It’s a wide-ranging term that has long been prescribed to students from a variety of backgrounds and skill levels. For a variety of reasons, special education instruction today is being delivered in ways that are in stark contrast to the practices of decades ago.

According to EducationWeek, an estimated 14.7% of all U.S. students received some form of special education instruction in the 2021-22 school year, with data varying from state to state. The statistic reportedly rose from the 12.9% receiving such instruction a decade earlier.

Special education students commonly receive an individualized education program, or IEP, from their local school district to tailor instruction to their unique needs.

Keeping it in the classroom

In general, a majority of today’s special education students receive instruction in the same venue and format as their peers. This is in stark contrast to the past practice of removing the students from general classrooms for all or portions of the school day.

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A blog post from Florida Gulf Coast University lays out the rationale behind the shift.

“Educators today take a more integrated approach to teaching and learning, using methods for students of varying ability levels in more inclusive classrooms,” the post reads. “Plus, more separate, or ‘pull-out’ instruction, is done in shorter chunks of time, as are sessions with occupational speech or behavioral therapists.”

“Differentiation” is a term used commonly in today’s K-12 education setting. Special education or not, teachers today are tasked with delivering instruction and lesson plans in ways that meet students’ unique needs. This includes high-achieving students.

Technology’s role in the special education evolution

Throughout the 10 years, a growing number of U.S. students across all grade and skill levels are receiving laptops or tablets through one-to-one device programs. This phenomenon has helped shape the shifts in special education.

As Edmentum points out, individualized instruction can be carried out through web- or app-based lessons preloaded on the one-to-one device.

“No longer are students stuck in a classroom they don’t understand, learning at a pace they can’t keep up with,” the Edmentum post states.