III.

PLACEMENT

Assessment results are used to decide a child's appropriate education placement within a continuum
from the least to the most restrictive settings. During the evaluation, student performance is assessed
and the team determines if there would be any changes in the educational placement within the
continuum. Teams will base this on their observations, assessment results, and other factors, with the
goal to move toward the least restrictive learning environment. Sound decisions are made to allow for
fluidity in the child's placement based on the child's strengths, abilities, and needs.

What Is the Best Placement for Carl?

Before we continue, let us pause and think about our sample case, Carl. Refer back to Carl's
Assessment to review his background and the assessment results. What do you think is the best
placement for him? If he stays in his current school, what support does he need to meet academic
expectations? Should he be pulled out of the school and study in a special school? Turn to a partner
and discuss your insights. Be ready to share with the class.

A general education classroom is the least restrictive environment for a child with additional needs.
Access to the same learning experiences and opportunities is provided as to typically developing
students. Thus it is considered as the "most normalized or typical setting" (Gargiulo, 2012). Additional
support in the form of accommodations or changes in expectations through curriculum modifications
may be provided but still within the same classroom as peers within the year level.

Another option for placement is to be in a general education class but the child receives
supplementary instruction and services such as speech, physical, and occupational therapy or
counseling services during the school day. Options may be provided when such sessions are
conducted, either during school or as an after-school service.

Students who may be part of a general education class are pulled-out of their class to receive
instruction from a specialist teacher in a resource. room. In such a placement, it is assumed that the
child will benefit more from either a small-group or individualized instruction with a specialist teacher
who will be able to more intensively target his learning needs.

Other students need more intensive support that is not provided in general education class. Teams
may decide to recommend placement for a child in a more restrictive setting such as a self-contained
special education class but still located in a general education school. In this learning environment, all
students receive individualized and group instruction with peers with disabilities and additional needs
from a special education teacher Depending on the program goals, students may be given the
opportunity to interact with typically developing peers through school community-building activities.

Moving up in the placement continuum, some students who need more intensive instruction and
supports are educated in a special education class in a special education school. Teams of
professionals, along with the special education teacher, work with students with disabilities and
additional needs in a highly specialized setting.

On the other end of the continuum is the most restrictive or isolated setting, such as a residential
facility where students live and receive their educational support twenty-four hours a day. Finally,
children with multiple disabilities, often of the severe kind, are provided with home- or hospital based
programs to manage their medical condition and learn as much as they could.

Inclusive education espouses that all students, to the maximum extent possible, is provided access to
general education classroom with the provision of support to remove barriers to enable success.
Figure 4.2 presents this continuum of educational placement options (Spinelli 2012).
IV. ACCOMMODATIONS AND CURRICULAR MODIFICATIONS

Students with disabilities and additional needs who are studying in an inclusive general education
classroom may need accommodations in the form of instructional support and other supplementary
services. Others who need more intensive support are provided with curricular modifications.

A. Accommodations

Based on the definition, accommodations are supports provided to students to help gain full access to
class content and instruction, without altering the curriculum standards and competencies expected
and to demonstrate accurately what they know. When accommodations are provided in a general
education classroom for children with disabilities, barriers are removed from accessing education. As
a result, children can work around the effect of their disabilities. Examples of accommodations are
altering instruments, toys or materials, changing the room during specific activities, providing time
extensions or allowances for tests and tasks, and changing response formats in worksheets.

Accommodations may be provided both during assessment and instruction, depending on the
learning profile and needs of a child and may vary in terms of presentation, response, setting, and
scheduling (Beech 2010).

1. Presentation Accomodations
Children with disabilities may need specialized presentation formats especially those with sensory
impairments so they can learn the same content alongside typically developing peers. Table 4.1
presents examples of accommodations in presentation.
2. Response Accommodations
Response accommodations allow students with disabilities and additional needs a variety of ways to
complete assignments, written tests, performance tasks, and other activities. Providing such
instructional and assessment supports allows them to access the same learning experiences as other
students in a general education classroom. Table 4.2 summarizes examples of response
accommodations for students with disabilities and additional needs.