Special Education Placement Options San Jose part 1

There are many frustrating things about parenting a child with special needs. Many of them involve the organizations that exist, ostensibly to support our children during this journey. We often do not know what the options are, and the organizations are not always forthcoming about what our options are. Below is a partial list of some special education placement options. It is by no means complete.

The least restrictive environment (LRE) is full inclusion with typically developing peers. Does this mean my child has to be at grade level? No. The student can receive the same work as the class, may receive the same work and do less of the assignment, or may receive modified work that is at their current instructional level.

What if the student is thriving in regular education, and needs some additional academic support? “Resource” is an option.

A student can be pulled out for small group or even individualized instruction. Many students need extra help in math and English. Resource utilizes a special education teacher trained to work with students with mild to moderate disabilities. This service can be push in (resource teacher goes into the classroom) or pull out (where the student goes to the resource teacher in another room. Most districts use small group pull outs, and the student becomes one of a group of 3 to 5 students working with the resource teacher.

Many parents do not know about the existence of Resource, and so do not know to ask for it.

Some areas to consider:

Timing – When is optimum for the student to attend, and what regular education classroom content will the student miss while in resource?

– It the student receiving enough time in resource to give the necessary support?

Ratio – Will the student get the individualized support they need in a group of five students?

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