Educational Environment

Educational Environment: WISEdata

Educational Environment reflects the extent to which students with disabilities attend educational programs with their peers without disabilities. For students who do not attend a program with a majority of peers without disabilities, the educational environment is the settings in which they receive special education and related services.  Educational environment does not reflect the amount of special education or related services a student receives.

This field is required for all students with disabilities for WISEdata collection records.

There are two sets of educational environment codes dependent on the student’s age.

PRESCHOOL EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT CODES

Age 3, Age 4, Age 5 Not in Kindergarten

* A "regular early childhood program" is defined as a program that includes a majority (at least 50 percent) of nondisabled children (children not on IEPs) and can include, but is not limited to, Head Start, public or private 4-year-old kindergartens, public or private preschools, and group child development centers or child care.

**A "special education early childhood program" is defined as a program that includes less than 50 percent nondisabled children (children not on IEPs).

AGE, 3, AGE 4, AGE 5 NOT IN KINDERGARTEN

ATTENDS NEITHER A REGULAR EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM NOR A SPECIAL EDUCATION EARLY CHILDHOOD PROGRAM

SCHOOL AGE EDUCATIONAL ENVIRONMENT CODES

Age 5 in Kindergarten and Ages 6 through 21

CALCULATING PERCENTAGE OF TIME

INSIDE THE REGULAR CLASSROOM WITH NONDISABLED PEERS

To calculate the percentage of time a student is inside the regular classroom:

• Determine the number of minutes in the school week (including lunch, recess, and study periods) for all students
• Determine the number of minutes per week the student is removed from nondisabled peers based on the student's IEP.
  • For students on a shortened school day, determine the number of minutes per week the student is not in school because of the shortened school day and include it in the total time removed from the student’s nondisabled peers.
• Divide the number of minutes the student is removed from his or 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 percentage of time the student is removed from his or her non-disabled peers.
• Subtract this percentage from 100 to determine the percentage of time the student is inside the regular classroom.

The school week is used because all student schedules are not the same each day. It is easier to convert hours to minutes for the calculations.

Please note that students age 6 and older must be reported with a school age educational environment code regardless of the grade they are in.

USES: The information submitted under Educational Environment is used to complete Wisconsin's Annual Report on the Implementation of Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE) 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 Indicators 5 and 6 of the State Performance Plan (SPP).

FAQs, Details, and Points to Note

1. Preschool – Attending Regular Early Childhood Program: When determining if a child attends a regular early childhood program, consideration needs to be given to where the child is during the hours of the school day outside of when the child is receiving special education/related services. In other words, consideration must be given to child care and other program that parents have chosen for their child when determining if a child attends a regular early childhood program.
   • For example, a child who attends a child care facility in the morning and then attends a self-contained special education classroom in the afternoon would be considered to be attending a regular early childhood program if at least 50% of the children in the classroom at the child care facility are children without disabilities.  Attending a regular early childhood program is not dependent on whether special education/related services are provided in the regular early childhood program.
2. Preschool - Determining Regular Early Childhood Program Composition: It is necessary to determine if the program includes at least 50 percent nondisabled children (children not on IEPs) when deciding if the program is a regular early childhood program. 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 if the child attends a program that includes a majority of nondisabled children (children not on IEPs), the IEP team should consider the program's intention; that is, if the program was designed for typically-developing children.
3. Preschool - 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 and related services. For example, while attending the regular early childhood program, the child is taken out one 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.
4. Preschool - 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 by the child per week and then multiply the result by 100. For example, a child receives two hours of special education/related services in the regular early childhood program each week and an additional one hour of special education/related services outside the regular early childhood program each week. For this child, two of the three hours of special education/related services are received in the regular early childhood program which would mean  67 percent of the special education/related services are delivered within the regular early childhood program.
   • For example, a child receives two hours of special education/related services in the regular early childhood program each week and an additional one hour of special education/related services outside the regular early childhood program each week. For this child, two of the three hours of special education/related services are received in the regular early childhood program which would mean 67 percent of the special education/related services are delivered within the regular early childhood program.
5. Preschool – Enrolled in a Regular Early Childhood Program versus Attending as a Visitor:  For a child to be considered as attending a regular early childhood program, the child must be enrolled in the program.   Children with disabilities being enrolled in a regular early childhood program most closely aligns with the intent of the least restrictive environment provisions of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).
   • For example, a 3-year-old child who is receiving special education/related services in a 4-year-old kindergarten classroom would not be considered to be attending a regular early childhood program as the child does not meet the age requirement for enrollment.  This child could be considered to be attending a regular early childhood program, however, if during the hours of the school day, the child was attending some other regular early childhood program such as a child care facility or preschool.
   • Another example would be a child who receives special education/related services in a self-contained early childhood special education classroom but comes to a regular education program classroom for activities such as story time or group play. This child would not be considered to be attending a regular early childhood program during this activity time. The child is not enrolled in the regular early childhood program and is attending as a visitor. Again, this child could be considered to be attending a regular early childhood program, if at some other time during the hours of the school day, the child was attending a regular early childhood program such as a child care facility or preschool.
6. School Age – Minutes in the School Week: The number of minutes in a school week is determined based on the number of minutes school is in session in a typical week. For example, school is in session Monday-Thursday from 8:15 AM - 3:00 PM and Friday from 8:15 AM - 2:00 PM. 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.
7. School Age – Time Inside the Regular Classroom: Time inside the regular classroom is the amount of time the student is in the regular classroom with nondisabled peers (students without IEPs) based on the minutes in the school week. The amount of time the student is removed from nondisabled peers to receive special education/related services as identified in a student’s IEP would be time outside the regular classroom. Additionally, time a student is not in school because of a shortened school day would be time outside the regular classroom..
   • Time spent outside the regular classroom receiving services unrelated to the student's disability (e.g., time spent receiving ELL services) should be considered time inside the regular classroom.
   • 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 a fast food restaurant would not be considered a removal because the restaurant employs people with and without disabilities.

