Educational Environment Data Collection and Reporting

Data Collection and Reporting

2006-07 and Beyond

Educational Environment reflects the extent to which students with disabilities are educated with their nondisabled peers. It does not reflect the amount of special education services and/or related services.

CHANGES: This field was optional for 2006-07 ISES Third Friday of September and codes. This field is now required for all students with disabilities ( Primary Disability <> N/NULL) beginning with 2007-08 ISES Third Friday of September records and the 2009-10 ISES Child Count records. Significant changes in both codes and code descriptions themselves have occurred since 2006-07 data were collected. The most recent changes, beginning with 2010-11, are to the Ages 3-5 codes and code descriptions.

CODES:

AGES 3-5: ATTENDS A REGULAR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM *
At Least 10 Hours Per Week
(Age calculated as of the count date)

Educational Environment Code Description/Comments

Regular Class At Least 10 Hours Majority Sp Ed in Regular Class R1 Student attends a regular early childhood program at least 10 hours per week and receives the majority of hours of special education and related services in the regular early childhood program.

Regular Class At Least 10 Hours Majority Sp Ed in Other Location R2 Student attends a regular early childhood program at least 10 hours per week and receives the majority of hours of special education and related services in some other location.

AGES 3-5: ATTENDS A REGULAR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM *
Less Than 10 Hours Per Week
(Age calculated as of the count date)

Educational Environment Code Description/Comments

Regular Class Less Than 10 Hours Majority Sp Ed in Regular Class R3 Student attends a regular early childhood program less than 10 hours per week and receives the majority of hours of special education and related services in the regular early childhood program.

Regular Class Less Than 10 Hours Majority Sp Ed in Other Location R4 Student attends a regular early childhood program less than 10 hours per week and receives the majority of hours of special education and related services in some other location.

* A "regular early childhood program" is defined as a program that includes at least 50% nondisabled children and can include but is not limited to Head Start, kindergartens, private kindergartens or preschools, and group child development centers or child care.

Determining Classroom Composition: It is necessary to determine if a program has at least 50 percent typically developing children when deciding if the educational environment is considered a regular early childhood program (codes R1, R2, R3, R4). At times this may not always be apparent. In those instances, it is important to rely on parents to report to IEP teams about the child's program and classroom composition. If the parent does not know whether the child attends a program that includes a majority of typically developing children, the IEP team should consider the program's intention; that is whether it was designed for typically-developing children.

Determining Amount of Time: When determining the amount of time a child attends a regular early childhood program, do not include the time a child is taken out of the regular early childhood program each week to receive special education/related services. For example, while attending the regular early childhood program, the child is taken out 1 hour per week to receive speech and language services. The time the child is removed to receive the speech and language services would not be considered time in the regular early childhood program.

Determining Majority of Services: To determine the majority of services, divide the total hours of special education/related services delivered to the child in the regular early childhood program per week by the total hours of special education/related services received per week and then multiply the result by 100. For example, a child receives 2 hours of special education/related services in the regular early childhood program each week and an additional 1 hour of special education/related services outside the regular early childhood program each week. For this child, 67% of the special education/related services are delivered within the regular early childhood program (2 ÷ 3 = .67*100=67%).

AGES 3-5: ATTENDS A SPECIAL EDUCATION EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM ^{**(Age calculated as of the count date)}
Educational Environment	Code	Description/Comments
Separate Special Education Classroom	B1	Student attends a special education early childhood program in a class with less than 50% nondisabled peers.
Separate School	B2	Student attends a special education early childhood program in a public or private day school designed specifically for children with disabilities.
Residential Facility	B3	Student attends a special education early childhood program in publicly or privately operated residential schools or residential medical facilities on an inpatient basis.

**A "special education early childhood program" is defined as a program that includes less than 50% nondisabled children.

AGES 3-5: ATTENDS NEITHER A REGULAR EARLY CHILDHOOD OR A SPECIAL EDUCATION EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM (Age calculated as of the count date)
Home	B4	Student receives special education/related services in the principle residence of the child’s family or caregivers (includes babysitters). Report children who receive special education both at home and in a service provider location in this category.
Service Provider	B5	Student receives special education/related services only from a service provider or in some other location that is not in any other category. This educational environment code is only used when no other educational environment code can be used. For example, a child who receives only speech and language services in a speech pathologist’s office located in a school building.

AGES 6-21: ATTENDS A REGULAR SCHOOL OVER 50% OF THE TIME (Age calculated as of the count date)
Educational Environment	Code	Description/Comments
Regular Class at Least 80%	A	Student is inside the regular classroom with nondisabled peers 80% or more of the time. See calculation instructions below.
Regular Class 40 - 79%	B	Student is inside the regular classroom with nondisable peers 40 to 79% of the time. See calculation instructions below.
Regular Class Less Than 40%	C	Student is inside the regular class room with nondisable peers less than 40% of the time. See calculation instructions below.

