Examining the Least Restrictive Environment Masters of SpEd: Module 22 Unit 2 Activity 2 Cohort 2

Our ideal school would implement guiding principles that were in alignment with the laws governed under and in coordination with the following state and federal laws:

• The Department of Education

  • Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Least Restrictive Environment requirement Sec. 300

  • The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Free Appropriate Public Education, Section 504

  • Individualized Education Programs, Section 1414

  • California Education Code, Section 56000

Our guiding principles and institutional policies would be as follows:

Mission: Creating an educational environment that understands the uniqueness of every one of our students, while meeting them at their learning level and providing them with the knowledge, tools and foundation needed to succeed in their education and prepare them for the future. We believe that every child deserves an opportunity to learn alongside peers from diverse backgrounds, ethnicities and learning levels, both disabled and nondisabled. We strive to create a safe environment that facilitates the maximum level of learning and engagement so that students can develop socially, emotionally, physically and mentally, and are better prepared for life in and out of the classroom. ​​

Program Services

Our staff consists of the highest level trained professionals offering a wide variety of expertise to ensure that our students are receiving the highest quality and all encompassing education. The special education program includes the following on-site specialists to support students, parents and our teachers:

• School Psychologist

• Counselors

• Behavior specialists

• Health Care Assistant

• Push-in Support

• Classroom Companion

• One-to-One assistants

• Instructional support assistants

• Wellness instructors & coaches

• Emotional support therapists

Our specialists and teachers work closely to ensure that the right combination of services are being provided to meet the needs of each student and their disabilities.

In addition to support services, we provide our teachers with the autonomy to create a physical environment that maximizes student success. These environments are fluid and can be altered as teachers and specialists see fit in order to better support their needs, their services and the overall well being of the students. This flexibility spans within the classroom, throughout common spaces (cafeteria, auditorium, hallways, lounges, library, etc), and the outdoor common areas (quad, playground, gymnasium, etc).

Accountability To ensure that students are achieving their goals and their highest quality education, teachers are required to document and analyze data to track student progress. Collaborative consulting on student progress is essential on a regular basis. The use of Individual Education Plans will be used as the foundation of progress tracking for students and must require clear and concise descriptions of strategies used, services being provided as well as addressing the learning environment to ensure that we are supporting the least restrictive environment for student growth. Lastly, the IEP must explain if and why a student is being placed outside of a general education classroom.

Funding

Our endless budget allows teachers to have all the supplies and tools they deem necessary to best support students of all levels of learning. With our generous budget, we incorporate the newest technology, ideas, and features to create an integrated, state of the art education.

Implementation of LRE

According to SpecialEdNews, the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) can be the most difficult part of the IEP to decide. Every child responds differently to school situations and the team must evaluate where the children will be the happiest and most successful.

The IDEA states that:

1. “students with disabilities receive their education alongside their peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate”

2. “students should not be removed from the general education classroom unless learning cannot be achieved even with the use of supplementary aids and services.”(Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022).

The LRE is not just referring to a particular setting but instead the LRE involves making decisions about what services and supports a student needs to be successful. It also dictates where and how those services and supports can be provided effectively. The LRE should be determined by the student’s IEP and related services rather than by setting. The IDEA requires that school districts create a variety of alternative placement options. These placement options range from the least restrictive setting, the general education classroom, to the most restrictive ones like residential facilities (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022). This means that the priority should be to keep the student within the general education classroom, with supplementary aids and services that enable students to get educated within the general education classroom. “However, when the nature or severity of the disability is such that satisfactory progress cannot be achieved in this setting, even with supplementary aids and services, placement in a more restrictive setting(s) might be necessary to ensure an appropriate education.” (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022).

Vanderbilt Peabody College’s PDF on LRE goes on to explain that ‘“placement options are fluid and can be changed depending on the student’s needs. A student might receive some services in one setting and other services in a different setting. Further, placements can change over time based on factors such as changes in a student’s progress or needs. For some students, the general education classroom is not necessarily the least restrictive setting.” (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022). Placement decisions are made at least annually.

