Inclusion in the Classroom
Ruby Villarreal
EDU304: Introduction to Education
Prof. Debra Wells
7/30/12

There are actually three separate degrees of inclusion: mainstreaming, inclusion and full inclusion. Mainstreaming is the concept of a student being able to keep up with peers in a general education class. Inclusion is the concept of a student with special education or physical needs being incorporated into a mainstream class, in so much as it benefits the child, with support services being brought to the student. Full inclusion is when the student is fully immersed in a general education classroom regardless of their abilities and has their support services provide in the classroom instead of out. The status of full inclusion only differs from inclusion in that the student does not need to keep up with their peers. Inclusion expects the student to attempt to keep up, although not as rigorously as in traditional mainstreaming. There are many advantages to full or partial inclusion in the classroom setting. The students being incorporated into a general education class can benefit socially and emotionally by feeling accepted and not so different from everyone else. The students already in the classroom can benefit in the same ways by practicing tolerance and acceptance of those students who are not like them in every way. The learning environment can become supercharged solely because there are new challenges to face as a classroom community that strives to help each other be the best that they can be. Some of the most glaring disadvantages are when it comes to state and district test time and there is an overwhelming pressure to succeed. Many times that pressure is because the class or school could lose funding if standards are not met. This subject leads me to the next topic of discussion, the NCLB legislative portion of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act.

Below is an excerpt of the actual regulations governing inclusion. It basically states that some allowances are made for those students who after receiving proper and adequate instruction are not held to the same standards as general education students.

DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION 34 CFR Parts 200 and 300 RIN 1810-AA98

Title I--Improving the Academic Achievement of the Disadvantaged; Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)--Assistance to States for the Education of Children With Disabilities AGENCY: Office of Elementary and Secondary Education; Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services, U.S. Department of Education. ACTION: Final regulations. ----------------------------------------------------------------------- SUMMARY: The Secretary amends the regulations governing programs administered under Title I of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (ESEA), as amended by the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 (NCLB) (referred to in these regulations as the Title I program) and the regulations governing programs under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (referred to in these regulations as the IDEA program). These regulations provide States with additional flexibility regarding State, local educational agency (LEA), and school accountability for the achievement of a small group of students with disabilities whose progress is such that, even after