An LRE Placement Loophole: A Critical Policy Analysis of LRE Placement in Defining Disproportionality of Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students in Special Education

<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>

Name thesis:degree_name

Ed.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation in Practice

Year dc:date.available

2021

Author dc:creator

• Sachdeva, Arti

Contributors dc:contributor

• Lolita A. Tabron
• Kristina A. Hesbol
• Alissa Rausch

• 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

Statement dc:rights

• <p>Copyright is held by the author. User is responsible for all copyright compliance.</p>

Language dc:language

en

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/1975

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.du.edu:etd-2977