These decisions should be made by the IEP team with all the shareholders in agreement. “When making placement decisions, the team, which could be the IEP team, should consider the full range of options that might be appropriate based on the individual needs of the student and the environment in which the student will most likely make progress. The IEP team must document the reasons for any decision that results in the student’s services being delivered outside of the general education classroom.” (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022).

Because of the individualized nature of the LRE, there are no simple rules to determine how or where services and supports will be provided. As they seek to make placement decisions, IEP teams should:

• Keep in mind that decisions are individualized to the student and should not be based on a specific disability category

• Adopt an organized method to determine the LRE for a student

(Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022).

Ideal Classroom Environment

( Lightner, 2021)

The placement continuum consists of many levels. The most least restrictive is the General Education classroom in which instruction, accommodation and modification can be delivered by the general education teacher or the one on one aide (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022). Following in least restrictiveness is a resource ( pull-out) room (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022).The student would spend less than half of their time in this room. The students would receive most instruction in the general ed classroom individual or small group instruction here. The next level is the contained special education classroom. The student would spend the majority of their time here, the exception being for when peer learning or socialization is necessary (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022).. In the enclosed room students receive specialized and individual instruction based on the students needs, the instruction can be individual or in small groups that are made of students with similar needs(Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022). . These are the most common placements in schools.

Beyond the previously mentioned placements, our next choices become more restrictive and are located outside the typical school setting.These placements are designed and are staffed with qualified personnel to educate students with specific disorders that can not function in a typical school setting , also the student’s safety and the safety of others is considered (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022). They are for students whose mental, social or physical disorders prevent them from learning in a typical environment (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022). The first level outside of the typical school is a special education day school. Though In some cases residential options are available ,these students typically go home at the end of the school day (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022). Our next level is home, residential or hospital placement. In these environments students live at their placement, here highly individualized instruction is given by an education professional on a schedule that works around other services, such as medical treatments (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022). In addition residential programs and hospitals offer additional specialized services a student may require including but not limited to round the clock care (Vanderbilt Peabody College, 2022).

Whole group instruction:

An inclusive setting is considered to be the least restrictive classroom setting and an ideal environment to help children learn and develop. Teachers can provide whole group instructions in ways which would benefit students of different abilities. It is vital to set classroom rules at the beginning of the class that apply to all the students. These rules are realistic and do not stifle children’s creativity or limit their chance to explore. Co-teaching is another effective way to ensure that all students have a concrete understanding of the instructions and lessons. Students could benefit from multiple teachers in the classroom as one teacher might not be able to attend to individual students. A classroom with diverse learners will provide a range of outcomes. Therefore, it is vital to reduce competitive activities and promote more collaboration. Each student can contribute to the group at their own pace and capacity without feeling the pressure of having to perform as their peers. In a whole group setting, teachers need to keep in mind to validate each student's efforts equally. Instructions to whole groups should certainly be designed and delivered with the objective to address a range of students' needs, abilities and interests. This is why it is essential that multiple choices for topics are provided to students in terms of topics and also ways of expression. Within a whole group, each student should have the freedom to express themselves in their own ways. As each student has a unique learning style, providing multi sensory teaching approaches can help the whole group. Allowing students access to large print materials, visual cards, recorders, talking dictionaries, speech to text devices, and video representations are a few examples of how to effectively instruct a whole group of students with learning needs and styles.

Small group instruction:

In small group activities, once the instructions for the task in hand is communicated with the group, teachers should allow students to strategies the assigned task in groups at the beginning of the class. The teachers can do some prompting or offer suggestions and ideas which can help students gain a better understanding of the task. Before starting the lesson, teachers can target the groups and ask questions in regards to the instructions provided to be able to identify any lacking in understanding among the students. Providing students with a variety of assistive tools can help encourage participation. Collaborative boards are a fun device where students can jot down ideas to share. Students can be assigned to groups based on their level of skills and also their peer relationships. Allow flexible grouping patterns and change the groups routinely to allow all the students to collaborate. Students learn best from students so it is important that they collaborate. Teachers can provide multiple topics for students to choose from. The lesson could include students' interests to promote participation as students will put more effort in tasks which they find interesting. It is also important to take into account the students prior knowledge and experiences and build on it.

