• made by a team including parent (or adult student), person knowledgeable about the student, person knowledgeable about evaluation data, and person knowledgeable about placement options
• aligned with principles of Least Restrictive Environment
• as close as possible to the student's home - in almost all cases, this is at their neighborhood school 
• based on the student's IEP
• documented on the placement page
• determined at least annually
  

Key elements of the placement decision process:

• placement is based on the student's IEP
• services should be provided in the general education classroom if possible
• the team may not remove a student from the general education classroom solely because of needed modifications to the general ed curriculum

The placement team considers the continuum of placement options (documenting at least two options), including 

• any placement options requested by the parent
• potential benefits of placement options
• potential harmful effects on the student of placement options
• modifications and services considered to maintain the student in the least restrictive placement before concluding that a more restrictive placement is necessary

The IEP team should also consider any barriers to the student's access to non-academic school-based activities and services, including:

• Athletics
• Recreational Activities
• Special Interest Groups or Clubs
• Counseling Services
• Co-Curricular Activities (see Co-Curricular Activities page in the SPED Handbook)
• Transportation (see Transportation page in the SPED Handbook)
• Health Services
• Referral to agencies that provide assistance to individuals with disabilities (VR, DD Services)
• Employment of students (Transition planning toward building employment skills, YTP services, etc.)

Parent receives a copy of the placement documentation with the IEP packet

If the team is not in consensus about the placement decision, write a Prior Written Notice about the placement decision.

Guidance for selecting Placement Options: 

• The non-participation justification and the placement page are read together; therefore specify the exact extent of the removal in the non-participation justification.
• Placement is a set of services, not a location. However, when determining the percent of time spent out of the general education setting, you should specifically pay attention to the location where the services are being provided (general education setting or special education setting).
• The portion of special education services (Specially Designed Instruction, Related Services, Accommodations, Modifications & Supplemental Services) that the student receives in the general education setting, is not considered time spent in a special education setting for the placement determination. The percent in the placement determination (and the placement code) is specifically calculated based on where the student is receiving the services (general ed or special ed setting) not the intensity of the services.
• A student may receive intensive special education services throughout their entire school day. However, if the services take place primarily in the general education setting, then they would have a federal placement code of 30 (less than 20% removed from general ed).
  
  • In this example, the Placement Team would select "30 - Special Program with ____ Focus with Extensive Time General Education"
• The total school day counts in the % (including lunch, recess, etc.)
• A team can always add more language to the description if it would be helpful to the team discussion.
• The codes listed are the general case. There may be circumstances where different language is more helpful to the placement discussion.

Continuum of Placement Options