UCP Charter Schools have created a new kind of learning community where everyone has access to individualized learning and every student is encouraged to participate in our community learning model!
Inclusive education is the practice of educating students with disabilities and students without disabilities side-by-side. The practice is based on the idea that students with disabilities can be full participants in their classrooms and their community. Some students are accelerated learners and some students may need more time or strategic intervention. We strive to engage all learners through an inclusive model that focuses on the potential of each individual child.
The mainstream instruction model doesn’t always work for every child. We recognize that every child learns and retains information differently. Therefore, our inclusion model utilizes individualized education inside the inclusive classroom environment to provide each student with the necessary support to unlock their potential.
OUR INCLUSION MODEL
UCP of Central Florida’s first venture into academic inclusion was bold. We challenged the idea of the special education classroom by raising expectations drastically. We began with a philosophical belief that ALL kids deserve a high-quality and accessible education.
Studies show that there were benefits for both sets of students in an inclusive classroom where 50 percent of the students had disabilities and 50 percent of the students did not. The most obvious benefits from this setting were the removal of preconceptions about students with disabilities and the addition of a compassionate learning culture. However, the success of the model did not end there. The inclusive education model also broke down preconceptions about learning in general. When learning takes place in an inclusive setting it is no longer solitary, boring, and stressful. Instead the learning becomes communal.
Learning takes on a whole new power when a child realizes their knowledge can be shared with others, when a gifted child is able to teach a peer they begin to cultivate a more well-rounded connection to their instruction, when a child without a disability and their colleague in a wheelchair prepare for a book report they are more efficient, collaborative, and begin to learn at a level of maturity that is not passive, but immersive and practical.
BENEFITS OF INCLUSION
There are many benefits to an inclusive classroom environment, including: a positive view of individual worth, a sense of belonging, social skill development for all students, and increased awareness of needs and diversity. Inclusion also helps students without disabilities engage in tasks at a higher and deeper level.