What Makes a Good Inclusion Classroom?

This article is a followup from The Benefits of An Inclusion Classroom. There have been so many comments and so many people with valid concerns that the inclusion class described is not what is occurring in some schools. I like inclusion classes because educators tend to go in with the goal of meeting individual needs. However, no matter what type of class it is, this should be the goal. In the past, and in many current general education (and sometimes inclusion classes) students were all taught at an average level. The students who are not average learners, fell behind. The students who were above average learners were bored. This concept is so aggravating to me and many parents and educators. Times are changing and the shift is to focus on individual needs. While it is discouraging to hear that some schools are not differentiating instruction yet, I'm also encouraged by the growth that has occurred.

Here are some questions I might ask about the inclusion classroom....

How many teachers are in the classroom?
Inclusion classrooms have a regular education teacher and a special education teacher or assistant. If there is only a regular education teacher, that is not an inclusion class. That would actually be a general education classroom with no special education support. Find out if there are times of the day when there are more people in the room (especially in elementary grades). Often reading specialists or assistants will come in for small group reading instruction, in addition to the teachers already in the classroom.


How many students are in the classroom?
Class size depends on the districts and how they have managed and prioritized their funding. As school budgets get tighter and tighter, class sizes often grow. Obviously, it is more difficult to meet individual needs with very large class sizes, but not impossible. Inclusion classes should not be any larger than regular education classes even though there are more staff in the room to help address the individual needs.


Is the instruction differentiated?
In a classroom with such a spectrum of abilities, it is important to ensure that each student is challenged at their own level. Here is an example of how this could be done. In elementary school, students typically have a list of spelling words for the week. The teacher may have three lists that she gives to the class. Group A has the most difficult words, Group B less difficult, and Group C in the middle. All students have the same responsibility to learn the words, do some activities with the words, but they are on their own level. They are graded the same (but the content level will vary). A few students in Group B may even have less words to learn. This is differentiated instruction. All students are learning spelling words and have the same responsibility to learn the words, but the words are on the level of the individual. This can be done to some degree with all subjects. However, at times during the day, students may learn better in smaller groups.

What about gifted students?
If your child is gifted, find out about the gifted programs available. There may be a pull out class for part of the week. Sometimes Gifted Teachers work with individual teachers to give them resources to use to challenge the students within the classroom. Depending on your school and your child, an inclusion class may or may not be the best placement for your child. Ask to see how they are meeting the needs of gifted students. If there is no plan, then this may not be the class for you. If there is adequate differentiated instruction, an inclusion class may be the best placement because there are more teachers in the room to address individual needs than a regular education classroom.

In High School gifted students are encouraged to take Honors or Advanced Placement classes. Inclusion classes in high school tend to not have the broad range of abilities found in the lower grades.

Thanks for all the comments