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Pull-out services

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Pull-out services are special education or related services given outside the regular classroom, in a separate room, individually or in a small group.

Topic: Services, placement and staff

In plain terms

Pull-out allows focused, intensive instruction with fewer distractions, which can be important for skills like decoding, articulation drills or calming routines. The tradeoff is time away from class and the extra work of carrying skills back into the classroom. Scheduling matters, so students do not miss the same core subject every time.

How it shows up in an IEP

The IEP states the location and minutes. Teams should plan how pulled-out skills will be practiced in class, often through a generalization goal or teacher data on the same skill.

Example

Not the same as Push-in services

Pull-out takes the student to another space. Push-in provides the service in the general classroom. Read the definition of Push-in services.

Related terms

  • Push-in servicesPush-in services are special education or related services delivered inside the student's regular classroom during ongoing lessons.
  • Resource roomA resource room is a separate classroom where students with IEPs spend part of the day getting specialized instruction, then return to general education.
  • Service minutesService minutes are the amount of time, written in the IEP, that a student will receive each special education or related service.
  • GeneralizationGeneralization is a student's use of a learned skill in new settings, with new people or materials, and without the original teaching supports.
  • LRE (Least Restrictive Environment)LRE is the IDEA requirement that students with disabilities learn alongside peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate for each student.

On IEP Atlas

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