“In a coherent system of education, all children and students with disabilities are considered general education students first; and all educators, regardless of which students they are assigned to serve, have a collective responsibility to see that all children receive the education and the supports they need to maximize their development and potential, allowing them to participate meaningfully in the nation’s economy and democracy.” - California One System

At this time there is not official definitions or a defined difference of Inclusion and Mainstreaming and because of this, they are often used interchangeably. 
This webpage aims to provide information to clearly define the two and describe how they each look in the school setting. For the purpose of this webpage I have separated the terms based on my experience and the district that I work in.

While I define inclusion and mainstreaming differently, they both utilize inclusive teaching practices to create an inclusive learning environment for students with diverse learning needs

Defining Inclusion...

Inclusion is a step further than mainstreaming and looks to include students receiving special education services into the general education setting for their entire school day. Students receive all of their instruction in the general education curriculum. Students receive support services, accommodations,  and modifications in the general education classroom as outlined in their IEP. Teachers adjust instruction and possibility the environment in the classroom to help students access not only the curriculum but the environment and their peers.  

What can inclusion look like?

Inclusive education is tailored to fit the needs of each student but below are some ways inclusion may look:
  • ​Students who receive special education services are in the general education setting their entire school day. 
  • Additional support services such as speech or resource may push in to the classroom to work with the student and teacher to meet the needs of students who require additional support as deemed by an IEP team. 
  • Co-teaching with a general education teacher and a special education teacher in a single classroom to meet the needs of all the students in the classroom. 
  • Providing adaptations such as accommodations or modifications to the general education curriculum so the student can access the content. 
  • Frequent and meaningful collaboration between the general education and special education teacher to address the need of the student whether it be adapting the curriculum, adjusting the classroom layout, developing additional classroom management techniques, or providing additional social skills lessons for all students. ​

Inclusion Tips​

  • If the student has an IEP, the case manager should provide the General Education teacher with a copy of the IEP at a Glance and meet at the beginning of the school year to discuss student needs, accommodations, modifications, and goals. 
  • Ensure the classroom management strategy is set up to address all student needs and set up additional behavioral strategies for students based on needs. 
  • Create an environment that is welcoming and supports all students. 
  • Adapt the setting based on the student needs not their disability and services. 
  • Request additional training or assistance when you need help creating instruction.
  • Work together with services providers to address student needs, IEP goals, and adapting instruction.
  • Understand the differences between accommodations and modifications and how to correctly implement them. 
  • Students should receive any specialized services in the classroom unless not appropriate such as physical therapy or adapted physical education. 
  • Utilize purposeful and meaningful activities that keep students engaged. 
  • Create a classroom environment that is is fostered in respect, positive relationships, and shared responsibility. 

Defining Mainstreaming...

Mainstreaming is when students who receive their primary education in a specialized classroom such as a Special Day Classroom (SDC) are then being included into the general education setting for different times of day deemed appropriate by the student's IEP team. Students may have access to alternative curriculum in their specialized setting or may have access to the general education curriculum when mainstreaming. The law requires students be placed in the Least Restrictive Environment in which they can still be successful not only academically but behaviorally, socially, and emotionally. 
Mainstreaming allows for the students in the special education classroom to have access to their typically developing peers. It is essential that students have access to the their peers as much as possible (as appropriate based on the student needs) to promote rigorous learning, access to a wide range of friends, and appropriate coping skills. Studies have also shown that the more access students have to their typically developing peers can increase a student with specialized services self-esteem. 

What can mainstreaming look like?

While mainstreaming is not full inclusion it should still be looked at with a inclusive teaching outlook. Mainstreaming can look different from student to student since the amount of mainstreaming is based on student needs and what the student's IEP team has deemed appropriate. Students can mainstream for any time of day in the general education setting as long as it has been considered the Least Restrictive Environment for the student. If students are mainstreaming for over 60% of their school week then often the IEP team will meet to determine if a different placement will better fit the needs of the student. 
  • When in the public school setting all students should be mainstreaming for their recess and lunch time as this is an unstructured non academic time that students can socialize or play with their typically developing peers unless they pose safety concerns to themselves or other students. 
  • Many students in the public school setting will also mainstream for special activities such as art, music, and library.
  • If students have close to age appropriate gross motor skills they may mainstream for PE.
  • Students who are able to participate in classroom discussions could also participate in social emotional learning activities where the class talks about topics such as empathy, responsibility, grief, bullying, and being good friend.
  • If students are able to follow along in a book with the class, read some words, take simple notes, and participate in discussions regarding the learning topic, they could mainstream for social studies or science. 
  • Students could also mainstream for English Language Art or Mathematics if they are near grade level learning expectations. 

Mainstreaming Tips

  • Special education and general education teachers should meet at the beginning of the school year to discuss student placement, schedules, needs, and expectations. 
  • Special Education teachers should provide the General Education teacher with a copy of the student's IEP at a Glance and Review it at the beginning of the school year to ensure both teachers are on the same page regarding expectations. 
  • Special education teachers and general education teachers should meet at least 2 times a month to discuss student progress and review any changes that may need to be made. 
  • General education teachers should treat students who are mainstreaming into their classroom as one of their own students and include them in any special activities. ​
  • If students come to mainstreaming on their own without a paraprofessional you could assign a classroom buddy that can help the student with tasks when the teacher is not available. The buddy should be a mature, responsible, and kind student. 
  • If the student mainstreams for instructional content such as ELA, math, social studies, or science the special education teacher and general education teacher should work together to  adapt any instructional activities that the student might have difficulty with.  