CALCULATING PERCENTAGE (AGES 6-21): Note: This calculation is not the same percentage reported as FTE on some district forms. To calculate the percentage of time a student is in the regular classroom, first determine the number of minutes per week the student is removed from his/her nondisabled peers based on the student’s IEP. Divide the number of minutes the student is removed from his/her nondisabled peers in one week by the total number of minutes in the school week and multiply the result by 100. This will be the percent of time the student is removed from his/her nondisabled peers. This percent is then subtracted from 100 to determine the percent of time the student is in the regular classroom. We use the school week since all student schedules are not the same each day. It is easier to convert hours to minutes for the calculations.

Hours in the School Week is defined as the amount of time school is in session. For example: School is in session M-Th from 8:15 - 3:00 and F from 8:15 - 2:00. This equals 32.75 hours per week or 1,965 minutes. This time includes lunch and recess periods as most children with disabilities are not generally removed during these times unless the IEP requires removal. For children who have a shortened school day, the calculation should include only the number of hours that student attends school.

Hours Removed from Non-disabled Peers is defined as the amount of time the student is away from his/her non-disabled peers to receive special education or related services as outlined in their IEP. Examples include removals for special classes/related services such as SL or PT/OT or services in a special education classroom or in a resource room. Time spent outside the regular classroom receiving services unrelated to the student's disability (e.g., time spent receiving LEP services) should be considered time inside the regular classroom.

Unique Situations: Educational time spent in age-appropriate community-based settings that include individuals with and without disabilities, such as college campuses or vocational sites, should be counted as time spent inside the regular classroom. For example, a job placement at McDonalds would not be considered a removal because McDonalds employs people with and without disabilities. A placement at a sheltered workshop would be a removal as this environment is exclusively for people with disabilities. A student segregated at the library or the office without contact with non-disabled peers would be considered removed from his/her non-disabled peers.

AGES 6-21: ATTENDS OTHER FACILITIES (Age calculated as of the count date)
Educational Environment	Code	Description/Comments
Public Separate School	D	Student receives special education and related services at public expense for greater than 50% of the school day in a public facility that is designed only for students with disabilities. This may include students placed in: separate school buildings for students with disabilities within a district, or public day schools for students with disabilities (day students at WSD or WCBVI, Sybl Hopp, Lakeland School, etc.), or public day schools for students with disabilities for a portion of the school day (greater than 50 percent) and in regular school buildings for the remainder of the school day, or public residential facilities for students with disabilities IF the student does NOT LIVE at the facility.
Private Separate School	E	Student receives special education and related services at public expense for greater than 50% of the school day in a private facility that is designed only for students with disabilities. This may include students placed in: private day schools for students with disabilities (day students at Kradwell), or private day schools for students with disabilities for a portion of the school day (greater than 50 percent) and in regular school buildings for the remainder of the school day, or Private residential facilities for students with disabilities IF the student does NOT LIVE at the facility.
Public Residential Facility	F	Student receives special education and related services at public expense for greater than 50% of the school day in a public residential facility AND lives there during the school week. Do not include students who receive educational programs at the facility, but do not live there. This category may include students placed in: public residential schools for students with disabilities (3+ days/week living at WSD/WCBVI, etc) or public residential schools for students with disabilities for a portion of the school day (greater than 50 percent) and in separate day schools or regular school buildings for the remainder of the school day.
Private Residential Facility	G	Student receives special education and related services at public expense for greater than 50% of the school day in a private residential facility AND lives there during the school week. Do not include students who received educational programs at the facility, but do not live there. This category may include students placed in: private residential schools for students with disabilities (living at Kradwell) or private residential schools for students with disabilities for a portion of the school day (greater than 50 percent) and in separate day schools or regular school buildings for the remainder of the school day.
Hospital	I	Student is placed in and receiving special education and related services in a medical treatment facility on an in-patient basis.
Homebound	J	Student receives ALL special education and related services in a homebound program.
Correctional Facilities	S	Student receives special education and related services in short-term detention facilities (community-based or residential) or correctional facilities. Students reported under this category were, prior to 2007-08, reported under environment codes A, B, or C.
Parentally Placed in Private Schools	T	Student is enrolled in a private school by their parents and their basic education (e.g., tuition) is paid for through private resources. Use this category to report students who receive special education and related services at public expense from a local educational agency under an individual service plan. Include children whose parents choose to home-school them, but who receive special education and related services at public expense.

USES: The information submitted under Educational Environment is used to complete Wisconsin's Annual Report on the Implementation of FAPE (free appropriate public education) required under section 618 of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004. This information is also collected and publicly reported at both a state and local level as one of the indicators of the State Performance Plan (SPP).