Study for Determining the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Placement of Handicapped Children. Final Report: Content Analysis of State Annual Program Plans.

The first of a five part report on determining the least restrictive environment (LRE) placement of handicapped children summarizes findings from Annual Program Plans from 49 states and the District of Columbia for fiscal year 1978. The four purposes of the study were to obtain an overview of state policies regarding placement and related issues, to examine common policies and ambiguous areas of concern, to identify exemplary practices, and to consider reasons for variations in state policies. Among major findings are that generally, states provided little information on LRE, and where information was found it was equated with mainstreaming; the relationship between the individualized education program and placement was often unclear; and state plans varied greatly in defining steps and timeliness for the placement process. The second part of the document is devoted to a discussion of mainstreaming and LRE, placement meetings, level of specificity (handicapping condition), and sequence of meetings. Nearly half of the document is composed of appended material, including the content analysis form and classification criteria. (CL)