Step 1: Review the IEP and Supporting Data

Placement Option and Decision Statements

Steps for Determining a Placement Decision

Step 1: Review the IEP and Supporting Data

Identify student needs per the IEP: Present Level Statement, Special Factors, Annual Goals, Benchmarks/Objectives, Specially Designed Instruction, Supplementary Aids and Services, Related Services, and Program Modifications. Review IEP progress monitoring, work products, informal observations, teacher input, classwork, homework, grades, formative and summative assessments, disciplinary logs, FBA, BIP.

Is the student performing commensurate with age peers in the area of disability?
If YES, is the student a candidate for evaluation, eligibility determination and potential dismissal from IDEA?
Is the student making satisfactory progress toward the annual goal in his/her current placement?
Is the student satisfying setting demands in his/her current placement?
If YES, will the student continue to make satisfactory progress in the same placement?
If NO, is heightened support warranted in the same placement in order to make satisfactory progress (e.g., Specially Designed Instruction, Supplementary Aids and Services, Behavior Intervention Plan, Supports for Personnel)?
If NO, is heightened support warranted in a more restrictive setting warranted in order for the student to make satisfactory progress?

Step 2: Consider Placement Options

Full Time in the General Education Environment (with Co-Teaching)

Can the Goals, Benchmarks, SDI be implemented in a full time general educationwith the supports of Supplementary Aids and Services?

If YES, describe the data sources, the SDI and the reasons that the general education environment is the best placement for SDI implementation. It is not necessary to discuss more restrictive placement options (B or C). Proceed to Step 3.
If NO, proceed to 2B.

Part time General Education and Part Time Special Education

Can the Goals, Benchmarks, SDI be implemented in a part time general education and part time special education environment with the supports of Supplementary Aids and Services?

If YES, describe the data sources, the SDI and the reasons that the part time special education environment is the best placement for SDI implementation and the reasons that the full time General Education Environment is not an appropriate placement. It is not necessary to discuss the more restrictive placement option (C). Proceed to Step 3.
If NO, proceed to 2C.

Full Time Special Education Environment

Can the Goals, Benchmarks, SDI be implemented in a full time special education environment with the supports of Supplementary Aids and Services?

If YES, describe the data sources, SDI and the reasons that the full time special education environment is the best placement for SDI implementation and the reasons that the full time General Education Environment or the Part time General Education and Part Time Special Education Environment are not appropriate placements. Proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: Identify any potential harmful effects.

Identify factors which may keep the student from making progress in the general curriculum; behaviors which may significantly interfere with other students making progress in the general curriculum; and, other factors in the placement that may adversely affect the quality of services needed by the child.

If NO harmful effects given the chosen placement, document on Conference Summary Action Notice, III F.
If YES for harmful effects, determine the modifications necessary to address the harmful effects in the placement alternative (e.g., supplementary aids and services).
If the modifications enable the satisfactory implementation of the IEP, document the modifications on the Conference Summary Action Notice, Section III F.
If the modifications do not enable satisfactory implementation of the IEP, consider a more restrictive placement alternative.

Placement Examples from the IEP and Conference Summary Action Notice

1A. Exampleof Full Time General Education Environment: Suzi

IEP

LRE and General Education directions for KDE:
Suzi will participate in all general education classes for the entire school day. / LRE and General Education directions for MCPS :
Collaboration/Co-Teaching: Reading
General Education: Math, Social Studies, Science, Related Arts
Type of Service / Service Frequency / Service Period / Service Minutes / Start Date / End Date / Service Provider / Location
Special Education / 5.0 / Week / 50.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Special Ed & Regular Ed. Teachers / Regular Class
Co-teaching for Reading

Conference Summary Action Notice: Placement Options and Decisions

Placement Option Considered / Accepted / Rejected / Reason Accepted/Rejected
Full time general education environment / Suzi’s performance data supports that the Specially Designed Instruction in content vocabulary, reading comprehension strategies, and analysis of text construction has been implemented successfully and can continue to be implemented successfully in the general education classroom. The ARC rejects more restrictive service delivery options in the special education setting.
Part-time general education and Part-time special education environment.
Full-time special education environment

Select One Option

Ages 3 through 5: / Ages 6 to 21:
10 hours of more in a regular early childhood program per week and more than 50% of special education services provided within the early childhood program. / Regular class 80% or more of the day
Regular Class no more than 79% of day and no less than 40% of day
Regular Class less than 40% of day
Separate School
Residential Facility
Homebound/Hospital
Correctional Facility
Parentally Placed in Private Schools

1B. Examples of Full Time General Education Environment: Robert

IEP

LRE and General Education directions for KDE:
Robert will participate in all general education classes for the entire school day. / LRE and General Education directions for MCPS :
Collaboration/Co-Teaching: For Organizational/Study Skills in Social Studies
General Education: Math, English, Science, Electives
Type of Service / Service Frequency / Service Period / Service Minutes / Start Date / End Date / Service Provider / Location
Special Education / 1.0 / Day / 30.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Special Ed. & Regular Ed. Teachers / Regular Class Social Studies Co-teaching for
Organizational/Study Skills

