LRE

Tue, Jun 13, 2023 1:14PM
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SUMMARY KEYWORDS
iep team, child, general education classroom, student, least restrictive environment, parent, placement, support, prior written notice, include, special ed, data, ensure, team, services, education, supplementary aids, modifications, inclusive education, school

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Welcome to the special ed strategists podcast Your Guide to navigating the world of specialeducation and inclusive learning. And this podcast is solo episode we are going to unravel thetransformative transformative power of the least restrictive environment are L R E, and delveinto the strategies that empower students with unique abilities. Join me as we explore theessential role of LRE and creating inclusive classrooms supporting parents as advocates andunleashing the full potential of every child. Get ready for an enlightening conversation andactionable advice from me your host, Wendy Taylor, let's embark on this empowering journeytogether. Before we get started, I kindly kindly ask you to like share and follow if you have notdone that to the special ed strategist podcast, or on social at learning essentials. So here we go. When deciding where your student or your child will receive their special education instructinstruction, we should consider the least restrictive environment, the LRE concept. So this means finding the educational setting that allows your child to be included with studentswithout disabilities as much as possible while still meeting their individual needs. The placement decision, which determines where your child's education will take place is made bythe Individualized Education Program, or team IEP, which includes you, first and foremost asthe parent, we want to provide the best learning environment for our students. The law requires that students with disabilities be educated alongside students without disabilities tothe maximum extent appropriate. So this means that we strive to include every child andregular education classes with the appropriate supports and services whenever possible.special classes or separate schools are considered only when determining that your studentneeds cannot be effectively met in a regular education setting, even with additional supportprogram modifications and services. The IEP team wants to ensure that placement decisionsare not based solely on a student's disability category and the severity of their disability,language and communication needs, necessary modifications and the general action.necessary modifications in the general curriculum. How our school system Hold on. The IEP team wants to make sure that the placement decisions are not based solely on a student'sdisability category, not based on the severity of their disability, nor their language andcommunication needs. So necessary modifications in the general curriculum are available, andwe have to look at our space and service. Nope, hold on.
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We want to ensure that the the IEP team wants to assure you that the placement decisions are not based solely on your child's disability category the severity of their disability language and not based solely on your child s disability category, the severity of their disability, language and communication needs and modifications and the general education and stead dish decisionsare based on what will provide the student or your child the most effective educationalexperience while promoting their inclusion and participation with peers. So what is the LRE mandate so providing your student your child's education and general education setting asmuch as possible according to LRE mandate. If a general education classroom suits your child,that's where they will receive their education. However, if the IEP team determines that a different setting is more appropriate, the team will choose the setting that allows your child tobe as included as possible with their non disabled peers. Now when I say team remember you as a parent are part of that team. So the team is going to consider placing your child yourstudent in the school where they would attend if they didn't have a disability, that's going to bethe least restrictive unless the IEP team agrees that another school is better suited for theirneeds. The team will also consider placing your child in a school close to your home if theycannot attend the neighborhood school because of their disability. And that will also include transportation. So if your child has been moved away from their usual environment withstudents without disabilities So preschool age three to five or from regular educationclassrooms, school aged children from kindergarten to age 21. It's important for the IEP team to consider other options that are least restrictive. So let's think about what are some other options so you can have inclusion with supplementary aids and services. The IEP team can explore the possibility of including your child and general education classrooms with additionalsupports accommodations and services tailored to their individual needs. These supplementaryaids and services may include specialized instruction, assistive technology, classroommodifications or supports from a pair for pet care professional. There's also what we call co teaching or a collaboration model that's still within that General Education your homeschoolmodel. co teaching involves placing your student in a general education classroom with both ageneral education teacher and a special education teacher who work
together to provideinstruction and support, collaboration models and more involve regular consultation andcollaboration between the general education and the special education teacher to ensure thatyour child's needs are being met within the general education setting. If you're at an IEP tableas a parent, and they're discussing this option, make sure you ask the question parents, pleaseask is this being taught by a special education teacher or a paraprofessional so that you havethe knowledge of the adults that are going to be in that classroom to then help make aninformed decision of if that's going to be the best placement for your child to meet their needs,meaning that you have a gen ed and special ed. Sometimes there's a paraprofessional in thatscenario, and so ask the questions so that you ensure that you have that informed decision.When you are thinking about options for least restrictive environment for your child. There's also a thing called resource room or pullout services again, still within your home school, theschool public school that your child would be assigned to based on where you live. In some cases, a resource room or pullout services may be considered. This involves providing targetedinstruction or support and a separate setting while still allowing your child just spent themajority of their time in the general education classroom. These services can address specificareas of need while maintaining integrity, and integration with their non disabled peers. There's also we call it part time placement where the IEP team may explore the option of a part timeplacement where your child spends some of their time in the general education classroom andreceives specialized instruction or support and a separate setting for the remaining part of theirday. When we talk about least restrictive environment that can also come up in theconversations and we're talking about transition planning. So if your child is transitioningbetween grade levels or school settings, the IEP team can consider a transition plan thatgradually increases their exposure to the general education environment. And this plan can be tailored to meet your child's needs while working towards full inclusion. So remember, the IEP team will assess your child's IEP individualized circumstances, and needs to determine the
most appropriate and least restrictive placement options. Again, you are part of that team.When you're doing the assessment, you are part of that team during those discussions todetermine what would be the best fit for your student to learn. There's also separate schoolsthat a student can go to so the goal is to ensure that your child receives an education thatmaximizes their opportunities for academic growth, social development and inclusion and theeducational community. So what are some times that a child may be removed from a Gen? Y?So the question I get often is why might my child be removed from the general educationcommunity sometimes removing your child from a general education classroom may be necessary. So however, we must clearly explain why we believe those services that your childneeds cannot be adequately provided in the general education setting. So even with additional support program modifications and services, the IEP team wants you to understand that theyare recommending or why they are would recommend your child from these classes. So let's look here

