Report of the ACSA Inclusion Task Force
Adopted by the ACSA Board of Directors November 2, 1995Executive
Summary
- ACSA's position is that inclusion is one placement choice along
a continuum of program options to meet the educational and service
needs of disabled students. For some students inclusion may be
an appropriate program; for others it may not.
- If inclusion is to provide an effective instructional choice,
a number of issues should be considered. These fall into six major
categories: Educational Goals, Instruction, Support, Parent Education,
Personnel and Finance.
- A decision to make an inclusion placement should be based on
a determination of mutual educational benefit to both special
education and general education students within the particular
setting.
- In implementing inclusion, it is necessary to maintain the integrity
of the general educational program. It is also necessary to maintain
the integrity of the student's IEP by providing designated equipment,
materials and support services.
- Parents of all students need to be made aware of issues regarding
education of students with special needs, and of the legal mandates
and protections afforded to both general education and special
education students.
- School and district administration is responsible for ensuring
that personnel with appropriate credentials and training are available
to serve students with special education needs. Training should
be provided to the entire staff in case of emergency situations.
School or district personnel, certificated or classified, may
be expected to provide medical or other services for which they
have been appropriately trained.
- It is critical that state and federal mandates of special education
are supported with the resources necessary to implement them.
Inclusion placement may be more costly than other placement options.
The choice of inclusion as an option does not relieve the district
of the obligation to provide necessary support services to the
student, teacher and classroom to ensure the success of the placement.
Inclusion
The issue of Inclusion has been in the forefront of special education
in recent years. Many educational and parent groups have formed
positions on this controversial issue. Court interpretations and
state/federal mandates have contributed to confusion and concerns
surrounding the effects of inclusion. Varying definitions, conflicting
positions of various interest groups, funding implications and training
needs have contributed to this controversy.
Rationale for ACSA involvement:
ACSA represents more than 14,000 school administrators throughout California who are charged with the leadership and implementation of a special education inclusion policy.
Our mission statement reads: "The mission of ACSA, as the educational leaders of California, is to ensure that every student in the state will be able to successfully compete in the international society; ACSA will accomplish this by exercising leadership to transform education, uniting and empowering the education community and setting the agenda for education in the 21st century." We believe fully in this commitment to success for all students, including the more than 500,000 who are special education students.
ACSA has a responsibility to assess the impact of inclusion and its implementation in California's schools, including: small and rural districts; districts with varying levels of resources; and districts with varying levels of experience, training and willingness to implement inclusion among teaching and administrative staff.
The effective implementation of inclusion has major implications for the success of special education and general education students alike.
ACSA believes that any program implementation should benefit all students, not some students at the expense of others. Further, ACSA has a responsibility to advocate for provision of adequate resources, flexibility and accountability for implementation by Local Education Agencies.
Perspectives on Inclusion
There are varying perspectives and opinions regarding inclusion from groups within and outside special education. This adds to the confusion and concern with which educators approach the theory and the reality of inclusion placements.
"The Learning Disabilities Association of America believes that the placement of ALL children with disabilities in the general education classroom is as great a violation of IDEA as is the placement of ALL children in separate classrooms on the basis of their type of disability."
-Learning Disabilities Association of America, Position Paper on Inclusion, 1993.
Those who favor inclusion " ... generally use three arguments to substantiate their case: 1) that children learn best in general education classroom (which is tantamount to saying that all children learn best in large groups as opposed to smaller groups); 2) that the goal of social equity that is met by keeping children mixed with their peers is of greater importance than how much children learn; or 3) that pullout programs are a violation of the civil rights of children with special needs because they segregate them from their peers."
"Inclusive education programs do not maintain rigid divisions between general and special education. Instead, under the direction of a school principal. teachers work together to enable students with mild to severe disabilities to share legitimate membership with their peers both in the classroom and throughout the school while still pursuing individually suited educational outcomes." (Raynes, M., Snell, M. & Sailor, W. Phi Delta Kappan, December 1991).
ACSA's position is that inclusion is one placement choice along a continuum of program options to meet the educational and service needs of disabled students. For some students inclusion may be an appropriate program, while for others it may not.
