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What is the Goal of the Project?

The OSPI IPP Project is committed to increasing inclusive schools in Washington State through professional development, coaching, and support of demonstration sites. 

• Fifteen schools, across all 9 Education Service Regions in Washington State have been identified as Inclusion Demonstration Sites.  These schools have been engaging in their own professional growth and providing professional development to visiting schools. 
• As we move forward with our project, we are continuing to partner with demo sites to highlight their exemplary practices in inclusive education.  
• Our goals moving forward align with the priorities of the larger statewide inclusionary practices’ professional development project goals: 
  • Centering racial equity and intersectionality with disability.
  • Engaging families as decision makers and co-designers. 
  • Including student voice and opportunities for self-advocacy. 
  • Prioritize the inclusion of students with significant disabilities, extensive supports needs and students who have been historically marginalized in our educational system to truly realize our goal of including each and every student. 

How can I learn more? If you are an educator in WA State, you can visit one of our demonstration sites. Please see the visit request page for more information and fill out a visit request form. 

What is Inclusion?

Inclusion Research Tip Sheet

• Equity based inclusion is about all students.  It is not a placement issue or an instructional strategy.  It is a cultural shift to ensure that all students, regardless of ability or background, have access to a high-quality education. 
• OSPI defines inclusion as “the belief that all students have a right to meaningfully participate in the general education setting, both academically and socially. Inclusion is realized when all students, regardless of their designation to receive special education services, are provided with targeted services, supports, and accommodations; allowing them to learn in the general education classroom, interact with peers, and engage the core curriculum. Inclusive instruction rebukes the problematic perspective that students receiving special education services need to ‘fit in’ or ‘earn their way’ into general education classes. The belief that general education instruction is not malleable and that students should be making adaptations to be included in the general education setting has contributed to the continuation of two parallel systems of education in which students receiving special education services are marginalized and devalued because of their environmental segregation” (Oh-Young & Filler, 2015). OSPI 
•  Click here to learn more about the inclusionary practices being implemented at our current demonstration sites.  

Who is Involved in the Demonstration Site Project?

• The project is a partnership between Washington OSPI and the UW Haring Center. 

The statewide Inclusionary Practices Project (IPP) is now the Inclusionary Practices Technical Assistance Network (IPTN):

The demonstration site schools represent diverse communities across Washington State. These schools were selected because they serve as statewide exemplars, showcasing the benefits of inclusionary practices on student outcomes.