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Assigning all special education students to a general education roster on the first day of school results in a ripple effect that is good for all students. They learn tolerance, to help one another, and that everyone gets what they need.
Walk into any classroom at Roosevelt Elementary School in Burbank and you will see a sign that says, "Fair does not mean equal." Below those words are two images, each shows three different sized children trying to see a baseball game over a fence.
In the first picture, each child has a crate to stand on. But the tall child does not need it, and the shortest still cannot see over the fence. In the second picture, the tallest boy does not have a box and can still see over the fence, and the smallest child has two boxes. Now, all three of the children can see over the fence, and it required no extra boxes. This image illustrates an important idea for an inclusive classroom - everyone gets what they need and people need different things.
Roosevelt Elementary School has 650 students and 80 of those students are on an Individualized Education Plan, meaning they have special education support services ranging from speech therapy to specialized academic instruction.
All students in special education spend part of their day in a general education classroom. They are assigned to a general education teacher, and they line up with their typical peers starting on the first day of school. They take part in the opening class activities, are listed on the general education teacher's roster, and many receive a majority of their instruction in the general education classroom.
For a school with three special day classes, this was a big change. A special day class is an antiquated term for a special education classroom for students who need support services for more than half of their day. These students are usually two years below grade level or more.
Several years ago, students in a special day class were all on a special education teacher's roster; they lined up with only their special education peers on the first day of school, and they started to go into general education classes only after about a month...