Inclusion differs from the traditional special day class placement for students. Typically, special education students who are placed in special day class are assigned to the special education class roster with the teacher of record being the special day class teacher. Those students are then mainstreamed into regular education classes in order for them to participate in instructional activities and integrate with their non-disabled peers. Students with limited skills might participate in regular classroom and school social activities. Those students with skills in a particular subject might participate in academic instruction in the regular classroom.
On the other hand, inclusive special education students are assigned to the regular classroom roster and are viewed by the students, parents and staff as a member of that class. Regardless of the student's disability or level of academic skill, the students are considered viable members of the class with the record being maintained by that classroom teacher.
Though the inclusive students are assigned to the regular classroom, they need not be in that class 100% of the day. The amount of time and the appropriate support for the students are decided through the Individualized Education Program process. This support may include a special day class or resource teacher working with the student in the classroom, curriculum modifications, instructional assistance service, designated instructional services (DIS), school based coordinated services or small group instruction in the special day classroom.
Legal Mandates
Three Federal laws have guided the overall direction of education for students with disabilities: the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (now known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA); Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and its implementing regulations (1977); and the Americans With Disabilities Act, ADA (1990). These are summarized in Appendix A.
Issues to Consider:
Albert Shanker, President of the American Federation of Teachers, has said, "Full inclusion is becoming more widely practiced based on budgetary and social motivation and not what most Americans think classrooms ought to be about, which is education."
If inclusion is to provide an effective instructional choice, a number of issues should be considered. These fall into six major categories: Educational Goals, Instruction, Support, Parent Education, Personnel, and Finance.
Educational Goals
A decision to make an inclusion placement should be based on a determination of mutual educational benefit to both special education and general education students within the particular setting. Educators and parents must be aware of the potential benefits as well as the concerns in choosing an inclusion placement or making a policy determination about inclusion in general.
Benefits to general education and special education students might include:
- acceptance and greater self-esteem
- physical, social and academic skill growth
- acceptance of individual differences
- awareness and understanding
- learning through teaching
- modeling, mentoring and nurturing others
- responsibility for others and the group
Concerns related to impact on general education programs, or on the success of the placement:
- increased responsibility for teachers, instructional assistants and students
- need for increased supervision by administrators and other instructional personnel
- need for differentiated teaching strategies
- need for special training for teachers and instructional assistants
- special education needs could interfere with whole class learning
- potential loss of instructional time for general education students
- general education teacher may not have special education expertise
Instruction
In implementing inclusion, it is necessary to maintain the integrity of the general educational program. The instructional needs of general and special education students must be considered, such as the possible need for:
- additional staff as well as supplementary materials, equipment and services.
- use of a wider variety of instructional strategies
- development of new strategies for behavioral intervention
- ongoing modification of curriculum to satisfy the IEP process
- involvement of classroom teachers and others in IEP team
- establishment of differential, measurable goals and provision for ongoing evaluation of progress against the IEP timeline
- creation of a more structured learning environment for certain students
- provision of additional planning time to ensure effective delivery of the program
Support Services
Support services are those provided for students with special needs, and are critical to the success of the program. In implementing an inclusion placement, it is necessary to maintain the integrity of the student's IEP by providing designated aids and support services. These include Designated Instructional Services, related services and non-instructional services which are necessary to sustain special education students in an inclusion placement. Support services may include but are not limited to:
Designated instructional services:
- speech and language therapy
- occupational and physical therapy
- adapted physical education
- specialized health services
- vocational education
Non-instructional services:
- transportation
- custodial and food services
- facility accommodations - ramps, elevators, screened areas, etc.
- facility space for services
- supplies
- supplementary materials, equipment and services
- one-to-one instructional assistants
Parent Education
There are a variety of ways to enhance parents' understanding of the inclusion process and ease the anxiety of both general education and special education parents about this placement option. Parents of all students need to be made aware of issues regarding education of students with special needs, and of the legal mandates and protections afforded to both general education and special education students.
Involving parents in a cooperative manner can minimize adversarial roles in this process and reduce the likelihood of due process hearings. Parents should be made aware of the following:
- implications of various placement options
- goals and objectives for instructional program
- special education mandates
- protections for the integrity of the general education program
- availability of alternative solutions to placement issues
- implications of school and district grading policies
Some useful strategies for development of an ongoing level of parental support could include:
- create a parent support network, which might include teams of general and special education parents, to promote sense of partnership
- involve parents in classroom planning and preparation
- educate parents to work with their children at home (parenting skills, etc.)
