Inclusive Practices
Overview
Inclusive practices are the actions, activities, and approaches aimed at ensuring that all students, regardless of their abilities or disabilities, have equal access to quality education in their least restrictive environment (LRE).
The LRE is a requirement in federal (34 CFR 300.114 through 34 CFR 300.120) and state (8VAC20-81-130) laws that require children with disabilities, aged two to 21, to receive free appropriate public education (FAPE) with nondisabled peers, to the maximum extent appropriate. Special classes, separate schooling, or any removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment should only be considered if the child’s disability is of a nature or severity that prevents them from effectively benefiting from regular classes, even with the use of supplementary aids and services. Additionally, children with disabilities should participate in nonacademic and extracurricular activities with their nondisabled peers, receiving necessary support as determined by their Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team. Placements should consider the child’s needs and potential harm, avoiding removal from age-appropriate regular classrooms solely due to curriculum modifications or their disability identification.
Inclusion Class Size Information (Word) provides an overview of Virginia’s requirements and guidance for best practice on planning and scheduling for students with disabilities in general education classrooms.
Inclusive Practices Guides
The K-12 Inclusive Practices Guide is an informational resource to support school divisions and parents looking to improve outcomes for students with disabilities by meeting their needs to the maximum extent possible in the general education setting with their nondisabled peers.
The Virginia Guidelines for Early Childhood Inclusion are designed to assist Virginia’s school divisions and early childhood communities in identifying, developing, and sustaining inclusive opportunities within high-quality early childhood programs for young children with disabilities. The guidelines contain important updates to the research supporting early childhood inclusion and an enhanced section on measuring quality in inclusive classrooms.
Inclusive Practices Self-Assessment and Action Planning
The Code of Virginia, § 22.1-215, requires each local school division to complete and report the results of a self-assessment and action planning instrument that addresses inclusive practices once every three years, commencing no later than the start of the 2022-2023 school year. Each school division will report the results of its assessment and plans for improvement to the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) and to the division’s superintendent, the division’s special education director, the chairs of the local school board, and the local special education advisory committee.
Inclusive Practices in Schools Training Module - This module was developed as a free, online training resource to support school divisions in the implementation of the Code of Virginia, § 22.1-215. The module provides an overview of the Virginia Inclusive Schools Planning Guide and the quality indicators for inclusive schools. A copy of the Virginia Inclusive Schools Planning Guide for self-assessment and action planning and a certificate of completion can be downloaded from the module.
Inclusion Resources for Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities
- TIES Center provides resources to support the movement of students with significant cognitive disabilities from less inclusive to more inclusive environments where every student is valued and fully supported as an active and engaged participant in their school. Resources focus on time in general education, instructional effectiveness, engagement, and support.
- IRIS Center - Inclusion of Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities: Supports in the General Education Classroom is a module, developed in collaboration with the TIES Center, that describes the benefits of including students with significant cognitive disabilities in general education classrooms. It also offers information on how teachers can plan for and teach these students in inclusive classrooms.
Inclusive Practices Partnership Project
The Inclusive Practices Partnership Project was established by the VDOE to recognize outstanding schools and educators who have developed programs that have been designed to ensure students with disabilities, especially those with more significant academic and behavioral needs, have access to inclusive education with their peers in general education settings.
Inclusive Practice Projects for Preschool Programs
Preschool refers to the time before a child is old enough for kindergarten or elementary school. In Virginia, preschoolers who are eligible for special education and related services are entitled to placement in the LRE alongside their peers without disabilities with supplementary aids and services. Inclusion in early childhood programs is supported through years of research, reinforced by a strong legal foundation, and can set a trajectory for inclusion across the student’s life course.
The resources available in public school systems and communities vary; thus, localities may offer inclusive early childhood services in programs administered by public schools, Head Start, or community-based entities (e.g., community-based preschool or child care). Preschoolers with IEPs may attend and receive their special education services within any of these early childhood programs provided these are of high quality. For video examples of the inclusion of preschoolers in a variety of contexts, visit TTAC Online Inclusive Practices for Preschool Programs. Access may require creating a free account.
