Information Brief U

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Note: The information included in this document presumes a broad understanding of such basic concepts
as individual education programs (IEPs), IEP teams, and instructional accommodations, among others.
Readers who require a primer on these topics will find many informative resources on the IRIS Center’s
Website, [Link]
Introduction to LRE
Least restrictive environment (LRE) is a guiding principle in FYI
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). LRE
IDEA is the law guaranteeing students
plays a critical role in determining not only where a student
with disabilities the right to a free
will spend her time in school but also how special education
services will be provided. Specifically, the LRE requirement appropriate public education (FAPE)
within IDEA necessitates that: that meets their individual needs.

• Students with disabilities receive their education alongside their peers without disabilities to the
maximum extent appropriate
• Students should not be removed from the general education classroom unless learning cannot be
achieved even with the use of supplementary aids and services
LRE is determined on a case-by-case basis during the development of a student’s individualized education
program (IEP). During this process, the IEP team—a multidisciplinary group of professionals and the
student’s parents—discuss what individualized program of instruction and related services (also referred
to as services and supports) the student requires based on her present levels of performance and areas of
strengths and needs. These services and supports should enable the student to:
• Make progress toward meeting identified academic or functional annual goals
• Be involved and make progress in the general education curriculum, as well as to participate in
extracurricular (e.g., drama club) and other nonacademic (e.g., a school football game) activities
• Take part in these activities with other students, both with and without disabilities
The term “environment” in least restrictive environment can be interpreted to imply that LRE is a place
or location. In fact, LRE does not merely refer to a particular setting. Rather, identifying the LRE involves
making program decisions about what services and supports a student needs to be successful and where
and how those services and supports can be provided effectively.

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Continuum of Alternative Placements for Services
Because LRE is determined by the student’s individualized program of instruction and related services
rather than by setting, IDEA requires that school districts create a continuum of alternative placement
options. This continuum represents a range of educational placements in which an IEP can be
implemented to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities. These placement options range
from the least restrictive setting (i.e., general education classroom) to the most restrictive ones (e.g.,
residential facility).

When using this continuum to determine where services and

FYI
supports will be provided, the IEP team should first make an
effort to place—and maintain—the student in the general Placement options are fluid. A
education setting. Recall that according to IDEA, students student might receive some services
with disabilities should be educated alongside their peers in one setting and other services
without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate. In in a different setting. Further,
addition, the law indicates that, when needed, supplementary placements can change over time
aids and services must be provided to enable the student to based on factors such as changes
be educated in the general education classroom. However, in a student’s progress or needs. For
when the nature or severity of the disability is such that some students, the general eduction
satisfactory progress cannot be achieved in this setting, classroom is not necessarily the least
even with supplementary aids and services, placement in a restrictive setting.
more restrictive setting(s) might be necessary to ensure an
appropriate education.

Did You Know?

According to the definition included in IDEA (at§300.42):

“Supplementary aids and services means aids, services, and other supports that are provided in
regular education classes, other education-related settings, and in extracurricular and nonacademic
settings, to enable children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum
extent appropriate.”

Even within the broad categories of placements—ranging from least restrictive to most restrictive—there
are multiple ways services and supports can be delivered. The table on the following pages describes a
few of these options.

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 Placement Examples of How Services Sample
Continuum and Supports Can Be Delivered Scenarios
Students receive instruction in the general education Amy, a student with low vision,
General classroom. receives instruction in the general
Education • Services are provided by the general education education classroom with
Classroom teacher, with accommodations or modifications as accommodations of preferential
needed seating near the whiteboard and
enlarged text.
• Instruction is supported with specialized materials,
equipment, or instructional methods

Students receive instruction in the general education Mateo, a 4th-grade student with
classroom with support from a special education teacher. a learning disability, receives
• Most, if not all, instruction is provided by the the majority of instruction from
general education teacher, with accommodations or his general education teacher.
modifications as needed However, during mathematics
class the special education teacher
• Services provided by the special education teacher
comes to the general education
might include:
classroom to work with Mateo
◦◦ Consultation and collaboration with the general and a small group of students with
education teacher to plan and provide instruction disabilities who have similar goals.
◦◦ Individualized or small-group instruction based on
the student’s needs
Students receive instruction in a special education Amara, a 3rd-grader with a
Special classroom for a portion of their school day. learning disability, receives the
Education • The majority of the instruction is provided in the majority of instruction from the
Classroom general education classroom, with accommodations general education teacher. She
or modifications as needed receives specialized reading
instruction in the resource room
• Services provided by the special education teacher
from the special education teacher
might include:
for 45 minutes each day.
◦◦ Individualized or small-group instruction in
a separate classroom, often referred to as a
resource room or “pull out”
◦◦ Consultation and collaboration with the general
education teacher to plan and provide instruction
Note: Students remain with their peers without
disabilities most of the time.

