Types and names of Special Education Classrooms

There are many different types of special education classrooms, and it can be confusing to keep them all straight. Read on to learn about the different types and names of special education classrooms!

Overview of Least to Most Restrictive Environment

The chart above is a great representation of all the different types of special education classrooms. The goal is to always have the student in the least restrictive environment for that individual child where they can be the most successful with support.

If they are able to be successful in a general education classroom with support, then they should be in that placement. If they are not able to function in this setting with support, then they move down the list for a more restrictive environment until a fit is determined.

Inclusion Classrooms

The least restrictive environment for any child would be a general education classroom with support from a special education teacher. These are called inclusion classrooms.

In an inclusion classroom, there may be one main general education teacher and a special education teacher will push in at certain times to support his/her caseload of students. The special education teacher may also pull the student out for individual or small group instruction. It just depends on the school and the needs of the students.

Co-taught classrooms

Another less restrictive environment is a co-taught classroom. This is a classroom with a large group of students (around 20+, like any regular education class). In this classroom, a general education teacher and a special education co-teach.

This may look like the general education teaching the whole class while the special education teacher sits with individual students to support them. This may also look like the general educator and special educator taking turns for who teaches what. The general education teacher may teach reading and social studies while the special education teacher leads math and science lessons. It will vary on the school, student needs, and teacher preferences.

Self-contained Classrooms

Once it has been determined that a student will be more successful in a non general education classroom, they will be put into a separate self-contained classroom. This may look like a 12:1:1 (12 students, one teacher, one aide), an 8:1:1, 6:1:1, etc.

This will again depend on the school and the needs of the students. I worked at a school that had an 8:1:1 classroom that was for moderate to severe disabilities. I’ve also worked at a school that had a 6:1:1 classroom specifically for students with autism.

Self-contained classrooms have more supports built into them that typical classrooms cannot have, such as multiple staff in one classroom, a specialized curriculum, etc.

If you are going into special education, or are looking to change up your environment, check out this SSE blog about self-contained vs. inclusion teaching.

Separate Schools

This is where my experience really comes into play, because I have worked at a special education school for the past 3.5 years! If the child is determined to have severe needs that a typical school cannot meet, they will go to a separate school.

My school’s funding for the students’ comes from their individual districts. Each classroom at my school is a 6:1:1, and it is a school mainly for students with emotional disabilities (ED). Every student at these types of schools has an IEP. They may have special dedicated spaces like a sensory room (pictured below).

This type of placement is a more restrictive placement and is for students with severe academic and/or behavioral needs. Read my blog about working in a therapeutic day school here.

Home and hospital education

In cases where a student’s needs are severe and a separate school cannot meet the needs; the student may be placed in an alternative setting.

A student may have severe health and/or behavioral needs that do not allow them to be in a school setting, whether temporarily or long term.

This setting may include the child’s home, a hospital if they are in a hospitalized program, or even in incarceration if necessary. This is tailored to the individual student and instruction is provided by a special education teacher.

Click here to read some frequently asked questions about home, hospital, or institutional instruction here.

There are many different settings in special education, which is makes it so interesting! It may take time to determine the best placement for a student, so it’s important to know the differences.