Interactions among program, placement, and services in educational planning for students with disabilities

Although IDEA and its corresponding federal regulations provide an underlying philosophy and procedures to help design education for students with disabilities, the law remains open to widely varying interpretations. One aspect of IDEA, namely, the relationship among the program, placement, and services for a student with disabilities when planning an appropriate education is discussed here. An analysis of how these three interrelated components can be applied in different sequences highlights drawbacks to some sequence variations. A conceptualization of how program, placement, and services can be approached in an interactive manner, rather than a strict linear one, is offered within a framework that is consistent with IDEA, its corresponding regulations, and educational logic.