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 Placement Examples of How Services Sample
Continuum and Supports Can Be Delivered Scenarios

The majority of the instruction is provided in the special Blane, a middle school student
Special education classroom. with autism spectrum disorder,
Education • General education teachers, including those in receives instruction for the
Classroom nonacademic periods (e.g., P.E., art, music), consult majority of the day in a self-
with the special education teacher to provide contained classroom. She
effective instruction or support participates alongside peers
without disabilities in the
• Services provided by the special education teacher
general education classroom
might include:
during lunch, computer time,
◦◦ Specialized instruction in a separate classroom, and P.E.
provided in a small group for students with similar
characteristics or needs, often referred to as a self-
contained classroom
◦◦ Consultation with the general education teachers
to plan and provide individualized instruction
aligned with the general education curriculum
Note: Students can spend a portion of the day (e.g.,
social studies, P.E., music, lunch) with peers without
disabilities.
Students receive instruction for the majority of the school Devo is deaf. His IEP team,
Special day in a separate public or private facility. including his parents,
Schools • Services are provided in a school that is designed, determined that his state’s
staffed, and resourced for the care and education of school for the deaf would best
students with similar disability related needs serve his needs. He attends
this school during the day and
Note: Although most students return to their homes returns home after school.
during non-school hours, residential options might be
available for those who live farther away.
Students receive instruction at home for the majority of the Foster, an 8th-grade student,
Homebound school day. has a rare genetic disorder
• Students in homebound settings might have physical that affects both his physical
or mental health challenges that prevent or restrict and cognitive skills. He attends
participation at school school for three periods each
day then returns home. After a
• Services provided by a homebound teacher might
rest, he receives homebound
include:
instruction for another two
◦◦ Individualized instruction per a schedule hours. His homebound teacher
convenient to the student’s needs collaborates with his general
◦◦ Consultation and collaboration with the general and special education teachers
and special education teachers to plan and to provide instruction to help
provide instruction him meet his annual goals.

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 Placement Examples of How Services Sample
Continuum and Supports Can Be Delivered Scenarios
Students receive instruction in a hospital for the Foster’s health (see previous)
Hospital, majority of the school day. deteriorates, and his doctor admits
Residential • Students in hospital settings might have physical him to the hospital. He receives
Facility or mental health challenges that require instruction for four hours per day.
admission for an extended period of time The teacher who works with him
schedules his instruction around his
• Services provided by an education professional
medical treatments and other health
in the hospital might include:
needs.
◦◦ Individualized instruction per a schedule
convenient to the student’s needs
◦◦ Consultation and collaboration with the
general and special education teachers to
plan and provide instruction
Students receive instruction in a public or private Isha is a 16-year-old student with
an emotional and behavioral
residential facility for the majority of the school day.
• Some students with disabilities might have such disorder. Her IEP team determines
significant physical or mental health challenges that her needs would best be met at
that they require the types of services provided in a residential treatment facility. Isha
a residential facility receives instruction from teachers at
the facility, in addition to the mental
Note: The facilities are not always operated by the health services and supports she
school district. needs.

Making Placement Decisions for Services

Placement decisions are made at least annually by a group of individuals that includes the student’s
parents and others who are knowledgeable about the student, the meaning of the evaluation data, and
the placement options. When making placement decisions, the team, which could be the IEP team,
should consider the full range of options that might be appropriate based on the individual needs of
the student and the environment in which the student will most likely make progress. The IEP team must
document the reasons for any decision that results in the student’s services being delivered outside of the
general education classroom.
Because of the individualized nature of the LRE, there are no simple rules to determine how or where
services and supports will be provided. As they seek to make placement decisions, IEP teams should:
• Keep in mind that decisions are individualized to the student and should not be based on a specific
disability category
• Adopt an organized method to determine the LRE for a student
The graphic on the next page illustrates one decision-making process for determining the LRE. As the IEP
team works through the process, they collectively move closer to determining a student’s individualized
placement. Keep in mind that a student might receive services and supports in different settings
throughout the day based on what is needed to achieve each annual goal.

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Adapted from Kansas Special Education Process Handbook (p. 124), Kansas State Department of Education, 2018.