Paraprofessionals / Instructional Learning Assistants / Behavior Specialist Aides etc

Aides go by many different terms and can serve students across many different settings. Their primary purpose is to support students based on their needs and the setting the students are in. Teachers must remember that although aides are not the teacher in charge they are still an important and valued member of the team. Without paraprofessionals/aides it would be difficult from students to receive additional support for behavior, health, safety, and academic involvement. A paraprofessional working with a student 1 on 1 in the general education setting is not going to necessarily have the same responsibilities as a paraprofessional working in a moderate/severe special day classroom. Treat them as you would treat another colleague but also ensure they are completing their responsibilities. Keep an open line of communication with your aides, provide direction and explain, ensure documentation is being completed, and don't forget to show your appreciation toward them. 

When students have a 1:1 Paraprofessional

If a student has a 1 to 1 aide/paraprofessional continue to give the primary direction to the student. The aide is there to care for the student's health, safety, and behavioral needs. Paraprofessionals/Aides should NOT be used for prepping classroom materials; however they could assist with prepping an activity with the students accommodations or modifications. They should be directly supporting the student through taking data, providing prompts, providing behavior interventions, or additional things that are outlined in the child's IEP. 

When the student comes with a Paraprofessional

If the student is accompanied by a paraprofessional, remember to address students directly and give the primary direction to the student. Paraprofessionals/Aides are there to care for student's health, safety, and behavior needs. Academic needs should be primarily addressed by the general education teacher. You can direct the aide to reinforce or prompt as needed. 
In addition to accompanying students who require additional assistance, a paraprofessional may come to observe and take data on a student who does not typically have an aide accompany them. This data informs the special education/SDC teacher how the student is doing and can share this information with the student' parents. 

Co-teaching

Co-teaching is a collaborative approach to teaching in a single classroom between two teachers.  Often co-teaching is between a general education teacher and a special education teacher with both students receiving special education services through an IEP (students with disabilities) and typically developing students. Teaching via this method allows for student's with an IEP to remain in the general education classroom while receiving the support in their classroom. This teaching practice not only benefits students with dyabilities but typically developing students as well. The general education and special education teacher are able to teach and collaborate together easier with this method as well. There are several styles of co-teaching that teachers can utilize in order to best meet the needs of their students. Through co-teaching, schools can work toward more inclusive teaching models with less students being pulled out of the classroom for additional services or even less students in the Special Day Classroom setting.

Styles of Co-teaching

  • One teach, one observe
    • One teacher directly teaches the class while the other observes.
  • One teach, one assist
    • One teacher directly teaches the class while the other assists students who may need additional support.
  • Parallel teaching
    • The class is split into two smaller groups and the teachers each teach the same lesson to their designated group. 
  • Station teaching
    • The class is split into groups and rotate between the teacher groups while the teachers teach different lesson objectives or different content. 
  • Alternative teaching
    • One teacher directly teaches a large majority of the class while the other teacher pulls students to a small group as needed. 
  • Team teaching
    • Both teachers are teaching together in the same lesson, almost like a "tag team" style. 

Tips for Co-teaching

  • Switch your mindset from "my classroom" to "our classroom". A co-taught classroom should be shared but continue to feel cohesive for the students to know the teachers are a team. ​
  • Respect each other. Put aside any differences from outside the workplace you may have in order to work together to best meet the needs of the students in your class. 
  • Determine each others responsibilities and roles. This should be agreed upon together and still equal so neither teacher feels they are doing more than the other. 
  • Be flexible. Just like with any classroom, there are going to be days that are going to flow differently. There are also going to lessons or activities that the one teacher is not as comfortable with but it is important to allow room for change. New activities could be more engaging for students and continue being used in the future. 
  • Plan together, at LEAST 15 minutes. While each teacher may be in charge of different lessons and it may make sense to plan on your own, this really in not the case to keep up an effective co-teaching model. Teachers should still plan together, or at least in the same space, so they can discuss student needs and if something needs to be adjusted to better support the class in meeting the target standard. 
  • COMMUNICATE. You cannot effectively teach together if you do not communicate with each other. Do not just discuss the material and standards but also and not limited to : discuss if the work is being evenly shared, if there is a better teaching format that may meet the students' needs better, and classroom management. 
  • If you are having difficulties, reach out to admin. It is important that both teachers are working together and are respecting each other in order to meet the needs of all the students in the class. 
Picture
Image courtesy of Cult of Pedagogy
https://exceptionalchildren.org/topics/co-teaching
https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/co-teaching-push-in/
https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-choose-co-teaching-model/
https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/5-tips-co-teachingResources cited
https://www.spectrumlife.org/blog/mainstreaming-and-inclusion-213 
https://www.graduateprogram.org/2023/07/the-rise-of-mainstreaming-in-special-education/
​https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/se/sr/documents/onesystemreport2021.pdf
https://inclusiveschools.org/resource/what-does-an-inclusive-classroom-look-like/
https://www.calstatela.edu/coe/cats/mainstreaming
https://catalystgrp.co.uk/blog/mainstreaming-vs-inclusive-education/
​https://www.educationworld.com/a_curr/shore/shore064.shtml
Disclaimer :: Please note that this webpage was created as a project for obtaining a Masters of Education degree in California. This webpage is meant to serve as a resource to broaden educator knowledge and does not serve as legal advice. All resources used to create this webpage are noted at the bottom of each section. ​While some information is based on Federal IDEA law, it would be best practice to still check with your district regarding state laws and district procedures. 
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