Individual instructions

Individual instruction within a classroom consists of specific students having a one-on-one instructional assistant. A one-on-one aid “is a type of paraprofessional or Educational Support Professional (ESP) who is assigned solely to one student, where the student might need assistance learning social skills, transitioning between activities or locations, staying on task, completing daily activities or reducing challenging behavior” (Autism New Jersey, 2019). The support provided by the one-on-one assistant is based on a child’s specific needs, for example a child that is far below grade level, not a child’s diagnosis. Additionally, it is important that the assistant aids a child with special education needs, instead of doing the work for them. The need for an ESP is decided by the student support team and has to be in the IEP. In an ideal school, each child who needs a 1-on-1 assistant would get them and would be able to participate within the general classroom.

Student support within the classroom

Student support within the classroom: Individual and classroom accommodations from the homeroom or specials teachers. In terms of having individual classroom accommodations, the homeroom teacher might set in place a way to support specific students. Some students with Special Educational Needs might benefit from being located in a specific area of the classroom in order to avoid distractions (for example: further away from the door, closer to the teacher, away from the window, etc). When a child is restless, they should have a que to take a movement break (get some water, have a corner in a room that allows for movement breaks, bathroom break). Additionally, SEN students might benefit from the use of mobile seating (hokki stools, dyna cushions, etc), fidgets, noise-canceling headphones, etc. These accommodations should be written in the “classroom accommodations” part of the IEP. A classroom accommodation that could be placed in the classroom is a sensory corner (containing different sensory materials) and anti-sensory corner (having the least amount of sensory “noise”). When overwhelmed, children can be allowed to enter one or the other corner for a previously agreed amount of time. In an ideal school, there would be enough finances to provide classrooms with all the necessary materials, together with educating the faculty about the use of accommodations for children with special educational needs.

References

Autism New Jersey. (2019, December 20). One-to-one support in the classroom. Autism NJ. Retrieved March 12, 2022, from https://www.autismnj.org/article/one-on-one-support-in-the-classroom/#:~:text=A%20one%2Dto%2Done%20(,skills%2C%20or%20reducing%20challenging%20behavior.

Avramidis E E, B. D. (2014). The Gap Between Beliefs and Practices: Early Childhood Practitioners’ Perceptions About Inclusion.

Bayram, L. (2007). Early Years Foundation Stage: Changing the Future. Practical Professional Child Care.

Code section group. Codes Display Text. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=EDC&division=4.&title=2.&part=30.&chapter=1.&article=1

Considering LRE in placement decisions. Center for Parent Information and Resources. (n.d.). Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://www.parentcenterhub.org/placement-lre/

D. S. V. (2015). Preparation of Early Childhood Special Educators for Inclusive and Interdisciplinary Settings. Infants and Young Children.

Lightner, L. (2021, August 22). What is LRE? | Least Restrictive Environment Continuum in Special Education, explained. A Day in Our Shoes. Retrieved March 12, 2022, from https://adayinourshoes.com/iep-lre-least-restrictive-environment/

LRE – least restrictive environment. SpecialEdNews. (n.d.). Retrieved March 10, 2022, from http://specialednews.com/special-education-dictionary/lre-least-restrictive-environment/

Ndhlovu, D. S.-C. (2016). Early Childhood Education in Zambia: Inclusion of Children with Disabilities. International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research and Development.

SEC. 300.114 LRE requirements. Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (2017, May 3). Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/b/300.114

Section 1414 (d). Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. (2019, November 7). Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://sites.ed.gov/idea/statute-chapter-33/subchapter-ii/1414/d

US Department of Education (ED). (n.d.). Free appropriate public education under Section 504. Home. Retrieved March 9, 2022, from https://www2.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ocr/docs/edlite-FAPE504.html

Vanderbilt Peabody College . (n.d.). Least restrictive environment (LRE) - Vanderbilt University. Retrieved March 10, 2022, from https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/wp-content/uploads/pdf_info_briefs/IRIS_Least_Restrictive_Environment_InfoBrief_092519.pdf