Including students with extensive support needs (ESN) in general education schools and classes across a district and school can be challenging. To be successful and sustainable, students with ESN need education teams with a wide range of expertise and, at minimum, a district-wide system of inclusion. This article demonstrates how one district and their school teams used a scaffolded tool (5-15-45 Tool) and a five-step implementation process to increase the inclusion of students with ESN at the school and district levels. The tool was designed to support collaborative teams to implement evidence-based practices in general education contexts. Using vignettes, completed examples from the 5-15-45 Tool, and an external link to a grade-level lesson, this article illustrates how education teams, schools, and districts can use the 5-15-45 Tool and five-step process to include students with ESN in general education contexts and to enhance inclusive education across a district.
Illinois has an education system that includes regional cooperatives charged with supporting member districts in the provision of special education services for students from birth to age 22. Such support can include both direct services (i.e., early childhood services, special education classes in a separate building or in special education classrooms of the member districts) and indirect services (e.g., consulting services, professional development and coaching, assessment, related services). This interview is with three leaders in one such cooperative of 18 K-8 and high school member districts of varying size across 3 regions in 2 counties.
Parents and teachers have identified the social inclusion of students with complex support needs as one of the most important components of school participation. Previous research has found that the opportunities for, and importance of, social contacts for students with complex support needs vary by educational placement. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a national sample of 92 elementary-aged students with complex support needs to determine whether placement predicts the number and importance of social contacts. We used multilevel regression analysis to measure the extent to which placement predicts the number of social contacts and teachers’ ratings of importance. Students in inclusive placements had almost 50% more social contacts than students in a segregated school. Furthermore, teachers’ perceptions of the social significance of the contacts experienced by students with complex support needs were notably higher in inclusive settings. Given these findings, we suggest implications for practice and future research.
Education teams continue to place students with extensive support needs (ESN) in segregated settings despite nearly 50 years of research culminating in the conclusion that students with ESN have better outcomes when educated in general education contexts. This article uses Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to explain how social systems influence the beliefs, attitudes, and decisions made by education team members about the educational placement of students with ESN. This article describes: (a) Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory to explain how each social system influences decisions made about the educational placement of students with ESN; (b) the history of educational segregation of students with disabilities; (c) macrosystems of education team members and how they perpetuate segregated placement decisions of students with ESN; and (d) actions to disrupt the education system and segregated placement decisions.
In a philanthropic landscape where advancement programmes must raise more dollars from shrinking donor bases, how can annual giving strategies contribute to ambitious fundraising goals? In an effort to effectively support the university’s goals of doubling annual cash fundraising, preparing for an upcoming campaign launch, and developing untapped, rated prospect potential, the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC) made the decision to move their annual giving programme focus away from a loosely based, decentralised participation model and towards a centralised pipeline model. How does de-emphasising participation rates affect the institution? What metrics will be used to assess the success of the pipeline model? How do current trends in annual giving fit into this pipeline model? In reading how UIUC analysed and answered these questions, readers will have a better understanding of how to evaluate their donor base, programme goals and staff/financial resources to see if a similar move is right for their annual giving programme. In addition, this paper will explore the logistics of transitioning a programme as well as the experiences of gaining buy-in, messaging strategy change to key leadership, and managing the changing model in a decentralised environment.
Research has begun to identify the breadth and complexity of contextual variables that impact the opportunities, services, and supports students with complex support needs receive across different classroom placements. Indeed, as research has suggested, placement in and of itself may determine the schooling experiences of these students in ways that can enhance or constrain the outcomes of the educational process. This study examined an array of contextual variables in relation to four types of placement in which students with complex support needs might be placed for educational services by their Individualized Education Program teams. Placements were defined in terms of percent of the school day students had access to age-level general education classes, ranging between no access (separate school) to 80% or higher (“inclusive”). The investigation used surveys completed by a national sample of special and general educators and administrators. Completed surveys were obtained for 117 students with complex support needs across all four types of placement. The findings revealed potential relationships between a number of contextual variables and placement, suggesting that: (a) student opportunities and experiences vary systematically in relation to the amount of access they have to general education classrooms and (b) the application of the Least Restrictive Environment process, with its tacit endorsement of segregated settings and specialized programs, may in fact negatively impact the education of many of these students. Implications of these findings and future research needs are discussed.
Placement decisions for students with severe disabilities have often been based less on the students’ unique learning needs but more on beliefs and presumptions about student learning, entrenched school district policies that restrict program delivery options, and other variables unrelated to student needs. In light of the benefits associated with inclusive practices for students with severe disabilities, this article examines the foregoing factors to better understand how they affect placement decisions and to identify barriers to implementing at a national level more inclusive placements. The article also addresses systems change solutions, and several new federally funded initiatives that could contribute to authentic changes in placement practices.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, schools shifted to nontraditional education overnight, disrupting learning for millions of children in the United States. Despite the broad impact of these shifts in schooling, its effects have not been uniform. How would the specialized instructional supports known to be effective in meeting the needs of students with extensive support needs (ESN) be provided remotely? We interviewed eight mothers of students with ESN to learn how nontraditional education impacted the educational experiences of students with ESN. Our findings included the overall perception that nontraditional education was highly unsuccessful and could not replace in-person learning for participants’ children. Findings also highlighted challenges participants experienced when working to support their children’s at-home learning, as well as the unexpected benefits participants reported from remote service delivery that may be considered as future recommendations of instructional practices for students with ESN.
Placement decisions for students with severe disabilities have often been based less on the students’ unique learning needs but more on beliefs and presumptions about student learning, entrenched s...
In this article, we provide a summary of a literature review conducted to determine how the published literature, including research articles, conceptual articles, and chapters, (a) describes access to the state-adopted grade-level standards in general education classes for students with extensive support needs (ESN) and (b) discusses recommended processes for determining meaningful access to the state-adopted grade-level standards in general education classes for students with ESN. We reviewed a total of 554 pieces of published literature considered for inclusion in our summary. Based on our inclusion and exclusion criteria, we included 32 articles and chapters in the final analysis. The review yielded important information related to six themes, including (a) the language used to describe students with ESN; (b) the varying understandings, or perceptions, of what access to the state-adopted grade-level standards means; (c) the recommended steps in the processes that teams might use to provide access to the state-adopted grade-level standards, and the alignment between standards and Individualized Education Program goals; (d) the short- and long-term outcomes of access to and inclusion in the general education curriculum; (e) who is involved; and (f) the ways in which progress monitoring and assessment were implemented. We conclude with our recommendations for future research.
