Calculation Tool for Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
Calculating Service Percent of Day
The primary special education service percent of day reflects the percent of instructional time the student receives special education services for this particular disability.
- The “standard instructional day” is used for the calculation of Service Percent of Day. (This is different from the “Length of entire school day “Bell to Bell” which is used for the calculation of regular class percent.)
- The special education service percent of day reflects the percent of instructional time the student receives special education services for the disability.
- The calculation does not include lunch, class changes, recess, etc.
Calculating “Regular Class Percent”
The “Regular Class Percent” calculation includes the calculation of “Time in Regular Education” and “Bell to Bell Length of Entire School Day”. All activities except those provided in a separate special education environment are counted toward “Time in Regular Education”. This includes all instructional time plus lunch, recess, study periods, community-based settings, libraries, college campuses, vocational sites, etc.
- The “Bell to Bell Entire School Day” is the total number of hours in the school day – not just instructional time.
- The “Bell to Bell Entire School Day” may actually be the school week, semester, or even full year.
- The entire school day is used for all students, even if they participate for only a partial day.
The IEP may or may not be the source for the data needed to make this calculation. This calculation will vary based on the varying lengths of the school day.
Formula:
A ÷ B X 100 = Service Percent of Day
A = Amount of special education (Total of all special education services)
B = Length of the instructional day (Does not include lunch, class changes, recess, etc.)
Formula:
A ÷ B X 100 = Regular Class Percent
A = Time in Regular Education**
B = Length of Entire School Day (Bell to Bell)
(**Time in Regular Education = Entire School Day (Bell to Bell) – time in special education class)
Answers provided by each calculator below are rounded to the nearest whole number.