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at some I'm going to go through a couple of scenarios for you of why a student may beremoved from general education classroom despite efforts to provide additional supportprograms, modifications and services. So if there's intense support needed, your child mayhave intensive support and needs that require a more specialized instruction environment. And these needs could include significant learning difficulties, behavioral challenges, medicalconsiderations that that cannot be adequately addressed within the general educationclassroom alone. There could be lack of access to curriculum despite modifications andaccommodations, your child may struggle to access and make meaningful progress in thegeneral education curriculum. The curriculum may be significantly either above or below thecurrent academic level, and making it difficult for them to engage in benefit from theinstruction of providing. There could also be safety concerns. If certain in certain cases, there may be safety concerns for your child or their peers that cannot be effectively addressed withinthat general education setting. These concerns could arise due to physical aggression, selfinjurious behaviors, or other challenging behaviors that pose a risk to themselves or others.limited social interaction opportunities if your child has significant social and communicationchild challenges, they may have limited opportunities for meaningful social interactions withinthat general education classroom. So this can impact their ability to develop social skills, formfriendships, and fully participate in group activities. Then there's also specialized instructions or therapies. So your child may required specialized instruction or therapies that cannot beadequately provided within the general education classroom due to the need for individualizedattention, specialized equipment or specific therapeutic intervention. So it's essential for the IEP team to provide a clear and detailed explanation as to why your child's needs cannot beadequately met in the general education setting. And the team will discuss the specific reasons for their decision and address any concerns. Right. So the team will also explain whyalternative supports or modifications that were considered but ultimately not recommended ornot deemed suitable for your child's unique needs and educational goals. And we will talk about that that will need to be placed in what we call a prior written notice. So if you're at an IEP meeting, as a parent, you're not agreeing with any of this decision. Specifically, as I say, Iwould like you to tell me specifically why in the prior written notice, that is a notice that you'regoing to receive after the meeting that will explain what was agreed upon and not agreed upon. So to change the least restrictive environment for a student, the IEP team will considervarious types of data to ensure an informed decision. They must include assessment results,the team will review current and relevant assessment results including academic evaluations,cognitive assessments, behavioral assessments, and any other assessments that provide insight into the student's ability challenges and learning needs. Also, they're going to consider observations and documentation. Data from classroom observation teacher reports otherrelevant documentation will be considered. This information helps provide a comprehensiveunderstanding of the student's performance behaviors, social interactions, and participation inthe general education setting. Included in that information is going to be progress monitoring data. So if the student has been receiving special education services, progress monitoring datawill be crucial in determining the effectiveness of the current placement. This data may includeacademic progress, behavioral tracking, social skill development, and other relevant measuresof the student's growth and achievement. And of course, always, always the parent input.Parents your perspective is key insights about your child's strengths, challenges, preferencesare vital and decision making. So the IEP team will seek input from you as a parent to help gainthat holistic understanding of the child or your child's needs and goals. And I always encourageparents to write a parent input statement that includes all areas cognitive, social, emotional,physical, sensory function, communication, thinking of your child from Bell to bell, but alsothinking about your child who they are accessing the school and their school day and theirlearning. Teacher and specialists input input from teachers and special education staff,therapist and other professionals working directly with that student is essential. They canprovide valuable information about the student's progress Response to Intervention and anyconcerns related to the current placement. So IEP meeting discussions are also included whenwe're thinking about least restrictive environment if we're thinking about moving a child inespecially if that placement involves moving out of a school building, it is critical to think abouteverything that goes in how is this child learning? How is it impacting their day, so that there isreally a comprehensive conversation and it's not just made on a whim, which is not. Okay, sothe discussion and collaboration that occurs during IEP meetings play a crucial role in gatheringdata and ensuring a comprehensive understanding of the students needs, the team willconsider the perspective insights and recommendations shared during these meetings. So by considering these various sources of data, the IEP team can make an informed decisionregarding the change in the student's least restrictive environment. It's, it is essential that the data reflects the student's current abilities, challenges and educational needs to ensure themost appropriate, appropriate and effective placement for their educational success andinclusion.

