Indicator 5: Education Environments for Students with IEPs (Ages 5 – 21)

The law says that all children with disabilities, as much as possible, must be educated with children who are not disabled.

What Is Indicator 5?

Indicator 5 collects information for children who are age 5 in kindergarten through age 21. It looks at how much school time that students with IEPs are with students without disabilities. It also looks at how many students go to their local school or a separate school. It has three measures.

The % of school-aged children with IEPs who:

Measurement A	Measurement B	Measurement C
are in regular class 80% or more of day (Full Inclusion)	are in regular class less than 40% of day (Substantially Separate)	go to separate school, residential facility, or homebound/hospital placements (Out of District)

Measurement A

Measurement B

Measurement C

are in regular class 80% or more of day

(Full Inclusion)

are in regular class less than 40% of day

(Substantially Separate)

go to separate school, residential facility, or homebound/hospital placements

(Out of District)

A student's placement matters because:

A student with an IEP who is in regular classes has more opportunity for the same schoolwork and learning standards as all students have.
The more time a student with an IEP spends with peers, the more they will be able to make friends and be part of school life.
The more a student with an IEP can go to school and learn with peers, the more opportunity they have to achieve and be part of their community.

Indicator 5 matters because:

Indicator 5 shows us which districts should ask themselves why students with disabilities are in separate classrooms or schools. Also, it shows us which districts may need help to improve inclusive teaching and learning. The goal of this indicator is to use the data to ask and answer hard questions, so that we can improve student outcomes.

For example:

In general, are students with IEPs in regular classes and non-academic activities where students without disabilities typically are? (School settings like lunchrooms, playgrounds, school clubs)
If not, why not?

Resources

Least Restrictive Environments (LRE): What parents need to know & Ask the Expert: Finding the Least Restrictive Environment — PACER Center
Inclusive Education Fact Sheet & Considering LRE in Placement Decisions — SPAN/Center for Parent Information and Resources
Access to the General Curriculum & Language Access — Federation for Children with Special Needs

Data Review

Full Inclusion - Calculation A: From 64.4% to 66.9%, Total change – 2.5 increase in percentage points, Change in one year – increase ranged from .2 to .5 percentage points/year, Average annual change – increase .625 percentage points, Substantially Separate - Calculation B: From 13.5% to 13.6%, Total change – -.1* decrease in percentage points (*increase), Change in one year – change in percentage points ranged from -.3* to .1 percentage points/year, Average annual change – decrease -.025* percentage points (*increase), Out of District - Calculation C: From 6.9% to 6.2%, Total change – 0.7 decrease in percentage points, Change in one year – decrease ranged from 0 to .3 percentage points/year, Average annual change – decrease .175 percentage points

*Data notes: Partial Inclusion is still not reported in the SPP/APR calculation but will continue to be publicly reported (click on the district name)

Learn More about Indicator # 5:

Last Updated: November 14, 2024