: (Seven Separate Levels) Levels 1 -- 3: General education has primary responsibility for the student's educational program. Special education is a support service designed to facilitate the student's success in the educational setting. Levels 4 -- 7: Special education has primary responsibility for the student's educational program. As the levels progress, inclusion declines. Student population declines as levels progress as well. |
| WHAT DO GENERAL EDUCATION TEACHERS SAY? TIME Teachers need 1 hour more a day to plan for students with disabilities. TRAINING Teachers need systematic, intensive training, either as part of their certification programs, or as an ongoing process. PERSONNEL RESOURCES Teachers need additional personnel (aids) to carry out many individual IEP goals. MATERIAL RESOURCES Teachers need adequate curriculum materials and other classroom equipment appropriate to the student's needs. CLASS SIZE Teachers agree that class size should be reduced to fewer than 20 students if students with disabilities are included in their classrooms. CONSIDERATION OF THE SEVERITY OF THE DISABILITY Teachers are more willing to include students with mild disabilities than students with more severe disabilities. WHAT DO YOU THINK? |
| Yvonne was the second of twins: her sister was born first and without difficulty. However, Yvonne was not as lucky. There was something different about her; it became obvious almost immediately after the birth. She didn’t have good muscle tone. Within days, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Her head and left side were the most affected. The doctor told her parents that she would most likely have physical and learning problems throughout her life. She was placed in an early intervention program, and then a preschool program when she was 3. The preschool population was made up of children without disabilities. |
| One day, 4-year-old Matt was playing across the street from his house. As he crossed the street to return home, he was hit by a car. Matt suffered severe head trauma and was in a coma for 2 months. Matt wears a helmet to protect his head, and he uses a walker in his general education kindergarten class. He is working on his fine motor skills and speech skills so that he can write. He is working on his alphabet, counting, and number recognition. He receives speech therapy. He is well-liked by his classmates. His teacher enjoys seeing his progress. |
| Lance is a very troubled kid. At school, he picked fights with students, spit in their food, threatened to kill his teacher and his classmates, and cursed at the principal. The final straw came on a bus full of children. When Lance erupted and threatened to cause a crash, a teacher’s aide had to restrain him. Lance hit and kicked the aide. |
| Ross has achondroplasia, a skeletal disorder that causes short limbs and orthopedic problems. The bones of his head and face did not develop normally and this has left him with a small amount of permanent hearing loss necessitating the use of hearing aids. Ross, who also has learning disabilities, attends Public School 234 in Lower Manhattan. He is 11. |
| QUESTIONS TO PONDER: What is the solution to inclusion when there are severe disabilities that interfere with the other students’ learning? Why is it so important to provide early intervention as early as possible? What is your opinion about pulling children from general education classes for special education services? How can teachers be everything to everyone? How can parents get teachers who are everything to their child? |
