2009 Job Corps Health and Wellness ConferenceDiane Fairchild and Molly Rosinski

Reviewing and Understanding IEPs

and Tests and Measures

IEP BASICS

What Does IEP Stand for?

• Individualized Education Program (IEP) – It is an individualized document that outlines the

special education program for an individual with a disability

– No two IEPs should be the same

– The IEP guides the delivery of special education supports and services for the student with a disability

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How Does a Student Qualify for an IEP?

• Must attend a school or setting that receives IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) funding

• Must be an individual with a qualified disability

• Must be in need of special education supports and services

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• Maintain active IEPs• Review and update annually• Update goals and objectives regularly

(quarterly, monthly, etc.)• Monitor the implementation of special

education and related services and supplementary aids and services

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The IEP in the Public School System

• Typically, the IEP serves as – Documentation of a disability

– One tool for determining accommodation needs on a Job Corps accommodation plan

• Remember, however, for centers with high school programs who fall under IDEA, the IEP serves as the program plan for the delivery of special education services and supports

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The IEP in Job Corps

• Are you partnered with a program that is a recipient of or are you a recipient of local/state educational funds?

• Are any of the students in your high school program counted in the local/state educational authority’s student count?

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How Do You Know if Your Center Falls under IDEA?

• If so, it is “likely” that your program falls under the obligations of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Therefore, your partner or the JC program (if no partner is involved) would need to comply with all requirements of IDEA including the developing of IEPs.

• If in doubt, check your Memorandum of Understanding with your partnering agency or contact your state Department of Education.

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How Do You Know if Your Center Falls under IDEA? (cont’d)

THE IEP AT JOB CORPS

Accommodation Plans

• Typically JC develops accommodation plans for qualified students with disabilities who are in need of reasonable accommodation

• IEPs are used as a tool in the development of accommodation plans

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The following information from an IEP can help in the development of an accommodation plan:

1. Documentation of an individual’s disability2. Present levels of functioning (sometimes known as a

PLOP or PLEP)3. Goals necessary for the individual to either access the

general education curriculum (in states with standard based IEPs) or states the educational goals of the individual

4. Accommodations and supports provided in the public school setting

The IEP as a Tool

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5. Diploma type the applicant is seeking

6. Assessment track in which the applicant is participating

7. Educational setting where services will be provided

The IEP as a Tool (cont’d)

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13 Categories

– Autism– Deafness– Deaf-blindness– Emotional

disturbance– Hearing impairment– Learning disability– Mental retardation

– Multiple disabilities– Orthopedic impairment– Other health

impairment– Speech or language

impairment– Traumatic brain injury– Visual impairment

including blindness

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Documentation

• An IEP classification is not a specific diagnosis and school IEP teams do not diagnose students

• For example, on an IEP it may say Specific Learning Disability. That is a classification and is not the specific type of learning disability. Some types are dyslexia, dyscalculia, auditory processing, etc.

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Important Note

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High and Low Incidence Disabilities

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High Incidence Low Incidence

Learning Disabilities Orthopedic Impairment Blind-deaf

Language Impairment Hearing Impairment Multiple Disabilities

Mental Retardation Visual Impairment Developmental Delay

Emotional Disturbance Autism

Other Health Impairment Traumatic Brain Injury

• This is the foundation of an IEP. A well written PLOP should tell you all the things you need to know about a student’s present levels of functioning with relation to the educational environment. – Strengths– Weaknesses– Assessment Data– Successful Strategies Used

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PLOP/PLEP

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• The IEP lists measurable annual goals, consistent with the student's needs and abilities

• Each annual goal should include evaluative criteria

• The IEP should identify when periodic reports will take place on the progress the student is making toward the annual goals

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Goals and Objectives

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• Should be related to disability• Could include assistive technology• Could include modifications• Should include all environments necessary

(classroom, testing, extra curricular activities, fieldtrips, etc.)

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Accommodations and Supports

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AdaptationsUmbrella Term for

Accommodations and Modifications

• Accommodations– Does not change the content of the course

– Does not fundamentally alter or lower the standard or expectation of the course, standard, or test

– Student will earn regular credit for course and is eligible for a High School Diploma

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AdaptationsUmbrella Term for

Accommodations and Modifications (cont’d)

• Modifications– Altering the curriculum to match individual needs

– May change the content of the course

– Fundamentally alters or lowers the standard or expectation of the course, standard, or test

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• Is the student to receive a standard high school diploma, certificate of completion or IEP diploma?

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Diploma Type

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Assessment Track

• Do they take state assessments with accommodations and/or modifications?

• Are they exempt or do they take alternative testing?– This can help with accommodation writing for

TABE and GED

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Assessment Track

– This information can help you understand:• the curriculum type the student is using

• the assessment method in which the student is participating

• the types of accommodations being afforded in testing situations

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• Where and when special education and related services will be provided– General education environment

– Special education environment

– Amount of time spend in each location or service

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Educational Services/Setting

• The IEP says that a student was “pulled out” for math into a resource room

• The IEP says that a student needs “1:1 support” in the area of reading

Do these statements mean this individual cannot be successful in the Job Corps program?