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We must provide additional information to document the basis of our decision and I kind ofhinted at this earlier this prior written notice. So to document the base of our decision, or that IEP teams decision regarding your child's placement. Documentation ensures that the team met the requirements of the prior written notice, or you'll hear p w n, which is designed to keepyou as the parent informed, but it also is designed to have documentation for you as a parent.So anytime during an IEP meeting, I want you to think if they're disagreeing with something,make sure that it's in that prior written notice. And there's a description to why it isn't there. So a prior written notice is going to be a clear description of a proposed or refused actionregarding your student's placement, and explanation of why the team proposed or refuse totake that action, a description of the options they considered and why they decided not tochoose them. So all of these are really important to make sure that that team is very clear onwhat they offered, why they gave it why they didn't so that you as a parent have recourse ifyou feel that you should need that down the low route. Information about the assessments, test scores, records or reports. An IEP team used to support the proposal or refusal, any otherrelevant factors that the IEP team took into account when making the decision, and a list ofresources that you as a parent can contact if you need assistance, understanding the provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, our federal law ID A, and if theproposed actions requires a parent consent, the IEP team can provide the notice at the sametime and request your consent. So let's just kind of regroup a little bit. Think about some tipsfor effective communication with the IEP team to ensure that least restrictive environment does take place. To ensure that your student's placement decision aligns with the principles of theleast restrictive environment. I want you to be an active participant and actively participate inIEP meetings and discussions about your child's placement. Your insights and perspective as a parent are valuable. As you know, you know your kiddo best. So share your thoughts, concerns,aspirations for your student, your child's education, I want you to think six months, one year,two year five years thinking ahead down the road to ensure that everything's laid out, becauseyou're the consistent member of that IEP team from year to year. Understand the concept of least restrictive environment. So educate yourself about the concept of least restrictiveenvironment and its importance, familiarize, familiarize yourself with the legal requirementsand the benefits of an inclusive education. And this knowledge is going to empower you toadvocate effectively for your child's inclusive place that I want you to emphasize your kiddosstrength I want you to highlight their strengths, their abilities, their potential, I want you to helpthe IEP team understand how your child can thrive in an inclusive setting and how theirpresence can contribute to the Learning Community. Focus on what your child can do ratherthan solely on their chart challenges, requests supporting evidence. So I want you to ask theIEP team for evidence based reason
s if there are we're recommending removing your childfrom general education classroom. So requests specific information on why they believe theirservices and supports cannot be adequately provided in the general education setting. seek clarification on alternatives. considered and rejected, so a lot to think about. Also seek collaboration and solutions always the best approach. Approach the conversation with acollaborative, collaborative mindset work together with the IEP team to explore potentialsolutions and strategies for supporting your child in the least restrictive environment.Encourage open communication, brainstorming and problem solving to find the best potentialplacement for your child. And so during these conversations with the IEP team, consider askingsome questions to gather information to ensure a comprehensive understanding of your child'splacement decision. So what does the concept of Least Restrictive Environment mean and mychild's case? And how does it apply to their education? What efforts have been made to includemy child in the general education classrooms with supplementary aids services, programmodifications and supports? And can you provide examples? And last, why is the IEP teamrecommending removing my child from general education classroom and what specificchallenges or limitations so I think there's a lot to take in. But especially if you have a studentthat a teen is recommending a different placement for, again, whether it is within a schoolbuilding or within a separate school building, it is important to understand what this means is alaw what this means is a parent as an advocate, and have these questions answered to ensurethat your child is in the correct placement for them to shine. So thank you for joining me on thisinsightful episode of the special ed ed strategist podcast where I explored the transformativeretrial that again.

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Thank you for joining me on this episode of the special ed strategists podcast again, I am yourhost Wendy Taylor. I loved exploring this transformative power of the least restrictiveenvironment and inclusive education I hope you found inspiration gained valuable insights anddiscovered strategies to empower your student and other students with unique abilities. As we continue our journey I invite you to tune into our next episode where we'll dive deeper into allthings special ed, be sure to like share and follow us on social media to stay connected with our community of special ed strategist and passionate advocates. Together let's anthem amplifythe voices of students, parents and educators who champion inclusive education. Remember, every child deserves a learning environment that celebrates their strengths supports theirchallenges and nurtures their dream. Thank you for being a part of the special ed strategist podcast. Until next time, bye for now.