DCPS Special Education Family Guide
Specialized Instruction
Where are special education services provided?
DCPS provides a range of services for students ages three through 22 with disabilities who have been found eligible to receive special education services. There are different settings where these services can be provided, and students learn in the least restrictive environment possible. Most DCPS students can be served in the general education (regular) classroom, in a Resource Room, or in a self-contained classroom. Separate school and home and hospital instruction are considered the most restrictive environments and are for students with the highest level of need.
​
IEP teams determine the level of services a student needs to access the curriculum. Students with disabilities spend as much time as possible inside of general education with non-disabled peers, as determined by the IEP Team. Within each child’s IEP, accommodations are listed and provide clear ways to make the general education curriculum accessible for them.
​
Students with greater than 20 hours of specialized instruction outside of general education receive their services in a self-contained classroom or separate school where the curriculum is modified to support academic success. Curricular modifications change what a student is taught or expected to learn.
Inside of General Education
Outside of General Education: Resource Room
Outside of General Education: Self-Contained
Separate Day School
Residential Schools
Home and Hospital Instruction
More Restrictive Environment
Students’ IEPs may have services provided inside of general education, outside of general education, or both inside and outside of general education.
Inside of general education refers to specialized instruction and related services provided while students with disabilities are with students who are non-disabled in the general classroom. DCPS believes that all students will benefit from including students with disabilities in a general education setting to the greatest extent possible
​
Sometimes, though, a student needs more support than can be provided inside the general education setting. Outside of general education refers to all specialized instruction and services that are provided to a class or grouping made up entirely of students with disabilities. Students with fewer than 20 hours of specialized instruction outside of general education in their IEPs typically receive services in a resource room.