National Association of School Psychologists Position Statement Inclusive Programs for Students With Disabilities The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) created significant educational opportunities for students with disabilities and established important safeguards that ensure the provision of a free, appropriate 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. Problems With the Current System NASP also recognizes that the special education system that evolved under this mandate includes a number of problems that create unintended negative outcomes for some students. These include: * A referral and evaluation system that does not function as originally intended. Some of the weaknesses of this system include: 1. an inability to reliably differentiate among categories of students with disabilities; 2. a lack of evidence that students grouped by category learn differently or are taught differently; and 3. a classification system that lacks reliability, utility, and acceptance by many parents and professionals. * Inequities in implementation of the least restrictive environment provisions of IDEA. Data suggests 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 appropriate special services. Many parents and professionals feel that it is inherently inequitable that some students must leave their neighborhood schools and communities to receive appropriate services. 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 ageappropriate general education classroom in the school that they would attend if they did not have a disability. NASP believes that carefully designed inclusive programs represent a viable and legitimate alternative on the special education continuum that must be examined for any student who requires special education. 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 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, 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 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. * Outcome-based data on inclusive programs must be collected to ensure that students with and without disabilities are making consistent educational progress. * All educators involved in implementing inclusive programs must participate in planning and training activities. 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. Training based upon the needs of the staff involved in planning these programs is essential. 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, disabilities, intervention design and curriculum adaptation, modification of learning environments, program evaluation, 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: * 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; * providing information on needed changes to legislators and state and federal policy-makers; and * collecting and analyzing program evaluation and outcomebased student data. Changing our Schools NASP recognizes that the current 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 required in: * The system used to identify and evaluate students with special needs. Categorical labeling systems are not only unreliable and stigmatizing, they are unnecessary in an inclusive system. * The current 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. 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. Adopted by the NASP Delegate Assembly, April 17, 1993.