NASP Position Paper On Inclusion

[Guest guest]

http://nasponline.org/information/pospaper_ipsd.html

National Association of School Psychologists

Position Statement on Inclusive Programs for Students With Disabilities

The 1997 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 97) created

significant educational opportunities for students with disabilities and

established important safeguards that ensure the provision of a free,

appropriate public education to students with special needs. NASP strongly

supports the continuation and strengthening of this mandate. NASP also

recognizes the need to continually evaluate the effectiveness of all aspects

of our educational system and to promote reform when needed.

A Call for Inclusive Schools

NASP, in its continuing commitment to promote more effective educational

programs for all students, advocates the development of inclusive programs

for students with disabilities. Inclusive programs are those in which

students, regardless of the severity of their disability, receive appropriate

specialized instruction and related services within an age appropriate

general education classroom in the school that they would attend if they did

not have a disability. NASP believes that carefully designed inclusive

programs individualized to meet the needs of students with disabilities

represent a viable and legitimate option on the special education continuum

that must be examined for any student who requires special education.

Inclusive education is within the continuum of special education services,

and must be based upon the individual needs, goals, and objectives determined

by IEP teams.

Potential Benefits

Some of the benefits of inclusive programs include:

* typical peers serving as models for students with disabilities;

* the development of natural friendships within the child’s home community;

* learning new academic and social skills within natural environments,

facilitating generalization of skills;

* students with disabilities existing in “natural” proportions within the

school community;

* all students learning to value diversity; and

* general education classrooms that are better able to meet the needs of

all students as a result of additional instructional resources, staff

development for general and special educators, a more flexible curriculum,

and adapted instructional delivery systems.

Developing Inclusive Programs

In advocating for the development of these programs, NASP takes the position

that:

* Inclusive programs must provide all the services needed to ensure that

students make consistent social, emotional, and academic gains.

* General education teachers, special education teachers, school

psychologists, other related services providers, and parents must collaborate

to ensure appropriate services for all students and to ensure that all

programs are based upon a careful analysis of each student’s needs. Decisions

regarding services must be made on an individual child basis.

* Outcome-based data on inclusive programs must be collected to ensure that

students with and without disabilities are making consistent educational

progress. Ongoing empirical examination and further research are needed.

* All educators and administrators involved in implementing inclusive

programs must participate in planning and training activities. When

developing inclusive programs, adults with disabilities serving as experts

and/or advocates, in addition to the students themselves, need to be included

as much as possible.

* Knowledge and skills in effective collaboration, curriculum adaptation,

developing supportive social relationships, and restructuring special

services are but a few of the areas in which skills are needed.

* Preservice and inservice training based upon the needs of the staff

involved in planning these programs is essential. The active involvement of

general educators and administrators in staff development is critical for

successful inclusion.

* School districts with limited resources may have difficulty meeting the

needs of all students, particularly those with low incidence or severe

disabilities. It may be necessary to provide planning and training for the

provision of reasonable accommodations to students with low incidence or

severe disabilities attending their neighborhood schools.

The Role of the School Psychologist

School psychologists can provide effective leadership in the development of

inclusive programs. School psychologists have training and experience in

collaborative consultation, behavioral and academic intervention design,

curriculum adaptation, modification of learning environments, program

evaluation, peer mediated learning, facilitating friendships, and other

issues critical to effective inclusive programs. Because of this expertise,

school psychologists are in a unique position to assist schools in assessing

student needs, reallocating existing resources, and restructuring service

delivery systems to better meet the educational and mental health needs of

all students. School psychologists can foster the development of inclusive

schools by:

* gathering and providing information regarding the strengths and needs of

individual students;

* providing meaningful support and consultation to teachers and other

educators implementing inclusive programs;

* distributing articles and research to fellow educators and district

committees responsible for educational restructuring;

* leading or serving as members of groups that are evaluating or

restructuring education programs;

* planning and conducting staff development programs that support inclusion;

* offering training and support to teachers, students and families;

* developing new resources through grant writing and collaboration with

other community agencies, and other activities;

* providing information on needed changes to legislators and state and

federal policy-makers; and,

* collecting and analyzing program evaluation and outcome based research.

Concerns Regarding the Traditional Special Education System

Certain aspects of traditional special education include a number of problems

that create unintended negative outcomes for students:

* A referral and evaluation system that does not function as originally

intended. Some of the weaknesses of this system include:

* Over reliance upon a classification system of disability categories that

lacks utility and reliability for this purpose, and lacks acceptance by many

parents and professionals.

* A lack of empirical research showing that students with mild disabilities

grouped by category learn differently or are taught differently.

* Inequities in implementation of the least restrictive environment and

access to general education curriculum provisions of IDEA 97. Data suggest

that the restrictiveness of many special education placements is not based

upon the severity of students’ disabilities, but may instead result from the

configuration of the service delivery system that is available in the

community.

* Concerns that traditional special education programs are not effective in

terms of learner outcomes.

* Overly restrictive special education programs housed in separate schools

or “cluster” sites that result in social segregation and disproportionate

numbers of students with disabilities being grouped together. For example,

some students, especially those with more severe disabilities, must attend

separate schools to receive special services, rather than being provided

appropriate services in his/her neighborhood school. Many parents and

professionals feel that it is inherently inequitable that some students must

leave their neighborhood schools and communities to receive appropriate

services. Although neighborhood schools may be the best decision for most

students, decisions must be made on an individual basis.

Changing our Schools

NASP recognizes that the traditional framework of special education policies

and regulations is often incompatible with inclusive programs. Consequently,

NASP joins with the National Association of State Boards of Education in

calling for a fundamental shift in the policies which drive our compensatory

education system. Changes are suggested in:

* The system used to identify and evaluate students with special needs.

This should be made more reliable and less stigmatizing. Noncategorical

services (Rights without labels) may be appropriate for inclusive education.

* The traditional special education funding system. The link between

funding and placements must be severed. Many aspects of the funding system

are driven by labels and program locations rather than by student needs.

Special education funding systems must be based on the provision of services

to students and not on the maintenance of programs, facilities, personnel,

etc.

* School improvement planning. School improvement /restructuring plans must

include students with disabilities. The integration of general and special

education issues must be reflected in building and district level improvement

plans. This requires collaboration and staff development for both general and

special educators in order to address the needs of all students.

* NASP recognizes that the shift toward more inclusive schools will require

profound changes in the ways in which schools are organized. We are committed

to working with parents, other professional groups, and state and national

policy-makers in creating new funding and regulatory mechanisms that promote

effective programs within neighborhood schools and ensure that students with

special needs continue to receive appropriate resources. We endorse a process

of planned change that involves all stakeholders in research, planning, and

training to ensure that our nation’s schools can attain excellence for all of

our children.