LRE justification statement examples
By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated
Short answer
A strong LRE justification states how much time the student spends away from peers without disabilities, why, and what was tried first. It names the data, the supports considered in the regular class and why they were not enough. Example: "Andre receives 65 minutes a day of pull-out reading because 12 weeks of in-class support raised his rate by 0.5 words a week."
The IEP must explain the extent, if any, to which the student will not participate with peers without disabilities in the regular class and in other activities.[1] That explanation is the LRE justification. It is where a reader learns why the student is where they are.
Every example below is fictional and shows the minutes, the reason and the supports tried. Each one is marked with what makes it strong. The rules behind these statements are in the least restrictive environment pillar, and the meeting steps are in how IEP teams decide placement.
What every justification needs
| Part | What to write | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Time | Minutes or percent outside the regular class | Removal must be measurable and limited |
| Reason | The specific need the setting meets | The label alone is never a reason |
| Data | Dated scores or counts | Shows the decision came from evidence |
| Supports tried | Aids and services used in the regular class, how long, the result | Removal is allowed only when these cannot work satisfactorily[2] |
| Options rejected | Less restrictive options and why each was rejected | Shows the team worked along the continuum |
| Nonacademic time | Lunch, recess, specials, clubs | These count too[3] |
Weak and strong, side by side
These three pairs show the most common gaps. The strong version uses the same student and the same data as the weak one.
| Weak | Strong | The data behind it |
|---|---|---|
| "Student requires resource room services due to his learning disability." | "Jordan receives 30 minutes a day of reading instruction in the resource room. With 8 weeks of small-group help in class, his rate rose 3 words correct per minute, too slow to close a 50-word gap. He is in the regular class for the rest of the day." | September: 42 wcpm, class median 92. November: 45 wcpm. |
| "Student is not successful in general education." | "Lena spends 2 hours a day in a special class for reading, writing and math, where she is taught to alternate standards. A full day in 4th grade with a para last year produced progress on 1 of 6 goals." | Progress reports: 1 of 6 goals with adequate progress across 3 reporting periods. |
| "Placement is appropriate for student needs." | "Marcus is in the regular class all day. Behavior support is delivered in class through a check-in system and a para for 60 minutes of the 90-minute math block. The team rejected pull-out because his goals target behavior in large-group settings." | Baseline: 9 call-outs per math block. Current: 3 per block over 4 weeks. |
Full-time general education
Example 1. "Priya is in the regular class 100% of the day. Her teacher uses large-print materials and a desktop magnifier the TVI set up in August. The TVI consults 30 minutes a week. No removal is needed because her reading rate with large print is within her class range." Strong because: it says why no removal is needed and names the support that makes it work.
Example 2. "Sam is in the regular class all day with a co-teacher in ELA and math for 120 minutes. The team considered pull-out for writing and rejected it: with co-teaching, his correct word sequences rose from 14 to 26 in 3 minutes from September to January." Strong because: it names a rejected option and the data that made it unnecessary.
Example 3. "Noor receives speech therapy inside her 2nd grade class, 2 sessions of 30 minutes a week. Her goals are about joining peer conversations, so the team chose in-class services over pull-out." Strong because: the goal itself explains the setting. The push-in vs pull-out guide compares the two.
Example 4. "Eli uses an AAC device across the school day in his 1st grade class, with a para for 3 hours. The team considered a special class and rejected it because he is meeting 4 of 5 communication goals and his peers model language he is learning." Strong because: it ties the decision to current goal progress, not a forecast.
General education with pull-out services
Example 5. "Andre receives 65 minutes a day in the resource room: 45 for reading and 20 for writing. Twelve weeks of in-class small-group reading raised his rate about 0.5 words correct per minute a week. He stays in class for math, science, social studies and specials, about 83% of the day." Strong because: minutes, percent, the trial and the result are all there.
Example 6. "Grace leaves her 7th grade math class for 3 sessions of 40 minutes a week of math intervention. On a math CBM probe she scored 8 digits correct per minute against a class median of 31. She attends the general math class on the other 2 days." Strong because: it uses a measure the next team can repeat.
Example 7. "Leo receives OT 30 minutes a week in the therapy room to practice handwriting with equipment that cannot be set up in class. The OT also consults with his teacher 15 minutes a month." Strong because: it states the practical reason for the pull-out.
Example 8. "Mia receives counseling 30 minutes a week outside class. Her goals involve rehearsing coping steps she is not yet willing to practice in front of peers. The counselor will move to in-class check-ins once she uses the steps on 3 of 5 days." Strong because: it names the condition for moving back toward the regular class.
Special class for part of the day
Example 9. "Tyler spends 150 minutes a day in a special class for reading and writing and is in the regular class for math, science, social studies, lunch and specials, about 60% of the day. He reads at a grade 1 level in 5th grade. Pull-out of 60 minutes a day for 1 year raised his rate from 21 to 30 wcpm." Strong because: it shows the less restrictive option was tried for a full year.