Conference Summary Action Notice: Placement Options and Decisions

Placement Option Considered / Accepted / Rejected / Reason Accepted/Rejected
Full time general education environment / Robert’s progress monitoring data and class grades demonstrate that the Specially Designed Instruction (organization of class materials, note taking strategies, test- preparation strategies and test-taking strategies) can be implemented effectively and exclusively in the general education environment. Thus, the ARC rejects services in part time or full time special education environment.
Part-time general education and Part-time special education environment.
Full-time special education environment

Select One Option

Ages 3 through 5: / Ages 6 to 21:
10 hours of more in a regular early childhood program per week and more than 50% of special education services provided within the early childhood program. / Regular class 80% or more of the day
Regular Class no more than 79% of day and no less than 40% of day
Regular Class less than 40% of day
Separate School
Residential Facility
Homebound/Hospital
Correctional Facility
Parentally Placed in Private Schools

2A. Example of Part Time General Education and Part Time Special Education Environment: Tim

IEP

LRE and General Education directions for KDE:
Tim will not participate in general education for Math, Reading and Writing. He will receive Math, Reading and Writing instruction in the Resource Room. / LRE and General Education directions for JCPS :
Special Education: Math, Reading, Writing
General Education: Social Studies, Science, Electives
Type of Service / Service Frequency / Service Period / Service Minutes / Start Date / End Date / Service Provider / Location
Special Education / 5.0 / Week / 50.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Special Education Teacher / Resource Room for Math
Special Education / 5.0 / Week / 50.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Special Education Teacher / Resource Room for Reading
Special Education / 5.0 / Week / 50.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Special Education Teacher / Resource Room for Writing

Conference Summary Action Notice: Placement Options and Decisions

Placement Option Considered / Accepted / Rejected / Reason Accepted/Rejected
Full time general education environment / Progress data demonstrate that even with the benefit of Supplementary Aids and Services, that the pace and complexity and of content in the general education environment do not match Tim’s individual needs as outlined on his IEP.
Part-time general education and Part-time special education environment. / Given a cognitive disability, Tim requires Specially Designed instruction in prerequisite math, reading and writing skills, extensive guided practice and explicit instruction in the generalization of skills and strategies in real world situations. Progress data demonstrate that Tim benefits most from a small group delivery of skills where he can have many opportunities for modeling, teacher questioning, and immediate positive corrective feedback. Tim benefits from an incremental presentation of skills. The ARC rejects the full time special ed. environment.
Full-time special education environment

Select one option

2B. Example of Part Time General Education and Part Time Special Education Environment: Raquel

IEP

LRE and General Education directions for KDE:
Raquel will participate in all general education core content classes. She will be removed from general education non-core classes for two periods a week to receive speech services in the resource room. / LRE and General Education directions for MCPS :
Special Education: Speech
General Education: All core content classes
Type of Service / Service Frequency / Service Period / Service Minutes / Start Date / End Date / Service Provider / Location
Special Education / 2.0 / Week / 30.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Speech Language Pathologist / Resource Room for Speech

Conference Summary Action Notice

Placement Option Considered / Accepted / Rejected / Reason Accepted/Rejected
Full time general education environment / Even with the provision of Supplementary Aids and Services,the regular class does not offer the environmental and technical supports needed for individualized articulation instruction.
Part-time general education and Part-time special education environment. / Given articulation deficits, Raquel requires Specially Designed Instruction in ______. Progress monitoring and teacher observation support a part time special education placement. The resource class affords a quiet space, free from environmental distractions and enables individualized articulation instruction not provided in the regular class. The ARC rejects full time special education services because they are overly restrictive.
Full-time special education environment

Select One Option

2C. Example of Part Time Special Education Environment: Lucy

IEP

LRE and General Education directions for KDE:
Lucy will not participate in the general education core content classes (math, reading, science and social studies) and electives. She will receive instruction in all core content and electives in the resource room. / LRE and General Education directions for MCPS :
Special Education: All core content, Speech, Vocational Exploration
General Education: Electives
Type of Service / Service Frequency / Service Period / Service Minutes / Start Date / End Date / Service Provider / Location
Special Education / 5.0 / Week / 50.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Special Education Teacher / Special Class for Math
Special Education / 5.0 / Week / 50.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Special Education Teacher / Special Class for English
Special Education / 5.0 / Week / 50.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Special Education Teacher / Special Class for Social Studies
Special Education / 5.0 / Week / 50.0 / 1-5-11 / 1-14-12 / Special Education Teacher / Special Class for Science
Special Education / 5.0 / Week / 120.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Special Education Teacher / Community for Vocational Instruction
Related Services / Service Frequency / Service Period / Service Minutes / Start Date / End Date / Service Provider / Location
Speech Language / 2.0 / Week / 30.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Speech Pathologist / Special Class for Speech
Special Transportation
No lift / 2.0 / Daily / 0.00 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Bus Driver / Special Class

