The Continuum of Placements: From Regular Classes to Residential Facilities
Before the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was enacted, approximately 1 millionstudents with disabilities were excluded from public schools, and few, if any, received educational services.Although great progress has been made in guaranteeing services for these students during the past 20 years,questions remain about the extent to which those services are being provided in the least restrictiveenvironment (LRE). Particular concern has been raised about the number of special education studentsreceiving costly services in private day and residential facilities at public expense and diverting scarceresources from other areas of the educational system (Huefner, 1989; McCarthy, 1993).IDEA requires that “to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities. . .are educated withchildren who are not disabled; and that. . .removal of children with disabilities from the regular educationalenvironment occurs only when the nature. . .of the disability is such that education in regular classes withthe use of supplementary aides and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily” (U.S.C. 1412(5)(B)). TheIDEA regulations further specify that a continuum of alternative placements should be available to meet theneeds of children with disabilities for special education and related services (34 CFR 300.551).At one end of that continuum is placement in regular classes; at the other end is placement in residentialfacilities and homebound/hospital placements. This module examines the environments in which studentswith disabilities receive special education services, with particular attention to regular class and residential placements. How many children are served in these settings? Are the proportions served increasing or decreasing? If the proportions served are changing, what are the reasons for these changes?
Progress Toward Inclusion of Students with Disabilities
Educators, parents, advocates, and others who promote appropriate inclusion of students with disabilities ingeneral education classes believe that doing so will provide those students with greater access to the generaleducation curriculum, appropriate education with their nondisabled peers, raise expectations for student performance, and improve coordination between regular and special educators. They also believe thatgreater inclusion will result in increased school-level accountability for educational results.In 1994-95, 2.2 million of the total 4.9 million students with disabilities ages 6 through 21 spent at least 80 percent of their school day in general education classes
,and more than 95 percent of all students withdisabilities attended regular schools. The environments in which students receive services vary accordingto the individual needs of the child. Although 87 percent of students with speech and language impairmentswere served in regular classes for 80 percent or more of the school day, only 9.7 percent of those withmental retardation were served in regular class placements. Students ages 6-11 were more likely to receiveservices in regular class placements than students ages 12-17 or 18-21.Progress in serving students with disabilities in regular classes and resource rooms has varied from State toState. A few rural States serve more than 90 percent of their special education students in regular class andresource room placements (Idaho, North Dakota, Vermont). Other States or jurisdictions with larger urban populations serve fewer than 60 percent of students in those placements (District of Columbia, Louisiana, New York).
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OSEP defines a regular class placement as one in which students with disabilities receivespecial education and related services outside of the regular class for 0 to 20 percent of theschool day. Resource room placements are those in which students recevie specialeducation and related services outside of the regular class for 21 to 60 percent of theschool day. Separate class placements include stduents who receive special education andrelated services outside the regular class for more than 60 percent of the school day.
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