- educate general education parents to accommodate students with special needs in their homes to encourage socializing
Personnel
Students with special needs bring special challenges to all staff. The administration needs to make certain that personnel with appropriate credentials and training are available to serve students with special education needs. Training should be provided to the entire staff in case of emergency situations. School or district personnel, certificated or classified, may be expected to provide medical or other services for which they have been appropriately trained.
Personnel issues that may arise in connection with an inclusion placement include:
Inservice and professional development issues:
- current staff awareness of inclusion issues
- pre-inclusion activities
- transition plan for all staff/students (inclusion planning team)
- changing roles of staff
- staff development
Issues relating to staffing and deployment of personnel:
- increased staffing requirements
- need for specific credentials
- teacher selection
- contractual requirements
- inclusion specialist/teacher liaison or other special education consultants
- provision of adequate staff for support
- coordination of services
- individuals qualified to deliver specialized medical, health/sanitary procedures
- time for regular classroom teacher to be at IEP meeting
- shortage of fully credentialed personnel
Finance
The costs of special education are a major and ongoing concern to ACSA members. It is critical that State and Federal mandates of special education are supported with the resources necessary to implement them. Inclusion placement may be more costly than other placement options. The choice of inclusion as an option does not relieve the district of the obligation to provide necessary support services to the student, teacher, and classroom to ensure the success of the placement. Adequate funding to provide these necessary services is essential in order to maintain the functioning of the educational program of the school. Costs associated with an inclusion placement include:
- planning, preparation and training
- independent assessments
- cost to adjust class sizes
- instructional assistants
- transportation costs
- instructional materials/equipment including computers
- parent education and information (material, meetings)
- legal issues (cost of due process hearings, etc.)
- building accessibility and modifications (outdoors, too)
- special education teacher salaries/benefits
- supplementary materials, equipment and services
Issues related to the fiscal impact of special education and inclusion:
- Medi-Cal billing
- competition for resources between general and special education programs
- effects of CDE funding model
- mandates without funding
Summary Recommendation
The task force recommends that ACSA, whenever dealing with the issue of inclusion, be mindful that inclusion is one alternative on a continuum of educational options available to meet students' needs. Any inclusion placement must always preserve the integrity of the classroom instructional program. Adequate funding for necessary support services must be provided.
Appendix: Legal Mandates
1. The Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (known as Public Law 94-142 and now, through amendments known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, IDEA) required:
"Each public agency shall insure that special education classes, separate schooling or other removal of handicapped children from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the handicap is such that education in regular classes, with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily."
IDEA provides federal funds to assist states and school districts in making a free, appropriate, public education available to students with specified disabilities in mandated age ranges, beginning at a student's third birthday, and possibly lasting to a student's 22nd birthday, depending on state law and practice. Students with specified with physical, mental, emotional or sensory impairments, who need special education and related services, are eligible for services.
2. Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and its implementing regulations (1977) required:
"A (district) shall place a handicapped person in a regular educational environment operated by the (district) unless it is demonstrated by the (district) that the education of the person in the regular environment with the use of aides and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily."
Section 504 prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by recipients of federal financial assistance, including IDEA funds. The regulation contains free appropriate education requirements that are similar to those of IDEA.
3. The Americans With Disabilities Act, ADA (1990), and its implementing regulations require:
"A public entity may not deny a qualified individual with a disability the opportunity to participate in services, programs, or activities, that are not separate or different, despite the existence of permissibly separate or different programs or activities."
"Integration is fundamental to the purposes of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Provisions of segregated accommodations and services regulates persons with disabilities to second class status. Even when separate programs are permitted, individuals with disabilities cannot be denied the opportunity to participate in programs that are not separate or different. This is an important and overarching principle of the Americans With Disabilities Act. Segregated, special or different programs that are designed to provide a benefit to persons with disabilities cannot be used to restrict the participation of persons with disabilities in general, integrated activities .... Taken together, these provisions are intended to prohibit exclusion and segregation of individuals with disabilities and the denial of equal opportunities enjoyed by others, based on, among other things, presumptions, patronizing attitudes, fears and stereotypes of individuals with disabilities." This Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by state and local governments, whether or not they receive federal funds.
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