Conference Summary Action Notice

Placement Option Considered / Accepted / Rejected / Reason Accepted/Rejected
Full time general education environment / Even with the provision of Supplementary Aids & Services, the full time general education environment does not offer opportunities for the curriculum extensions outlined on Lucy’s IEP (academic, social, vocational, self-care).
Part-time general education and Part-time special education environment. / SDI emphasizes a functional presentation of academic skills including Next Dollar Strategy, high frequency environmental words and signs, sentence construction using pictures to fill in the blank. SDI in personal care, safety precautions and vocational routines are essential for adult transition. Progress data indicates that Lucy requires repeated practices of skills in community and vocational settings thus supporting placement In a full time special education environment. Consequently, the ARC rejects the full-time general education environment.
Full-time special education environment

Select one option

3A. Example of Full Time Special Education Environment: Ralph

LRE and General Education directions for KDE:
Ralph will not participate in the general education core content classes of math, reading, science and social studies and electives. He will receive instruction in core content, electives, and related services in the resource room / LRE and General Education directions for JCPS :
Special Education: All core content classes, Electives
Type of Service / Service Frequency / Service Period / Service Minutes / Start Date / End Date / Service Provider / Location
Special Education / 1.0 / Day / 370.0 / 1-15-11 / 1-14-12 / Special Education Teacher / Special Classfor Core Content, Social Skills

Conference Summary Action Notice

Placement Option Considered / Accepted / Rejected / Reason Accepted/Rejected
Full time general education environment / Progress monitoring data, Functional Behavior Assessment, Behavior Intervention Plan data, and disciplinary records
Part-time general education and Part-time special education environment. / support Ralph’s placement in a full time special class environment. Ralph has difficulty interacting positively with peers in unstructured spaces and in large groups. Ralph has
Full-time special education environment / difficulty making transitions from one setting (teacher, peer group and content area) to another. Ralph benefits from predictable classroom routines, minimal transitions and a consistent teacher and peer group. Ralph’s Specially Designed Instruction requires explicit social skills instruction in de-escalation strategies, self-calming strategies, problem solving and group interaction skills. Ralph’s environmental needs include a personal work area and cool down area with reduced environmental distractions. Given safety considerations of peers and adults, Ralph requires heightened adult supervision in non-structured areas including bathroom, lunchroom, hallway and bus transitions. Even with the supports of Supplementary Aids and Services, data do not support a full time regular class placement nor a part time special education environment.
Ages 3 through 5: / Ages 6 to 21:
10 hours or more in a regular early childhood program per week and more than 50% of special education services provided within the early childhood program. / Regular class 80% or more of the day
Regular Class no more than 79% of day and no less than 40% of day
Regular Class less than 40% of day
Separate School
Residential Facility
Homebound/Hospital
Correctional Facility
Parentally Placed in Private Schools

Regulatory guidance regarding Placement Considerations:

707 KAR 1:350, Section 1 (1-10) / Section 1. Placement Decisions.
(1) An LEA shall ensure that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities,
including children placed by the LEA in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are nondisabled. The LEA shall ensure that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only if education in the regular education environment with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be satisfactorily achieved due to the nature or severity of the disability.
(2) An LEA shall ensure that a continuum of alternative placements is available to meet the needs of children with disabilities for special education and related services.
(3) The continuum shall include the alternative placements of:
(a) Instruction in regular classes;
(b) Special classes;
(c) Special schools;
(d) Home instruction; and
(e) Instruction in hospitals and institutions.
(4) The LEA shall make provision for supplementary services to be provided in conjunction with regular class placement.
(5) In determining the educational placement of a child with a disability, the LEA shall ensure that the placement decision is made by the ARC in conformity with the least restrictive environment provisions.
(6) A child’s placement shall be:
(a) Determined at least annually;
(b) Based on the child’s IEP; and
(c) As close as possible to the child’s home.
(7) Unless the IEP of a child with a disability requires some other arrangement, the child shall be educated in the school that he would attend if nondisabled.
(8) In selecting the least restrictive environment, consideration shall be given to any potential harmful effects on the child or on the quality of services that he needs.
(9) A child with a disability shall not be removed from education in age-appropriate regular classrooms solely because of needed modifications in the general curriculum.
(10) In providing or arranging for the provision of nonacademic and extracurricular services and activities, an LEA shall ensure that a child with a disability participates with nondisabled children in those services and activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the needs of the child.
707 KAR 1:002, Section 1 / Specially designed instruction means adapting as appropriate the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction to address the unique needs of the child with a disability and to ensure access of the child to the general curriculum in the program of Studies, 707 KAR 3:303.
707 KAR 1:002, Section 1 (61) / Supplementary aids and services means aids, services and other supports that are provided in regular education classes or other education related settings to enable a child with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled students to the maximum extent possible in accordance with 707 KAR 1:350.

KDE Record Review Requirements Regarding Placement Considerations (August 2010):