The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that students with disabilities be educated with peers without disabilities "to the maximum extent appropriate." When the individualized education program (IEP) team is reviewing the student's current performance, establishing the student's goals, and determining the services that the…

William is 9 years of age, residing with his parent within the boundaries of an unnamed district ("the District"). As a student with autism he is eligible for special education programming and services. There was one issue presented for this due process hearing: What was the appropriate program and placement for him for the 2008-2009 school year?…

This report describes and evaluates the La Grange (Illinois) Area Department of Special Education (LADSE) network for students with emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD). It also presents a curriculum guide for applying the wraparound approach in schools. The LADSE EBD network is based on three levels of support: special classroom, supported…

No student should have to earn his or her way into the general education classroom, writes the author. The inclusive education model recognizes every student's right to be educated in the least restrictive environment, as provided under special education law. Yet many school districts still place students with special learning needs in separate…

This paper addresses issues in determining the most appropriate placement for a student with a disability, emphasizing that Individualized Education Program (IEP) teams must adhere to legal requirements related to placement in the least restrictive environment. The paper addresses: federal requirements under the Individuals with Disabilities…

Background: Judgements about students' competence influence the goals of their individualised education programs (IEPs), the location of service delivery, and their placement in general education (GE) as opposed to special education (SE) classes. The purpose of this study was to describe how presumed competence to learn the GE curriculum was…

This paper, with portions written in English and French, examines issues in the education of students with emotional or behavior disorders (EBD) from a Canadian perspective. The paper is organized to counter seven "myths" about schools and students with EBD. These are: (1) "the student is the problem" (rather, well organized…

This paper lists five principles to consider that will enable beginning teachers to defend Individualized Education Program (IEP) decisions for students with disabilities in due process hearings. The first principle urges teachers to consider placing children with disabilities in regular education with supplemental aids and services when making…

A study involving 322 children whose individualized education programs contained goals and objectives that require vision or orientation and mobility services found that most were placed in full or part-time regular classrooms and that the most frequently reported services included ordering books and materials and Braille reading and writing. (CR)

This is the seventh analysis of the percentages of pupils aged 5 to 15 in special schools and the percentages of pupils aged 5 to 15 with statements in special schools. The analysis is based on the official Department for Education and Skills data of indicators for England. Findings indicate the national percentage of 5- to 15-year-old pupils in…

Mainstreaming deaf children may not adequately meet their educational, cultural, or social needs. Those advocating full inclusion have mistakenly pursued equal treatment rather than equal opportunity. The answer lies in approaching the problem from a cultural-pluralism perspective. (133 references) (MLF)

This study compared Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for 108 elementary grade students with mild disabilities in either resource or inclusive settings. IEPs for resource students had more service minutes, more long-range goals, used more information sources, indicated better correspondence between IEP components and student ability level,…

This article describes how successful collaborative planning for students' full or partial involvement in all aspects of the general curriculum through the Individualized Education Program (IEP) can ensure that students with disabilities have meaningful participation in the life of the school community. Indicators of effective collaboration are…

This fact sheet describes provisions under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA) that prohibit the discriminatory assignment of students with disabilities to segregated classes or facilities. In elementary and secondary schools, students with disabilities may be assigned to…

This bulletin on the 1997 reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) reviews ten provisions of the Act that support inclusive education, including: (1) language in the "Findings" section of the law that states the education of students with disabilities can be made more effective by having high expectations…