The policies adopted by the Exceptional Children’s Education Act (2016) enabled disproportionality within LEAs by overlooking undocumented classroom removal practices, underestimating the monitoring and reporting criteria, and overlooking non-dominant cultural and linguistic groups within the Colorado community. In this critical policy analysis, I used quantitative methods to analyze and explore the difference between the odds ratio calculation of culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLDS) in special education with a least restrictive environment (LRE) of 40% and greater compared to Colorado’s acceptance of the federal mandate of the minimum requirement of the student LRE of less than 40% and alternate school setting. I explored the efficacy of the Colorado policy that used the minimal flexibility standards (less than 40% or alternate school setting) within the amendment to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2016) as a form of equity for CLDS with dis/abilities in special education. I explored the consequences of data collection of CLDS in each of the special education categories and racial/ethnic groups. I found through this critical policy analysis: 1) disproportionate representation persisted across all CLD groups; 2) overrepresentation persisted across all LRE placement levels; 3) suppressed and missing data prevented some CLDS groups from being monitored and reported from certain dis/ability categories under all LRE definitions; and 4) overrepresentation continued to be an under-monitored and under-reported concern for students reported as English learners with a dis/ability under all LRE definitions. I discovered through the data collection process that data suppression due to low n count to protect student privacy needed to be rethought in order to provide appropriate allocation of funds to students who were taken into account. This critical policy analysis concluded with a discussion of implications of Colorado’s policy that implemented the minimal flexibility standards and suppression of data. I concluded this critical policy analysis with the following three recommendations: 1) the development of policy to address the documentation for removal of all students from the general education classroom; 2) update the monitoring and reporting criteria to capture underrepresentation and suppressed data for students in all special education categories; and 3) update state-level policy to address English Learners identified with a dis/ability in specific special education categories that include an action plan to reduce disproportionality in all LRE definitions.
","abstract_html":"<p>The policies adopted by the Exceptional Children’s Education Act (2016) enabled disproportionality within LEAs by overlooking undocumented classroom removal practices, underestimating the monitoring and reporting criteria, and overlooking non-dominant cultural and linguistic groups within the Colorado community. In this critical policy analysis, I used quantitative methods to analyze and explore the difference between the odds ratio calculation of culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLDS) in special education with a least restrictive environment (LRE) of 40% and greater compared to Colorado’s acceptance of the federal mandate of the minimum requirement of the student LRE of less than 40% and alternate school setting. I explored the efficacy of the Colorado policy that used the minimal flexibility standards (less than 40% or alternate school setting) within the amendment to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2016) as a form of equity for CLDS with dis/abilities in special education. I explored the consequences of data collection of CLDS in each of the special education categories and racial/ethnic groups. I found through this critical policy analysis: 1) disproportionate representation persisted across all CLD groups; 2) overrepresentation persisted across all LRE placement levels; 3) suppressed and missing data prevented some CLDS groups from being monitored and reported from certain dis/ability categories under all LRE definitions; and 4) overrepresentation continued to be an under-monitored and under-reported concern for students reported as English learners with a dis/ability under all LRE definitions. I discovered through the data collection process that data suppression due to low n count to protect student privacy needed to be rethought in order to provide appropriate allocation of funds to students who were taken into account. This critical policy analysis concluded with a discussion of implications of Colorado’s policy that implemented the minimal flexibility standards and suppression of data. I concluded this critical policy analysis with the following three recommendations: 1) the development of policy to address the documentation for removal of all students from the general education classroom; 2) update the monitoring and reporting criteria to capture underrepresentation and suppressed data for students in all special education categories; and 3) update state-level policy to address English Learners identified with a dis/ability in specific special education categories that include an action plan to reduce disproportionality in all LRE definitions.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Sachdeva, Arti"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Ed.D.","degree_level":"Dissertation in Practice","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Lolita A. Tabron","Kristina A. Hesbol","Alissa Rausch"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2021,"date_issued":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2021-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:12Z","subjects":["Critical policy analysis","Culturally and linguistically diverse students","Disproportionality","Over and under-representation","Quantitative methods","Special education","Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education","Education","Educational Administration and Supervision","Special Education Administration","Special Education and Teaching"],"languages":["en"],"rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
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"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/pdf"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["An LRE Placement Loophole: A Critical Policy Analysis of LRE Placement in Defining Disproportionality of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Lolita A. Tabron","Kristina A. Hesbol","Alissa Rausch"],"dc:creator":["Sachdeva, Arti"],"dc:date.available":["2022-02-08T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["The policies adopted by the Exceptional Children’s Education Act (2016) enabled disproportionality within LEAs by overlooking undocumented classroom removal practices, underestimating the monitoring and reporting criteria, and overlooking non-dominant cultural and linguistic groups within the Colorado community. In this critical policy analysis, I used quantitative methods to analyze and explore the difference between the odds ratio calculation of culturally and linguistically diverse students (CLDS) in special education with a least restrictive environment (LRE) of 40% and greater compared to Colorado’s acceptance of the federal mandate of the minimum requirement of the student LRE of less than 40% and alternate school setting. I explored the efficacy of the Colorado policy that used the minimal flexibility standards (less than 40% or alternate school setting) within the amendment to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (2016) as a form of equity for CLDS with dis/abilities in special education. I explored the consequences of data collection of CLDS in each of the special education categories and racial/ethnic groups. I found through this critical policy analysis: 1) disproportionate representation persisted across all CLD groups; 2) overrepresentation persisted across all LRE placement levels; 3) suppressed and missing data prevented some CLDS groups from being monitored and reported from certain dis/ability categories under all LRE definitions; and 4) overrepresentation continued to be an under-monitored and under-reported concern for students reported as English learners with a dis/ability under all LRE definitions. I discovered through the data collection process that data suppression due to low n count to protect student privacy needed to be rethought in order to provide appropriate allocation of funds to students who were taken into account. This critical policy analysis concluded with a discussion of implications of Colorado’s policy that implemented the minimal flexibility standards and suppression of data. I concluded this critical policy analysis with the following three recommendations: 1) the development of policy to address the documentation for removal of all students from the general education classroom; 2) update the monitoring and reporting criteria to capture underrepresentation and suppressed data for students in all special education categories; and 3) update state-level policy to address English Learners identified with a dis/ability in specific special education categories that include an action plan to reduce disproportionality in all LRE definitions.
"],"dc:format":["application/pdf"],"dc:identifier":["https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1975"],"dc:language":["en"],"dc:rights":["Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.
"],"dc:subject":["Critical policy analysis","Culturally and linguistically diverse students","Disproportionality","Over and under-representation","Quantitative methods","Special education","Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education","Education","Educational Administration and Supervision","Special Education Administration","Special Education and Teaching"],"dc:title":["An LRE Placement Loophole: A Critical Policy Analysis of LRE Placement in Defining Disproportionality of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education"],"thesis:degree_level":["Dissertation in Practice"],"thesis:degree_name":["Ed.D."]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:03:12Z"}