Continuum Of Services Available

Special education must offer a continuum of placement options from the most restrictive (residential institutional care) to the least restrictive (full time placement in a regular classroom). The removal of students from the general educational environment shall occur only when the nature of severity of the disability is such that education in general classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. They must not assign a student to a more restrictive setting unless it can be demonstrated that the more restrictive setting will result in greater gains than a less restrictive setting.

Placements must be close to the child's home whenever possible and in the company of the student's non-disabled peers as much as possible. When academic integration is not feasible, students with and without disabilities should be brought together for such activities as P.E. classes, lunch, and assemblies.

1. General education classroom with support from the special education teachers. All instruction provide by the general education teacher
2. General education classroom with instruction provided by both general and special education teacher; co-teaching as prescribed by the IEP but no pull out.
3. General education classroom with instruction provided by both the general and special education teacher; pull out (not with general students in classroom) is less 20% of the school day
4. General education classroom with instruction provided by both the general and special education teacher; pull out is 20-60% of the school day
5. General education classroom with instruction provided by the general education teacher; but pull out is more than 60% of the school day.
6. General education school with instruction in a special education classroom and participation in nonacademic programs as prescribed by the IEP
7. Home/hospital instruction

The intention is to have children in the least restricted continuum of service where the student can be in full inclusion with their peers.