Exploring The Separation Of Special Education Students

There exists a history of excluding children who require special education from children who are in general education classrooms. Exploring the separation of special education and general education students is important because the division causes a variety of disadvantages for special education students. Teachers hold special education students to lower standards than their general education students and special education students are aware that they are not getting the same amount of information in as much depth as their general education peers. Special education students are often placed in a lower academic track, which causes teachers to expect less of them and therefore give them fewer chances to excel on a high level. The addition

Students are placed into lower tracks, which causes teachers to have lower expectations of them. When aware of these expectations placed on them either by their teacher or the academic track they are in, students act in accordance to them, therefore not acting in a way that would allow them to reach their full potential. I also looked at the Inclusion Education Theory which found that educational and social inclusion is beneficial to both special education and general education students, but would require collaboration on all levels. On the other hand, the separation of these two groups would cause negative effects to their social opportunities and to special education students’ academic opportunities. The Inclusion Education Theory helps because a heterogeneous classroom prevents special education students from losing class time when leaving for their separate groups, and gives them more time to build peer relations. I also looked to the idea of Standards Based Reform, which states that separating special education and general education students harms all students and requires the reformation of expectations and measuring success in order to properly integrate

With integrated classrooms, all students will be held to the same academic standards, hearing the same instructions and expectations. However, students will also receive differentiated instruction, which will enable the successful inclusion of special education students into the general education classroom. Differentiated instruction moves past the normal ‘sit-and-listen’ type of learning and incorporates a variety of engaging, hands on teaching techniques that are more apt to reach every student in the classroom. Special education students will no longer receive substandard instruction, which allows them the opportunity to excel in areas that their previous lower tracks did not. Children with special needs would still be granted an Individualized Education Program (IEP) by a special education teacher, which sets their goals and level of ability. Grading for their work would follow these standards so as to ensure special education children are not failed for work they cannot complete. However, the opportunity to excel still remains for them, as often times students in special education programs are on-level with their academic work but are in the special education program for behavioral or social reasons. An integrated classroom would keep special education children in the general learning environment, which gives them more time with their peers