SECTION III. SCHOOL PROGRAMS AND SERVICES
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OSEP defines a regular class placement as one in which students with disabilities
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receive special education and related services outside of the regular class for 0 to20 percent of the school day. Resource room placements are those in whichstudents receive special education and related services outside of the regular classfor 21 to 60 percent of the school day. Separate class placements include studentswho receive special education and related services outside the regular class for morethan 60 percent of the school day.
Progress Toward Inclusion of Students withDisabilities
Educators, parents, advocates, and others who promoteappropriate inclusion of students with disabilities ingeneral education classes believe that doing so will providethose students with greater access to the general educationcurriculum, appropriate education with their nondisabledpeers, raise expectations for student performance, andimprove coordination between regular and special educa-tors. They also believe that greater inclusion will result inincreased school-level accountability for educational re-sults.In 1994-95, 2.2 million of the total 4.9 million studentswith disabilities ages 6 through 21 spent at least 80 per-cent of their school day in general education classes, and
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more than 95 percent of all students with disabilitiesattended regular schools. The environments in which stu-dents receive services vary according to the individualneeds of the child. Although 87 percent of students withspeech and language impairments were served in regularclasses for 80 percent or more of the school day, only 9.7percent of those with mental retardation were served inregular class placements. Students ages 6-11 were morelikely to receive services in regular class placements thanstudents ages 12-17 or 18-21.Progress in serving students with disabilities in regularclasses and resource rooms has varied from State to State.A few rural States serve more than 90 percent of theirspecial education students in regular class and resourceroom placements (Idaho, North Dakota, Vermont). OtherStates or jurisdictions with larger urban populations servefewer than 60 percent of students in those placements(District of Columbia, Louisiana, New York).
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