SPECIAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT indicates the type of educational setting in which the student receives special education services. Aggregate SPECIAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT information is used by GaDOE to report to the federal government as required by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) (U.S.C. Chapter 33, Section 1418 (a)). SPECIAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT is not used to compute any state level QBE FTE earnings and should not be confused with the resource and self-contained delivery models associated with state level QBE FTE funding. 


The link below will take you to the GaDOE Data Presentations page where you will find the Environment Calculator for Early Childhood and the Environment Calculator for School-Age Students to assist in selecting the correct environment code.

https://www.gadoe.org/Curriculum-Instruction-and-Assessment/Special-Education-Services/Pages/Data-Presentations-Recordings-Documents.aspx


SPECIAL EDUCATION ENVIRONMENT codes and definitions are listed below. There are different environment code options for students whose DATE OF BIRTH indicates an age of 5 or above as of October Count Day and are in grades K-12, and for students whose DATE OF BIRTH indicates an age of 5 or under as of October Count Day and are in a grade of PK. A PK student age 6 or older as of Count Day should be reported with School Age environment codes. For information on calculating time in an environment, see the Guidelines for Reporting Special Education Environments, on the GADOE webpage under Data and Reporting Tab and see Data Collection Documentation. For information on calculating time in an environment, see these two documents: Guidelines for Special Ed Environments- Early Childhood and Guidelines for Special Ed Environments – School Age.


Code

Special Education Environment Description – School Age



1

Special education and related services inside the general education classroom for at least 80% of the time. 

These are children who received special education and related services outside the general education classroom for less than 21% of the school day. See the Guidelines for Special Education Environments Ages 6 through 21 located on the GADOE webpage under Data and Reporting Tab and see Data Collection Documentation.



2

Special education and related services inside the general education classroom 40% to 79% of the time. 

These are children who received special education and related services outside the general education classroom for at least 21% but no more than 60% of the school day. See the Guidelines for Special Education Environments Ages 6 through 21.



3

Special education and related services inside the general education classroom for less than 40% of the time. 

These are children who received special education and related services outside the general education classroom for more than 60% of the school day. See the Guidelines for Special Education Environments Ages 6 through 21.


4

Public Separate Facility – Special education and related services for greater than 50 % of the school day in public separate day-school facilities (e.g., GNETS Program not located in a regular school, the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf).


5

Private Separate Facility – Special education and related services in private separate day school facilities at public expense for greater than 50 % of the school day.


6

Public Residential Facility – Special education and related services in public residential facilities for greater than 50% of the school day. This includes residential State Schools and 618 facilities.


7

Private Residential Facility – Special education and related services in private residential facilities at public expense for greater than 50 % of the school day.


8

Correctional Facility – Special education and related services in short-term detention facilities (community-based or residential) or correctional facilities operated by the Georgia Department of Corrections. This includes a student who is incarcerated in a jail or correctional facility served by the LEA where the jail is located.


9

Hospital/Homebound – Special education and related services in hospital, homebased or homebound programs.


0

Parentally Placed in Private School – Special education and related services in regular parochial or other private schools where student was enrolled by the parent or guardian.


Children with Disabilities Early Childhood by Special Education Environments 

Use the following decision rules to determine which environment code to use when reporting each child. Please note that the order of the categories for Early Childhood does not reflect a continuum from least to most restrictive, nor do the categories reflect a percentage of time in the regular education classroom. Preschool children will fall into one of the following three categories: 

  • Children attending a General Education Early Childhood Program 
  • Children attending a Special Education Program (children not attending a General Education Early Childhood Program) 
  • Children receiving services in their home or a Service Provider Location (children not attending a General Education Early Childhood Program or Special Education Program)


Code

Special Education Environment Description – Early Childhood

Children Attending a General Education Early Childhood Program

A

Children who attend a Regular Early Childhood Program at least 10 hours per week and receive the majority of their special education and related services in the Regular Early Childhood Program

B

Children who attend a Regular Early Childhood Program at least 10 hours per week and receive the majority of special education and related services in some other location.

C

Children who attend a Regular Early Childhood Program less than 10 hours per week and receive the majority of their special education and related services in the Regular Early Childhood Program.

D

Children who attend a Regular Early Childhood Program less than 10 hours per week and receive the majority of special education and related services in some other location.

Children Attending a Special Education Program

E

SPECIAL EDUCATION SETTING – students who receive all of their special education and related services in educational programs designed primarily for children with disabilities housed in regular school buildings or other community-based settings.

F

SEPARATE SCHOOL – students who receive all of their special education and related services in public or private day schools specifically for children with disabilities.

G

RESIDENTIAL FACILITY – students who receive all of their special education and related services in publicly or privately-operated residential schools or residential medical facilities on an inpatient basis.

Children NOT Attending a General Education Early Childhood Program OR Special Education Program


H

HOME – students who receive all of their special education and related services in the principal residence of the child’s family or caregivers.


I

SERVICE PROVIDER LOCATION – Students who receive all of their special education and related services from a service provider, and who did not attend an early childhood or special education program provided in a separate class, separate school, or residential facility.


* Preschool children are considered to be parentally placed private school children when they are enrolled by their parents in a private school that meets the definition of elementary school including offering a kindergarten program (See Georgia Board Rule 160-4-7-.13 PRIVATE SCHOOLS.) For students who are parentally placed in a private school AND receiving special education services from the LEA, use codes 

A –I based on where the services are provided.