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IEP Language

• May need a full time instructional assistant Rarely, if ever does a student get assigned a 1:1

teacher– Review the IEP carefully• Types of accommodations – how much technology is

provided

• Types of special education services and where

• Present levels of performance

• Evaluative assessments and recommendations

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What Does 1:1 Mean?

What Does 1:1 Mean (cont’d)

• What did 1:1 mean for this individual?• Could technology and other accommodations

increase his/her independence in the learning environment?

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Why Might a Student be Served in a Resource Room?

• May need a smaller group environment• May be distractible• May need to move at a slower pace than the

rest of the class• May need specialized instruction

(qualifications of the resource room teacher)• May be that the particular school district does

not ascribe to an inclusive model • May have sensory needs exacerbated by a

larger classroom environment36

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THINGS TO CONSIDER

• The accommodations listed on the IEP may or may not be appropriate for the student in the Job Corps setting– The IDT should talk to the applicant or student

and ask what types of accommodations that he or she feels are needed to be successful in the program. The applicant or the student may not know what he or she needs but could perhaps share more information about things that are difficult for them and things that are easier for them to do.

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Appropriate Accommodations

When Writingan Accommodation Plan

• Of key importance is that the IDT review accommodation needs in discussion with the applicant and that determinations– be made based upon current needs– be individualized– are not based upon preconceived ideas or

misperceptions of an individual’s capability based upon the type of disability or the services previously received

• Must consider all areas of the JC Program40

Teamwork

• The IDT/reasonable accommodation team should work together to create accommodation plans

• The team may need input from various departments on center depending on disability and accommodation needs (residential, recreation, cafeteria, academic, career tech, wellness, etc.)

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Teamwork (cont’d)

• The more involved the different departments the more likely they will implement the necessary accommodations

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LET’S TAKE A LOOK AT AN IEP AND CREATE AN

ACCOMMODATION PLAN

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TEST SCORES

Common Intelligence Tests

• These tests measure verbal and performance IQ (intelligence) scores:– Wechsler series of Intelligence Scales for Children

(WISC)

– Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale (WAIS)

– Woodcock Tests of Cognitive Abilities

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Common Achievement Tests

• These are standardized achievement tests that are used to assess an individuals math, reading, writing and other academic areas– Woodcock Johnson Test of Achievement

– KeyMath

– Many others

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How These Tests are Used

• Achievement tests are used to determine a student's academic strengths and weaknesses

• When compared to intelligence test scores, achievement scores tell whether or not an individual has the severe difference in ability and performance that indicates a learning disability diagnosis

• These scores also provide important information to help develop the student’s IEP

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• A standard score compares a student’s skills to the skills of their age or grade peers

• A standard score indicates the distance a particular score is from “average” for a student’s age or grade

• The unit that tells the distance from the “average” is the standard deviation

• The “average” for a standard score is 100 and the standard deviation is 15

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What Does Standard Score Mean?

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How Can Job Corps Use Scores

• As a tool to help determine – Accommodations

– Strengths

– Weaknesses

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• Test scores and IQ scores should not be used alone with no other justification to determine if the applicant’s educational and training needs can or cannot be best met through the Job Corps

• The test scores may not represent an individual’s true intelligence

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Things to Consider

Things to Consider (cont’d)

• When determining if an applicant training and educational needs can or cannot be met at Job Corps consider:

• The entire IEP (not just test scores)– What are the strengths and weaknesses?

– Accommodations and/or support given?

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• Documentation from teachers and other professionals

• Conversation with the individual• School transcripts

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Things to Consider (cont’d)

Factors that may Influence the Validity of the Tests

• When test was administered– Morning, afterschool, after vacation, right before

vacation

• Who administered the test?• What tests were administered?– The well being of the individual

– Was the individual focused, was there any outside influences on his/her concentration?

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Other Factors to Consider

• An individual’s true intelligence may not be represented by test scores because of cultural and/or socioeconomic factors:– Language barrier

– Cultural norms

– Vocabulary

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USE CAUTION WHEN INTERPRETING TEST SCORES

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Questions or Comments

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RESOURCES

Web Resources

• nichey.org – National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities

• idea.ed.gov – US Department of Education

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Job Corps Websites

• The following websites are located within the JC Community Webpage:– Disability

– Learning Disabilities

– Health and Wellness

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Regional Disability Coordinators

• Chicago Region – Kim Joneskim.jones@humanitas.com• San Francisco Region – Sylvia Domagalski

sjdnurse@aol.com• Boston and Dallas Regions – Molly Rosinski

molly.rosinski@humanitas.com• Atlanta and Philadelphia Regions – Pat Jackson

pbjackson@verizon.net

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