Inclusion is a belief system or philosophy guiding all practices in the school setting. Inclusive education means every student is valued, belongs, and has the right to be a member of a classroom community.

ACPS Office of Specialized Instruction provides training and support to school-based staff on best inclusive practices to ensure students with disabilities are provided access to the general curriculum in the least restrictive environment.

Co-teaching is an approach for providing services to students with disabilities, based on the premise of providing specialized instruction while ensuring access to the general curriculum in the least restrictive environment.  Co-teachers share instructional responsibility and accountability for a single group of students for whom they both have ownership (Friend, 2016).

Specially designed instruction (SDI) describes the unique instruction that is provided based on a student's individual learning needs.  SDI uses explicit strategy instruction and pedagogical approaches which allow students to access the curriculum.