For additional information on inclusive practices in early childhood, please visit the VDOE Early Childhood Inclusive Practices webpage.
Inclusive Practices for K-12 Students
The inclusion of students with disabilities in settings with their nondisabled peers has benefits far beyond the classroom experience. Inclusive classrooms have been shown to support academic achievement, social interactions, self-esteem, proactive social and emotional behaviors, language development, and more for students with and without disabilities.
Inclusive education helps to prepare youth for adult life after graduation including college and career-readiness skills. Consideration of inclusion for students with disabilities and inclusive opportunities outside of the classroom setting is essential. Best practices in inclusive education ensure students with disabilities are not only physically present in the general education setting but actively engaged, as independently as possible, in academic and social activities with their general education peers. This includes the general education classroom as well as other settings such as lunch, recess, and extracurricular activities.
School divisions support the inclusion of students with disabilities in a variety of ways across the Commonwealth. For examples of inclusive practices used across K-12 settings, visit TTAC Online Inclusive Practices for K-12 Students. Access may require creating a free account.
Inclusive Education through Co-Teaching
Co-teaching is a service delivery model where two or more certified teachers work together to plan, teach, and assess a group of students. Co-teaching is a best practice to support inclusion in the general setting by allowing teachers to meet the varying needs of students and provide special education or other specialized services without removing students from the learning environment.
Excellence in Co-Teaching Initiative
The Excellence in Co-Teaching Initiative was established by the VDOE to promote and improve the implementation of co-teaching throughout Virginia. Co-teaching teams, known as Real Co-Teachers of Virginia, were identified through this initiative to enhance current co-teaching practices and to share knowledge and skills with other teachers. School divisions were established as demonstration sites featuring Real Co-Teachers of Virginia to highlight further exemplars in Virginia’s public schools utilizing co-teaching to support inclusion. Co-teaching demonstration sites allow co-teaching partners from across the state to observe co-teaching in action, including co-planning, co-instructing, and co-assessing practices that support successful outcomes for all students and provide professional development to support co-teaching practices. School divisions may contact their regional TTAC to schedule a visit to a demonstration site or to request technical assistance to support co-teaching in their school or division.
Resources from Real Co-Teachers of Virginia
- Chalk It Up to Experience! Tips from Real Co-Teachers of Virginia Report (August 2020)
- Report created by the 2018-2019 demonstration site co-teachers that provides practical advice for effective co-teaching and the practices these teams consider to be critical to establishing a strong, collaborative co-teaching relationship.
- Real Co-Teachers of Virginia eWorkshops & Webshops
- Instructional videos and lesson plans from Real Co-Teachers of Virginia that cover various co-teaching models, co-planning, co-assessing, administrative support, and High Leverage Practices in co-taught classes.
- Self-Assessment of Quality Indicators of Co-Teaching for Administrators & Co-Teachers (2016 SOL)
- Self-assessment tool for administrators and co-teachers to evaluate their implementation of co-teaching practices, focusing on administrative support, co-teacher interaction, and the overall effectiveness of co-teaching.
Additional Resources
- Co-Teaching Mathematics Instruction Plans - Instructional plans developed by Virginia teachers as part of the Excellence in Co-Teaching Initiative that incorporate the six co-teaching approaches and align with the 2016 Mathematics Standards of Learning to enhance lesson effectiveness through collaborative teaching strategies.
- Inclusion Project Guide & Toolkit: a Youth Led Initiative - Initiated by youth leaders with disabilities in Virginia, this guide supports the planning and implementation of inclusive, hands-on activities and events to enhance disability awareness in schools and communities and to promote inclusive practices year-round.
- Virginia Inclusive Practices Center at Radford University - Provides resources for schools and families to support inclusive education in schools.
- Inclusion: What, Why, and How? - Article from William & Mary TTAC explains the importance and methods of inclusive education, how it benefits students with and without disabilities, legal requirements, and practical tools and research to support its implementation in schools.
- How to Move a County to Inclusion (2017) - Cindy Pitonyak describes the inclusion story of Montgomery County, Virginia—a school division that has been practicing full inclusion since 1990.