Least Restrictive Environment, according to IDEA, means that "each public agency must ensure that (i) to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are non-disabled; and (ii) special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily." Each state is held accountable and monitored through Special Education Profile data regarding LRE practices. The expectation is that most students with disabilities will spend at least 80% of their school day in educational settings with their same age and grade level peers without disabilities.
Consider this information alongside the fact that about 80% of students with disabilities do not have a cognitive disability and only about 1% of students with disabilities have a highly significant cognitive disability. Seems to me it should be pretty easy to be able to educate most students with disabilities in general education classrooms alongside their peers without disabilities, using the same high quality instructional methods and materials.
On average, across the country, state targets for Special Education Profile Indicator 5a for LRE (students with disabilities spending 80% or more of their day with peers without disabilities) range from 50% to 80%, meaning that the goal is to have 50-80% of students with disabilities spending 80% or more of their day with their peers without disabilities. Most state targets are around 60% and most states are hovering right around their targets. Each state is allowed to set their own targets as long as they are above baseline and show growth over time. When districts do not meet targets, they are informed and are expected to take action to rectify the issue.
Again if 80% of students with disabilities do not have cognitive disabilities, they should be able to access and make progress in the general curriculum. They should be spending the majority of their day in the general education setting, and targets should be far higher than 60%. Seems to me targets should be, AT A MINIMUM 80%. But unfortunately, much like every other minority demographic, decisions are made for students with disabilities by those without disabilities, those in the majority--those in the privileged norm group.
When students with disabilities are given access to an educational setting that includes peers without disabilities, it is often seen as the student with a disability being allowed to be in that class, to have that access. It is the prerogative of someone else to grant that access through the lens of privilege as though some students need to earn the privilege of access to general education, to high quality instruction from content experts, using high quality instructional materials and methods. And it is almost always conditional as well. They can access this class if...they behave, they make progress, they do not take time and attention away from the others. Education is supposed to be for ALL learners, not most, but ALL. And ALL learners have the right to access the same educational environment.
When we decide to educate all types of learners together in the same setting, all the students will benefit. We often think that the kids with different or complex educational needs will take something away from those children who are progressing as expected or who are accelerated. It can be viewed as unfair or putting the students without disabilities at a disadvantage but in reality, there is either no difference in outcomes or children with and without disabilities benefit. In a meta-analysis of inclusive education research by Kalambouka, Farrell, and Dyson’s in 2007, it was found that 81% of the reported outcomes showed including students with disabilities resulted in either positive or neutral effects for students without disabilities. Other studies indicate that the outcomes are almost always positive for students with disabilities. Students without disabilities made significantly greater progress in reading and math when served in inclusive settings. (Cole, Waldron, & Majd, 2004; Cosier, Causton-Theoharis, & Theoharis, 2013; Dessemontet, Bless, & Morin, 2012))
LRE is based in principles of equity. Equity does not mean that all kids get the same thing. Neither does it say that all kids will reach the same outcome. What is does say is that all kids will be given access to the same quality instruction, educators, materials, resources and environments AND whatever additional supports and services they might need to fully have that access--access to the general education curriculum. Yes, least restrictive can mean different things for different individuals but I would argue that the restrictiveness of an environment can be manipulated if barriers are identified and solutions are found by collaborative teams. Any environment can be made less restrictive. It may take time and effort and energy and innovation and ingenuity but it can be done.
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