Mrs. Chomas visited Grove City College today to talk with our class about Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). It was a pleasure to have a special educator like her come and share her years of experince with us. LRE is required by IDEA and makes sure that students are placed in an environment where they will make the most progress. Not every student’s rate of improvement will be the same. If the end of the year goal, based on the student’s rate of improvement, is known then teachers can support that student to make the appropriate progress. In this way Mrs. Chomas emphasized how flexible teachers need to be. They need to be willing to change supports/aids or change placements based on how much improvement the student is making. Depending on the student, a more restrictive placement might be their LRE, and where they will have the most growth. Special education is not a place or room, it is a service that should be provided to students no matter where their LRE is.
Mrs. Chomas also provided some tips for special educators and general educators when deciding on a student’s LRE. She suggested being in close contact with parents, well in advance to an IEP meetings. This will help special education teachers have everything ready and prepared for the meetings. Mrs. Chomas also suggested asking schools to train teachers on the use of certain technological supports or services if they are needed for a student. She also emphasized the need of special education teachers to be in close contact with general education teachers and to be willing to teach others how to use technology and best practices. Overall, she had a lot to share about LRE and just working with unique students in general.
Here is a diagram that shows the levels of LRE:
