Whats an IEP?

The Heart of the IEPFritz Geissler, Elaine Gould, and Sue LandT/TAC W&M

BackgroundMary DodsonTodays OutcomesAwareness of the legal basis for IEPsAwareness and understanding for writing the Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional PerformanceAwareness and understanding of assessment considerations in building IEPsAwareness and understanding of writing measurable annual goalsModel and demonstrate delivery and activities for district follow-upLevels of Impact and Training Methods

Rosenfield & Gravois, 1996FGT/TAC W&M Workshop4Whats the Point?Move to the picture that best represents your understanding of the purpose of the IEP.Introduce yourself to others in your group and talk about why you chose that picture.Be prepared to share with the whole group.Definition of an Individualized Education PlanA written statement for a child with a disability that includes Seven general componentsTransition ServicesTransfer of Rights

A. General Component #1A statement of the childs present levels of academic achievement and functional performanceHow the childs disability affects his involvement and progress in the general education curriculumA. General Component #2A statement of measurable academic and functional goals thatEnable the child to make progress in the general education curriculumMeet each of the other needs that result from the childs disabilityA. General Component #3A statement of how the childs progress toward the annual goals will be measured, and when periodic progress reports will be providedA. General Component #4A statement of the special education services, related services, supplementary aids and services, and program modifications or supports school personnel will provide Meaning of Special EducationSpecially designed instructionPhysical educationTravel trainingVocational educationMeaning of Related ServicesTransportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education, and includes Examples of Related ServicesTransportationSpeech-language pathologyAudiology servicesInterpreting servicesPsychological servicesPhysical therapyOccupational therapyRecreation (including therapeutic recreation)Early identification/assessmentCounseling services (including rehabilitation counseling)Orientation and mobility servicesMedical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposesHealth servicesSchool nurse servicesSocial work servicesParent counselingParent trainingMeaning of Supplementary Aids and ServicesAids, services, and other supports that are provided in general education classes, other education-related settings, and in extracurricular and nonacademic settings, to enable children with disabilities to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum extent appropriate

Examples of Supplementary Aides and ServicesAccommodations and ModificationsPacing or presentation of course contentMeasurement of student progressDirect servicesSupport staff who work with the childTraining for support staffSelf-management tools (e.g. calendars, study skills training)Social skills training

Specialized equipment (e.g. augmentative communication device, restroom equipment, computer, software)Preferential or planned seating (e.g. in the classroom, on the bus, in the cafeteria)Altered classroom arrangementStaff planning time for collaborationLevels of support (e.g. consultation, one-on-one assistance, behavior specialist)Testing Adaptations

Meaning of Program Modifications or Supports for School Personnel A description of adaptations school personnel are to provide so that children with disabilities can Make progress towards achieving their annual goalsAccess/progress in the general education curriculumParticipate in extra-curricular and non-academic activitiesParticipate with other children with and without disabilities in all activities listed aboveA. General Component #5An explanation of the extent (if any) to which the child will not participate in The general education class Extra-curricular activities Non-academic activitiesA. General Component #6A statement of appropriate accommodations for state and district-wide assessmentswhy the child cannot participate in the regular assessment (if the student is not taking the regular assessment)The appropriate alternate assessment the child will take

A. General Component #7The projected date for the beginning of the services and modifications, and the anticipated frequency, location, and duration of those services and modificationsB. Transition ServicesA coordinated set of activitiesDesigned to improve the childs academic and functional achievementDesigned to facilitate movement from school to post-school activities in the following areas:Postsecondary educationVocational educationIntegrated employment (including supported employment)Continuing and adult educationAdult servicesIndependent livingCommunity participationBased on the childs needs, taking into account the students strengths, preferences, and interestsIncludes the following kinds of activities:InstructionRelated servicesCommunity experiencesEmployment objectivesOther post-school adult living objectivesDaily living skillsFunctional vocational evaluation

C. Transfer of RightsA statement that the child has been informed of the childs rights, if any, that will transfer to the child on reaching the age of majority (age 18)Brain BreakWhat was new information for me?

What additional information do I need?Writing the Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance

Meaning of Academic and FunctionalAcademic areas includeReading/WritingMathematicsScienceHistory/Social ScienceFunctional areas includeSocial CompetenceCommunicationPersonal ManagementBehaviorSelf-DeterminationMeaning of Social CompetenceThe social, emotional, and cognitive skills and behaviors that children need in a variety of settings The ability to establish and maintain relationships and avoid victimizationMeaning of CommunicationThe exchange of thoughts, messages, or information by speech, signals, writing, or behaviorMeaning of Personal ManagementThe process of planning and outlining personal goals for life in such areas asPersonal growthPersonal health/safety/wellnessManagement of resourcesCommunity involvement

Meaning of BehaviorActions that help individuals meet environmental expectations, such asImpulse/Self-ControlAttention/ConcentrationOrganizationInitiativePersistence ResourcefulnessFlexibilityAutonomyResponsibility/AccountabilityMeaning of Self-DeterminationSkills, knowledge, and beliefs that enable a person to engage in goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behavior (Wehmeyer, 2002)

What about you?

What functional skills are necessary for you to do your job well?

How would your performance be impacted if you had significant functional skills deficits?Assessment Considerations

41Methods selected must be appropriate for the learning, cultural, and linguistic characteristics of the student (Sitlington, et al., 2007)4242Methods must be tailored to the types of information needed and the decisions to be made regarding educational planning (Sitlington, et al., 2007)4343Assessment is a planned, continuous process of obtaining, organizing, and using recently-acquired and newly-generated information (Clark, 2007)4444No single assessment approach is adequate (Clark, 2007)Outdated assessment data lacks validity and can adversely impact a students outcomes45Sources of Assessment Data

Formal MeasuresValid and reliable instruments that typically contain standardized procedures for administration, scoring, and interpretationScores generated can be compared across student populations Clark, 2007Formal MeasuresAcademic AchievementWoodcock-Johnson Test of AchievementCognitive FunctioningWechsler Intelligence Scale for ChildrenAdaptive BehaviorVineland Adaptive Behavior ScalesBehaviorScales of Independent BehaviorAptitudeDifferential Aptitude Test Informal Measures

Non-standardized measures that usually do not include reliability and validity measuresTypically less structured and do not allow for comparison of scores across populations Clark, 2007Informal MeasuresCurriculum-Based AssessmentsObservational ReportsStructured InterviewsRating scales Surveys or QuestionnairesSituational AssessmentsReview of Medical ReportFunctional Behavioral Assessment (Clark, 2007)

Methods must incorporate accommodations that will allow an individual to demonstrate his or her abilities and potential (Sitlington, et al, 2007)51Assessments should help the assessor determine what a student knows, can do, how the student thinks, and approaches new material.QuestionHow do you assess skills for which you do not have commercially available assessments? AnswerReview existing data that has already been generatedCreate/borrow locally-designed, informal assessmentsIdentify others who have instruments/procedures they can use to acquire needed data

Format for Documenting Sources of Data in the PLoP

55Hand out the notes page from the notebook we sent to you.First, state sources of dataInterview position of interview sourceInstrument name of instrumentRecord review name of document reviewedThen, record the date/s the data was collected

57PLoP Activity 1Read the sample PLoP youve been givenUse your data checklist to review this PLoPHow the childs disability affects the childs involvement and progress in the general education curriculum (i.e., the same curriculum as for nondisabled children)PLoP Activity 2Read the sample PLoP youve been given and highlight statements that describe how the students disability affects her involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. PLoP Activity 2Use the summary of assessment data youve been provided to write a portion of the students PLoPWriting Measurable Annual Goals

Step 1Review the students PLoP toidentify:Difficulties that impact the students ability to access and make progress in the general education curriculum Other difficulties that result from the childs disability

Step 2Determine which of these needsrequire Specially designed instructionCollection of baseline dataProgress monitoring (against the baseline data) over time

Relating goals to curriculumAre goals tied to grade level content?

What is the expectation for the student?

Step 3Write measurable annual goals that address these difficultiesFive Components of Measurable Annual Goals

State the time frame during which the goal is to be accomplishedBy June 20091. Time FrameDescribe the specific condition under which mastery of the goal can be determined objectively upon arrival at his job site 2. ConditionState the specific skill or behavior that can be observedJuan willa) list in sequential order the tasks to be completed for the day and b) cross out each item as it is completed3. BehaviorYou will be given an envelope that contains slips of paper on which are written action verbs that describe skills or behaviorsDecide which verbs are observable and which are notActivityHow much, how often, or to what standards the behavior must occur in order to demonstrate the goal has been achieved (www.kansped.org/ksde/cim/mag.pdf)4. Criterion for MasteryAccuracy with 100% accuracy for both stepsFrequency for five out of five opportunities Duration weekly

5. Evaluation ProcedureState the means by which you willassess and document masteryExamplesDocumented observation reportsCurriculum-based assessmentsQuarterly benchmark assessmentsState assessmentsas measured by weekly review of his self-monitoring checklist. ActivityAnalyze the list of annual goals to determine the extent to which each one includes the components of measurable annual goals ActivityFor each of the annual goals:Circle the time frameHighlight the conditionUnderline the behaviorBracket the criterion for masteryPut a squiggly line under the evaluation measure

ActivityWork with a partner to develop annual goals for the needs you will be givenUse the guidelines and template provided to write these annual goalsPost that annual goals on the appropriate chart paper on the wallNeeds for Annual GoalsMaking inferences from written material.

Timely completion of tasks

Computation with greater than 2-digit numbers

Interrupting othersActivityYou will now work in groups to analyze one of the annual goals chartsEach group will report their findings to the large groupThe Regulatory Requirement to Write Benchmarks or Objectives for Annual Goals

IDEA 2004 Regulation:For children with disabilities who take alternate assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards, the IEP shall include a description of benchmarks or short-term objectives (34 CFR 300.320(a)(2))

82What is the Difference Between Objectives and Benchmarks?Short-term objectives are statements of discrete component skills Benchmarks are statements of expected performance levelsBenchmarksDescribe the degree of progress the student is expected to make towards mastery of an annual goal within specified segments of time

ObjectivesBreak annual goals into short-term, measurable, intermediate steps the student is expected to reach within specified periods of time. Capizzi, A. (2008) Five Components of Benchmarks and Objectives

Time FrameConditionBehaviorCriterion for MasteryEvaluation ProcedureMoving ForwardHow can you use and deliver the information and activities from todays workshop in your school division?

How will you provide follow-up in your division?

In what ways can T/TAC support your efforts?Effectiveness of Training ComponentsComponentsKnowledgeSkillTransferStudy of Theory10%5%0%Demonstration30%20%0%Practice60%60%5%Peer Coaching95%95%95%Thank YouPlease fill out the evaluation form and leave on your table.

Enjoy the rest of your summer.

Level of ImpactEvidence of ImpactTraining Method

AwarenessParticipant can articulate general concepts and identify problemDidactic Presentation

of Theory and Concepts

Conceptual UnderstandingParticipant can articulate concepts clearly and describe appropriate actions requiredModeling and Demonstration

(i.e. live, video, etc.)

Skill AcquisitionParticipant can begin to use skills in structured or simulated situationsPractice in Simulated Situations

with Feedback (i.e. role play,

written exercises, etc.)

Application of SkillsParticipants can use skills flexibly in actual situationCoaching and Supervision

During Application