Over the last two months, we’ve worked together to define familiar words with precision. We’re going to keep that same energy and explore another common word: Inclusion.
But first…a story.
A few Thursdays ago, standing in the rain, I found myself inspired by a middle school track meet. One of the first events was the 7th grade 1500m race. I’m not an elite runner, but I’ve found myself entered in my share of turkey trots and half marathons. The student who won this race ran with a form and at a pace I have never achieved. His knees were high. His kick was long. His steps were more like leaps. Just as he finished the fourth and final lap of his race, another student was just about to start his third lap. I watched this second student as closely as I did the first. He ran his race in his way. He never walked. He never gave up.
He finished.
As he rounded his final lap, the other students sitting in the bleachers and standing along the sidelines screamed his name and clapped their hands. We celebrated his effort the same way we celebrated the student who finished first.
On that rainy Thursday, a bunch of middle schoolers taught me there is room for everyone to be excellent on the track. If there’s room out there, imagine what we can do in other spaces too. Imagine what we can do in our schools…
Defining Inclusive Education
According to the Handbook of Effective Inclusive Elementary Schools, inclusive schools are places where students with disabilities:
- are valued and active participants
- receive the supports they need to be successful in academic, social, and extra-curricular activities
- learn in the same classrooms and schools as their same-age neighbors and peers.1
Research tells us inclusive practices are beneficial to everyone – both for students with and without disabilities. When placed in inclusive environments, students with intellectual and developmental disabilities experienced “improved academic achievement and skill acquisition, improved communication skills and social interactions, self-determination, positive perceptions of belonging and high expectations for learning.”2 Another study found inclusive classrooms helped students without disabilities respect, accept and acknowledge different abilities. These inclusive classrooms provided more opportunities to explore topics in a variety of learning formats, which improved academic outcomes for all students.3
Including students with disabilities in education isn’t just important in practice, it’s also federal law.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) ensures (among other things) that “all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living.”4 Before Congress enacted this law in 1975, nearly 1.8 million students with disabilities were excluded from public education completely. Today, more than 8 million students with disabilities rely on IDEA to receive the support they need to attend and succeed in the same schools as everyone else.
Because IDEA is a federal law, it’s up to the US Department of Education to ensure schools follow it. One way the department does this is through data.
The Opposite of Inclusion is Exclusion
While schools may not collect a lot of data about the inclusive practices they implement, nearly all collect data about their exclusionary practices.
It’s possible your efforts to create inclusive spaces are working perfectly. It’s also possible there is room to do better. Use the data you collect as simply a piece of information to get students the support they need faster.
Since 1968, the US Department of Education Office for Civil Rights has released the Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) report exploring students' access, barriers, and experiences in public schools. One of the reports focuses entirely on student discipline and school climate. The 2020-21 report shows students with disabilities were overrepresented in exclusionary discipline practices. In the 2020-21 school year, students with disabilities accounted for:
- 17% of the total enrollment in public schools
- 24% of the students with one or more in-school suspensions
- 29% of the students with one or more out-of-school suspensions
- 21% of the students with an expulsion
A first look at the 2021-22 data show a similar pattern. The CRDC data give us important insights into how students with disabilities are excluded from learning. Reporting these data at the school-level compels a team to do something about them…and with limited resources, sometimes it’s unclear exactly what to do first.
Never fear. Here are a few ideas — some from us and some from the Handbook of Effective Inclusive Elementary Schools5— to get you started.
Collect the Data
Your schoolwide systems, data, and practices should reflect your schoolwide population. When it comes to the behavior data you enter, be sure to add 504 and individual education plans (IEP) to student demographic information. [Note: A 504 plan defines any accommodation a student might need due to their disability. An IEP defines the services and support a student receives to improve their educational outcomes.]
The SWIS Suite is a comprehensive, online application for understanding the student behaviors happening in your school every day. In the SWIS Suite, you’ll enter both 504 and IEP information in the student record. Then, whether you enter referral, Check-in Check-out (CICO), or I-SWIS data for that student, you automatically capture the plans they’re already on. Demographic information like IEP, race/ethnicity, gender, and English language learner (ELL) status are critical pieces of data helping us uncover potential inequities and improve our decision-making process.
Run the Reports
The SWIS Equity report is one way to regularly evaluate how your discipline practices affect specific student groups. You can generate an Equity Report based on student demographic data including IEP status. Above is an example of the Risk Ratio calculation — one graph of five available in the Equity Report. For this graph, a Risk Ratio of 1.0 means the risk for both groups to receive a referral is equal. In this school, we see students with an IEP are about twice as likely to be referred as other students. If this was your school’s report, what questions would come to mind? What would you want to know next?
It’s possible your efforts to create inclusive spaces are working perfectly. It’s also possible there is room to do better. Use the data you collect as simply a piece of information to get students the support they need faster.
Differentiate Tier 1 Support
Just because you offer schoolwide support, doesn’t mean you deliver the same set of Tier 1 practices in the exact same way to every student. Look at the practices you implement schoolwide and in the classroom. As you look at them, determine how you can modify or intensify your delivery to meet student needs without compromising the original intention.
For example, acknowledgements are a Tier 1 practice you implement schoolwide. Some people love public praise — they live for an awards assembly and a speech. There are others who would turn red and run out of the room if you clinked a glass and raised a toast in their honor. Acknowledgement can be a public affair or a quiet moment on the side. When we implement practices intended to promote positive behavior, it’s important to consider how students receive them.
Keep Additional Supports Connected to Schoolwide Systems
When you review schoolwide data, you’ll start to identify smaller groups of students who need more support. Make sure those supports always align with what you’re doing schoolwide. For example, linking CICO expectations to your schoolwide expectations, or offering function-based reinforcements (like taking a break) in addition to the larger acknowledgement system (like tickets). It’s possible to offer more support without separating students from what’s happening schoolwide.
Include Student Strengths in Individual Support Plans
Everyone is good at something. While you look for which supports to provide, remember to consider the things students do well and build in opportunities to include those strengths schoolwide. Is art a strength? Incorporate the skill in their IEP and share their art in public places. Does a student love to help around the classroom? Create a list of classroom jobs they can pick from when they meet their goals. When a support plan builds on a student’s strengths to promote improvement in other areas and create space for more inclusion, that is a sweet spot for success!
Federal law, research, and good practice tell us inclusive educational spaces help everyone achieve important, positive outcomes. Data tell us we can do more to ensure all students are included and supported in our schools. Schoolwide systems and practices apply to everyone in your building, so make sure everyone experiences them in affirming ways. Then, any additional support you offer should match student needs, align with what you’re doing schoolwide, and build on student strengths to achieve success. Everyone in your school deserves the opportunity to be excellent; it’s time to make the space.