Inclusion
not only answer for challenged students
Sunday, October 09, 2005 • By
MEGAN ZARODA • The Express-Times
A "one-size-fits-all" approach won't suit
students when it comes to special education.
In 2000, 8 percent of American students
were classified as having a mental disability, according to
the National Center for Education Statistics.
For some of those 3.9 million students
with disabilities, sitting in a regular classroom with an
instructional aide may be appropriate. Others might find
inclusion in art, music or physical education classes to be
the extent of an appropriate general curriculum.
For still others, a self-contained
classroom curriculum with students who have similar
disabilities may be in the child's best interest.
While the inclusion of children with
special needs into general education classrooms has been a
provocative issue throughout the years, the nuts and bolts
of the argument comes down to individualization and
appropriate support and services, educators say.
John Consentino, director of special
services for the Phillipsburg Area School District, said
although he lacks the exact numbers, a majority of students
with disabilities are included in regular
classes.
He also said he has observed better
academic performance and better social adjustment in
students with disabilities who are included.
"It's good for them as they feel part of
the total school program," Consentino said. "I don't see any
drawbacks as long as the child is appropriate for that
program."
Despite the success of inclusive
practices professed by many educators, there are down sides,
some admit.
Margie DeRenzis, director of Colonial
Intermediate Unit 20's autistic support, said some parents
have told her regular classroom settings were "not intensive
enough," nor did they provide sufficient one-on-one
teaching.
In an autistic support class, DeRenzis
said, you typically have four to eight students under
direction of one teacher and two associates. That ratio
allows for more interaction between teacher and student than
the student would receive in a regular classroom.
Intermediate Unit officials also note the
developmental gap among peers as students with disabilities
enter high school. Not only do social groups become more
sharply defined, they say, but academic classes are also
broken down into intensity levels.
In some cases, high schools offer
"reverse inclusion," in which non-disabled students come
into special education classrooms as role models.
A study by the National Education
Association found that states with a higher percentage of
special education students in their regular classrooms tend
to have lower discipline rates.
Students with disabilities were also
placed in more restrictive settings if the state had
"sanctions" at the building, like a state takeover of
under-performing schools, the study said.
Patti Ralabate, a representative from the
education association, said in the report, "The results of
this study imply that high stakes accountability systems are
on a collision course with the efforts of educators and
parents who advocate for more inclusion opportunities for
students with disabilities."
© 2005 The Express-Times. Used with
permission.
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