8. School Age - Enrollment Type Parentally Placed Private (PPP): T

   he educational environment for a PPP student age 5 in KG through age 21 is “T” – Parentally Placed in Private School. 

   • Use the Preschool Educational Environment Decision Tree when determining the educational environment code for a PPP student age 3, age 4, or age 5 not in KG.

   • There is no separate educational environment code for a PPP student age 3, age 4, or age 5 not in KG.

   • Choice schools should report the same codes used by public school students in 4K.

9. School Age – Online Learning:  When determining the educational environment for children who participate in online learning either full- or part-time, consideration must be given to whether the course is open to students with and without disabilities as well as the location in which the online learning is accessed.  Generally if the course is open to all students, and there is no specific location for accessing the online learning, it is considered to be time inside the regular classroom.
   • If the course constitutes specially designed instruction and is intended for students with disabilities, this would be considered time outside the regular classroom.  Likewise if the course is delivered in a special education setting in accordance with the student’s IEP or in a location within the school building in isolation of students without disabilities, this would be considered time outside the regular classroom.
   • When the course is delivered in an off-campus site, such as a local library or community center, time inside or outside the regular classroom is dependent on whether students without disabilities are accessing the course at the same time.
   • For a student participating in online learning who has been placed in a separate school for more than 50 percent of their school day, the educational environment will continue to be a public or private separate school.
   • For a student participating in online learning who has been placed in a residential facility for more than 50 percent of their school day, the educational environment will continue to be a public or private residential facility.
   • For students placed in homebound or hospital settings, a correctional facility, or parentally placed in a private school, participation in online learning does not change the educational environment established by the IEP or Services Plan. These students would continue to be reported with an educational environment of homebound, hospital, correctional facility, or parentally placed in a private school.
   • For more information about determining the educational environment code for a child participating in online learning, refer to the Online Learning and IDEA Educational Environments document developed by the IDC Data Center.
10. School Age – Treatment Programs – – For a student who has been placed in a treatment program, only the time in which the student is receiving educational services should be considered when determining the student’s educational environment. The educational environment would be determined based on the percentage of time the student is receiving educational services with their non-disabled peers.
11. School Age – Residential Care Centers – For a student who has been placed by a county or state agency at a residential care center (RCC), only the time in which the student is receiving educational services should be considered when determining the student’s educational environment. The educational environment would be determined based on the percentage of time the student is receiving educational services with their non-disabled peers if the facility serves both students with and without disabilities.  If the facility is solely for students with disabilities, the educational environment would be a public residential facility.

See also:

• Wisconsin State Performance Plan (SPP) Indicators #5 and #6
• Preschool Educational Environment Decision Tree

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