None of these terms appear or are defined in federal or state statutes. They are terms that have been developed by educators to describe various ways of meeting the LRE requirements of special education law. As a result, different educational agencies (school districts, charter schools, Special Education Local Planning Areas (SELPAs), or county offices) may have somewhat different definitions of these terms. The definitions below are the most commonly used. However, when discussing these terms with educators, make sure that you and the educator agree on the meaning of the term.
Mainstreaming is the practice of placing a student with disabilities in general education classroom activities so they can learn alongside nondisabled peers. This approach may include providing additional support from special education staff or resources to help the student succeed in the general education setting.
Integration involves both mainstreaming into general education classes and ensuring students with disabilities have access to and participation in all aspects of the school environment. This approach combines placement in public schools with opportunities—both structured and unstructured—for interaction with nondisabled peers of the same age. Students with significant intellectual disabilities should similarly be able to join general school activities, such as lunch, assemblies, clubs, dances, or recess. They can also participate in certain general education classes, like art, music, or computers, and even academic subjects if the curriculum is modified and adequate support is provided. Additionally, students with disabilities should have access to the same facilities as their nondisabled peers, including hallways, restrooms, libraries, cafeterias, and gymnasiums.
Integration can also refer to placing a special education student in a general education classroom, similar to “mainstreaming.” However, integration goes further by also referring to the placement of special education students in schools that offer both special and general education classes. In an integrated setting, there is a deliberate effort to promote interaction between students with disabilities and their nondisabled peers, ensuring meaningful social and educational engagement.
Full inclusion refers to the total integration of a student with disabilities into the general education program with special support. In full inclusion, the student’s primary placement is in the general education class. The student has no additional assignment to any special class for students with disabilities. Thus, the student with disabilities is a member of the general education class. They are not being integrated or mainstreamed into the general education class from a special day class. The student need not be in the class 100% of the time, but can leave the class to receive related services such as speech or physical therapy. For a proposed list of characteristics of a “Full Inclusion” approach to integrated special education programming, see Indicators of Fully Inclusive Programs for Students with Disabilities, Appendices Section, Appendix O.
Reverse mainstreaming refers to the practice of giving opportunities to interact with nondisabled peers to a student who is placed in a self-contained or segregated classroom (or school) or who lives and attends school at a state hospital. It brings nondisabled students to a self-contained classroom, segregated site or to state hospital classrooms for periods of time to work with or tutor students with disabilities. School districts should not attempt to fulfill the LRE mandate by using reverse mainstreaming exclusively.
They should make systematic efforts to get students with disabilities out of special classrooms and into the school’s integrated environments. Reverse mainstreaming alone is an artificial means of integration. The Individualized Education Program (IEP) team should consider placements that encourage more natural interaction with nondisabled peers.
Special and general education teachers must make innovative and systematic efforts to promote positive interactions between students with disabilities (both with significant disability and with learning disability) and their nondisabled peers.