WHAT IS INCLUSION? While definitions vary, inclusion (sometimes referred to as full inclusion) usually refers to the placement of students with disabilities in a regular (general education) classroom, with all or most special services provided in that classroom. Here are some other aspects of the definition that you may encounter: Home school Students with disabilities attend the school that they would attend if they did not have a disability. Natural proportions Students with disabilities are present in the same proportions that are found in the general population; large numbers of students with disabilities should not be 'clumped' into one classroom. Age-appropriate Students with disabilities are placed in classes with other students of about the same age, not the same developmental level. Supports and services Students receive special educational services, and have access to appropriate supports, in the general education classroom; students are not 'dumped' into a regular classroom without appropriate help. Supports may also be necessary for the classroom teacher, including staff development time for training and planning, team teaching with the special educator, and collaborative consultation with special education staff, behavioral consultants, school psychologists, or other specialists. HOW DOES INCLUSION DIFFER FROM MAINSTREAMING? Mainstreaming implies that the student should be ready for the general education classroom before being placed there. For example, a student with a disability might attend a special class until his/her skills are advanced enough to allow success in the general education classroom. Inclusion implies that the student has a right to be in the general education classroom, and that the classroom should be modified and made ready for the student. Does the law mandate inclusion? What IDEA (the 'special education' law) actually says is that students with disabilities must be educated in the regular classroom with supplementary aids and services to the maximum extent appropriate. Supplementary services may include resource room and itinerant instruction. However, a full continuum of services, including special classes, separate schools, and residential programs, must be available if education in regular classes cannot be achieved satisfactorily. The courts have interpreted satisfactory performance as making more than minimal progress. In addition, education is broadly defined as including social as well as academic outcomes. What services and supports are associated with inclusion? Each student identified as having a disability will have an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that will spell out what services they will receive, what their goals are, and how their progress will be evaluated. The IEP is written by a team that includes the parent, the general education teacher, the student if appropriate, and the special education staff, administration, and other specialists. During the IEP meeting, you will discuss whether the student will receive all services within the general education classroom, or if any services are needed that require the student to be removed from the classroom. The goals for the student will be developed and the techniques for teaching and evaluating progress will be outlined. Goals should include social and behavioral outcomes as well as academic ones. It is important to remember that the goals and services depend on the student's individual needs, not their disability label. In addition, any student, regardless of label, who demonstrates behaviors that interfere with their own learning or the learning of peers, should have a Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA) and a Behavior Improvement Plan (BIP) developed and implemented. Positive behavioral interventions may be implemented by the teacher with consultative support or may require a paraprofessional in the classroom. …