INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION-PROGRAMS IN RESOURCE AND INCLUSIVE SETTINGS - HOW INDIVIDUALIZED ARE THEY

In this study, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for students i n resource and inclusive settings were compared. Participants were 108 students with mild disabilities (50 in resource settings and 58 in in clusive settings) in Grades 1 through 6 with IEPs in reading. IEPs for students in resource programs had more service minutes, more long-ran ge goals, and used more sources of information than IEPs for students in inclusive programs. Furthermore, there was a better concordance bet ween IEP components and student ability level in resource programs, an d differences in IEPs by disability category were more pronounced in r esource programs than in inclusive programs. Finally, the relation bet ween the IEP level of service intensity and the number of minutes allo cated to reading each day was greater for students in inclusive progra ms than for students in resource programs. Results are discussed in te rms of the extent to which educational programs are ''individualized'' for students in resource and inclusive settings.