Placement options
FAPE stands for a free, appropriate public education that is guaranteed through the Individual Education Plan (IEP). After the IEP is written, it describes the where and how services will be provided to address a student’s educational and medical needs. IDEA mandates the least restrictive environment for students with disabilities. Students must receive educational services to the maximum extent possible alongside students without disabilities. Nevertheless, students can be removed from general education classrooms if their needs are not being met. To effectively implement the least restrictive environment schools must have a continuum of placement options to meet students needs. Schools do not have the option of not offering a placement that a student requires. Table 1 describes the comprehensive range of possible placements for students with disabilities.
Instructional Models
There are several instructional models that schools use to meet the needs of students with disabilities. There is not one setting or one instructional strategy that works for all students. Schools should determine which instructional models to utilize based on each student’s need. Table 2, describes several types of approaches for serving students with disabilities.
References:
Smith, T. E. (2016). Serving students with special needs: A practical guide for administrators, New York: Routledge.
https://www.ncld.org/archives/reports-and-studies/idea-parent-guide-2
https://www.ncld.org/archives/reports-and-studies/idea-parent-guide-2