Taking Center Stage – Act II (TCSII)

A Portal for Middle Grades Educators

Least restrictive environment (LRE)

By federal law, special education students have a right to be educated with their same-age peers to the maximum extent possible according to the regulations on least restrictive environment (LRE). In California's standards-based system and under the No Child Left Behind Act, educators must have high expectations for all students, and those students must be prepared to participate in the state’s accountability system.

To help schools provide equal access to the least restrictive environments, CDE funds the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Resources Project (Outside Source). Resources, training, videos, and consultants are available through the project.

The resources identified below help teachers provide standards-based education to their special populations.

California Department of Education Resources

• The California Reading Initiative and Special Education in California 
• Clearinghouse for Specialized Media and Technology (CSMT) provides state-adopted instructional materials (including algebra books) in braille, large print, and other formats.
• The CDE’s Special Education Web site includes a section on Services and Resources.
• The 2005 California Distinguished Middle Schools Web page includes middle schools with exemplary special education support programs.
• Training on writing individualized education programs (IEPs) based on state standards.

External Resources

• Addressing Learning Disabilities and Difficulties (Outside Source): How to Reach and Teach Every Student gives teachers insights on special education.
• “Aligning IEPs with State Standards” (Outside Source)
• CalSTAT (Technical Assistance and Training) Leadership Sites (Outside Source) highlight schools providing quality educational experiences to special education students. Many of the featured sites are middle schools.
• Connecting Curriculum to the Standards (Outside Source) covers special education, the standards, differentiated instruction, access to the general education curriculum, and professional development).
• The Handbook of Goals and Objectives Related to Essential California Content Standards (Outside Source) discusses students with disabilities, the standards, IEPs, and access to the general education curriculum.
• Response to Intervention—Training for California Educators (Outside Source) is a series of training presentations that explain RtI.
• The Special EDge newsletter (Outside Source) provides information for students with disabilities, parents, and families.
• Standards-Based Instruction: Could It Happen in Special Education? (Outside Source) (Webcast series from SchoolsMovingUp)
• “Successful Strategies for Middle and High School Inclusion" (Outside Source) is an online presentation archived on SchoolsMovingUp.
• TeachingLD: Information and Resources for Teaching Students with Learning Disabilities (Outside Source)

For information on RtI as an intervention strategy, go to RtI—Intervention.

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