Example 10. "Ava is taught reading, math and life skills in a special class for 4 hours a day. She works on alternate achievement standards and learns new routines best with 1 adult for every 3 students. She joins her 5th grade class for morning meeting, specials, lunch and recess, about 2.5 hours a day." Strong because: it lists exactly where she is with peers.
Example 11. "Jayden attends a structured class for 3 periods a day for academics and social skills instruction. In the regular class with a para last semester, he left the room an average of 4 times a day. In the structured class with the same BIP, it dropped to 1. He takes PE, art and electives with peers." Strong because: the behavior data compares settings with the same plan.
Example 12. "Rosa is in a special class for math only, 55 minutes a day. Her math is 4 grade levels below 8th grade, while her reading and writing are near grade level with accommodations. The team rejected a full-day special class for that reason." Strong because: the placement is limited to the one subject the data supports.
Special class for most of the day
Example 13. "Malik is in a special class for 5 of 6.5 hours. He uses an eye-gaze device and needs hand-under-hand support for most tasks. He joins his grade for lunch, recess, music and assemblies, 90 minutes a day, with a para. The team will review adding science in the spring." Strong because: it names a next step toward more inclusion.
Example 14. "Hannah attends a special class for all academic subjects. She is deaf and uses ASL, and this class has a teacher of the deaf and peers who sign. The team weighed her home school, where she would have an interpreter but no peers who sign, and chose direct communication with peers and teachers." Strong because: it reflects the communication factors the team must consider for a deaf student.[4]
Separate school or more restrictive settings
Example 15. "Owen attends a separate day school for students with emotional disabilities. In his home school's special class with a BIP and daily counseling for 1 year, he had 14 removals for safety and met 0 of 4 goals. The separate school offers a therapeutic program the district cannot provide in the home school. The team will review return to the home school at each quarterly progress report." Strong because: it names the program that is not available closer to home and a review schedule.
Example 16. "Zoe receives home instruction 10 hours a week for 6 weeks after surgery, per her physician's statement. She will return to her regular class schedule when cleared. Her teachers send weekly assignments." Strong because: it is time-limited and tied to a medical reason. The home and hospital instruction guide covers this setting.
Example 17. "Ben attends a residential school for the blind for the school year. He needs braille, orientation and mobility, and daily living instruction across the whole day and evening. The district TVI provides 2 hours a week, which last year produced progress on 2 of 7 goals." Strong because: it explains why services outside school hours are part of the need.
Nonacademic and extracurricular time
Example 18. "Liam eats lunch in the cafeteria with his class. A para supports him for the first 10 minutes to open containers and start a conversation with a peer, then fades to nearby." Strong because: it states the support and how it fades.
Example 19. "Ella will join the after-school art club with a para for the first 4 weeks. The club advisor and case manager will meet in week 4 to decide whether the para is still needed." Strong because: it treats clubs as part of LRE and plans a review. See extracurricular and nonacademic participation.
Example 20. "Carter takes PE with his class with adapted equipment and a peer partner. Adapted PE provides 30 minutes a week of separate instruction on skills he will use in class units." Strong because: the separate time supports the inclusive time. The adapted PE eligibility guide explains how that service is decided.
How to use these examples
Take the structure, not the wording. Your statement should use your student's numbers and the supports your team actually tried. If you cannot fill in the "supports tried" part, that is a sign the team should try them before removing the student.
Check your draft against this list:
- Minutes or percent outside the regular class are stated
- The reason is a need, not a label, a schedule or a staffing pattern
- At least one dated data point is included
- At least one less restrictive option is named and rejected with a reason
- Lunch, recess and specials are addressed
- A review point or exit condition is named where it makes sense
Printable version
This page prints cleanly from your browser, with no sign-up. Print the checklist above and the "What every justification needs" table, and keep them with your IEP drafts. The present levels examples show how to write the data that these statements depend on.
States often have their own LRE form fields and wording. Use your state's form and fill it with the same parts.
Frequently asked questions
Where does the LRE justification go in the IEP?
Most state forms have a section called LRE, placement or extent of participation. It sits after the services page. Some forms split it into a percent-of-day field and a written explanation.
How long should an LRE justification be?
Usually 3 to 6 sentences. It needs the time, the reason, the data, what was tried and what was rejected. Length beyond that rarely adds information.
Do students in full inclusion need an LRE justification?
They need a statement that they participate fully. It helps to name the supports that make full participation work, so the next team knows what to keep.
Use it in IEP Atlas
- LRE in the IEP glossary
- Continuum of placements in the IEP glossary
- Supplementary aids and services in the IEP glossary
- Goals for the general education setting
- Goals for the self contained setting
Related guides
- Least restrictive environment, with examples
- How IEP teams decide placement
- The continuum of special education placements
- Calculating percent of time in general education
- Placement vs services: two separate IEP decisions
- ESY vs summer school
- ESY eligibility: regression, recoupment and critical skills
Sources
- 34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.114: LRE requirements, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.117: Nonacademic settings, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
- 34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
- 34 CFR §300.116: Placements, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.