Factors To Consider
When contemplating each placement option, the IEP team should consider the following.
• Individualization: Based on a student’s unique needs and goals and taking into account parent and
student preferences
• Benefit to the student: The likely academic, behavioral, functional, and social-emotional benefits
• Effect on peers: The effect the student’s presence might have on the education of other students in the
classroom, both favorable and less-favorable (e.g., encouraging the development of empathy and
understanding, effects on instructional time)
• Appropriateness and inclusion: A balance between the delivery of an appropriate education that will
result in the student making progress and being educated with students without disabilities
• Use of supplementary aids and services: How accommodations or modifications (e.g., extended
time, modified assignments, special equipment) can support the student

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Examples of Placement Decisions
It is important to understand that placement is not an either/or decision; rather, students might receive
services and supports across a combination of settings. In the examples below, Hannah and Rabbie
receive services and supports in multiple settings. Although they have similar disabilities, the ways in
which their services and supports are provided are different, based on each student’s individual needs.

Student: Hannah Student: Rabbie

Age/Grade: 12 years old/6th Age/Grade: 12 years old/6th
Disability: Learning Disability (dyslexia), ADHD Disability: Learning Disability (dyslexia, dysgraphia), ADHD
Challenges Challenges
• Reads three years below grade level • Reads five years below grade level
• Limited academic vocabulary (written) • Limited academic vocabulary (oral and written)
• Difficulty with reading comprehension • Difficulty organizing thoughts in writing
• Poor time-management skills, struggles to • Easily distracted during instruction and testing
perform tasks within the classroom at the • Poor time-management skills, struggles to complete
same rate as peers assignments on time
Placements Placements
General education classroom: General education classroom:
• Hannah receives instruction in the • Rabbie receives instruction in the general education
general education classroom with classroom with accommodations and modifications for
accommodations. all classes except during the English/Language Arts
• Hannah receives support in the general (ELA) block.
education classroom from the special • Rabbie receives support in the general education
education teacher or an assistant during classroom from the special education teacher or an
reading. assistant during mathematics and science instruction.
Special education classroom: Special education classroom:
• Hannah receives specialized reading • During the ELA block, Rabbie receives specialized
instruction that targets comprehension reading instruction that targets decoding, fluency, and
skills; she receives this instruction in comprehension; he receives this instruction in a special
a special education classroom (i.e., education classroom (i.e., resource room).
resource room). • During this time, Rabbie also receives intensive writing
instruction in the resource room.

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References
Center for Parent Information & Resources. (2017, September). Considering LRE in placement
decisions. Retrieved from [Link]
Center for Parent Information & Resources. (2017, November). Supplementary aids and services.
Retrieved from [Link]
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, 20 U.S. Code § 1400 et seq. (2004)
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Regulations, 34 C.F.R. § 300.1114 et seq.
Kansas State Department of Education. (2018). Kansas special education process handbook.
Topeka, KS: Author. Retrieved from [Link]
Office of the State Superintendent of Education, Division of Special Education. (2011, January).
Least restrictive environment (LRE) toolkit. Washington, DC: District of Columbia Office of the
State Superintendent of Education. Retrieved from [Link]
restrictive-environment-toolkit
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Register, Vol. 71 No, 156, 46586-46589
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Register, Vol. 71 No. 156, 46587
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Register, Vol. 71 No. 156, §300.42
U.S. Department of Education, Federal Register Statute/Regs Main » Regulations » Part B »
Subpart A » Section 300.42 Supplementary aids and services.
U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services. (2012,
February). Dear colleague: Preschool LRE. Letter. Retrieved from [Link]
speced/guid/idea/memosdcltrs/[Link]
Wright, P. W. D., & Wright, P. D. (2006). Chapter 12: Smart IEPS. In Wrightslaw: From emotions
to advocacy (pp. 115–130). Hartfield, VA: Harbor House Law.
Yell, M. L. (2019). The law and special education (5th ed.). New York: Pearson.
Yell, M. L., & Bateman, D. F. (2017). Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017). FAPE
and the U.S. Supreme Court. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 49(6), 420–428. Retrieved
from [Link]
Yell, M. L., Katsiyannis, A., Parks Ennis, R., Losinski, M., & Christle, C. A. (2016). Avoiding
substantive errors in individualized education program development. TEACHING Exceptional
Children, 49(1), 31–40.

The contents of this resource were developed under a grant from the U.S. Depart-
ment of Education, #H325E170001. However, those contents do not necessarily [Link]
represent the policy of the U.S. Department of Education, and you should not
assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Sarah Allen. 092519 8