LRE Placement

Educational Setting

Begin by entering the total number of minutes for the school day. Services and percentages will be calculated based on how many minutes you entered for each service on the Provisions page and the total minutes for the day. Look up the minutes for each school setting

  • ALL minutes for ALL students should be calculated on a percentage of 2100 minutes total for the educational week. This includes the full school day, from drop off to pick up.

      • Can be changed for the current school setting, or if the student is on a shortened school day.

          • For a shortened school day, enter the number of minutes the student will be attending. if the number of minutes per day changes based on transportation schedules, please be sure to update the IEP accordingly.

      • If the student receives support during lunch and passing periods, put that number here also.

  • When you hit Tab, the Gen Ed setting and Special Ed setting minutes are calculated for you based on the information you entered on the Provisions page.

  • Based on these entries, the % of time in Gen ed is calculated for determining the LRE category.

If services for the remainder of the current school year are different from services in the coming year, the IIEP system will automatically display Service Minutes based only on the current year. You should check to be sure the LRE category is accurate. If the IEP spans two school years, select the LRE category that will describe the current school year.

LRE Category

  • You can then select the LRE Category from the list.

  • Make sure the category reflects the amount of time in the general education setting.

  • You should check to be sure the LRE category is accurate. If the IEP spans two school years, select the LRE category that will describe the current school year.

The following three narratives are very important, and have been the cause of many IEPs being sent back from the state as being noncompliant.

Additional Descriptors of LRE

List the minutes and percentages for Special Education setting and General Education Setting separately. If the IEP spans two school years, or if the student's services will change from one semester or trimester, list each one separately:

For all students:

Direct Services in General Ed Setting: 00 min/2100 min = 00%

Direct Service in Special Ed Setting: 00 min/21000 min = 00%

Total Direct Services : 00/2100 min = 00%

If students are on a shortened school day, [2100] will be replaced by the total number of minutes per week for that student's schedule.

Potential Harmful Effects

This field requires a 50 character minimum

Describe HOW the current services are limiting to the student's access to their non-disabled peers. Don't just describe the services, but describe how their current schedule limits access to the Least Restrictive Environment. In this section, list ONLY the potential harmful effects. There must be at least one potential harmful effect listed.

Don't justify the services. Don't say BUT.... or BECAUSE.....

Some things to consider include:

  • Amount of contact/socialization opportunities with non-disabled peers

  • Missed general education instruction taught by highly qualified staff

  • Access to general eduation curriculum

  • Rate at which student can earn credits for graduation

  • Lack of exposure to appropriate behavioral models from peers

  • (Consult only) May not be providing sufficient support to maintain progress on grade level standards.

Here is some language that may be helpful:

  • For LRE 50: (Student) may not have enough support services to make progress on the IEP goals.

  • For LRE 51: (Student) will miss instruction in the general education setting for one or more periods.

  • For LRE 52: LifeSkills: (Student) will have limited opportunities for contact/socialization with non-disabled peers.

  • For LRE 52: BEST: (Student) will have limited opportunities for instruction and socialization in the general education setting with non-disabled peers.

Reasons for Placement

HERE is where you justify. WHY does the student need these services? Why did you select what you did? Now is when you may say "because....."

Be sure that this section describes the complete reasoning for the placement, as well as describing other options that were considered. Always presume that placement should be in the general education classroom first, then provide justification if the agreed upon services are in a location other than the general education setting.

Here is some language that may be helpful:

  • For LRE 50: The committee considered and rejected more restrictive options based on existing data. (Student) needs to be exposed to the pace and rigor of the general education setting in order to achieve (his/her) IEP goals.

  • For LRE 51: The committee considered and rejected more/less restrictive options based on existing data. (Student) needs direct service in the special education setting to meet their IEP goals.

  • For LRE 52: Life Skills: Based on existing data, the committee considered and rejected less restrictive options. (Student) is working on functional standards in the areas of communication/self-help skills, academics/pre-vocational skills, and social/behavioral skills which are all part of the Life Skills program.

  • BEST: Based on existing data, the committee considered and rejected less restrictive options. (Student) needs the structure and support provided in the B.E.S.T. program in order to learn the skills to achieve (his/her) social/behavioral goals.

If your student has ED as the primary disability, you will see this box:


Full time = 50% or more services in ANY setting

Part time = less than 50% services

General Considerations

  • Any "No" answers require a narrative

  • For Question 1, you should only say "NO" if the student is in:

      • Life Skills

      • Certificate Track

      • SNAP

      • Modified school day

      • APPROVE

      • Homebound

    • All other students (including BEST) would have "Yes", because they are participating in the General Ed curriculum

Program Information

This is based on the district/school the student is registered in. It is determined when the parents register the student, and the school secretary enters that information into PowerSchool. If it is incorrect, please begin with your school secretary to be sure it is corrected in PowerSchool. These corrections often may take up to one week to change. If the information is still incorrect, please contact your support team for assistance.

Educating School or ProgramFacility Type

Enter the name of the school the student is attending.

Click the dropdown menu for Facility Type. In most cases, you will select option 99.

Additional Information

You can add any other information (such as BEST placement) in the Additional Information box. You may also leave this box blank.