Writing IEPs Aligned with the General Curriculum

May 2, 2003

Kimberly Mearman and

Michelle LeBrun-Griffin

SERC

Connecting…

Think of an activity you enjoy doing. What provides you with the opportunity to

participate in this activity? What prevents you from participating in this

activity? What if you were unable to participate?

How would your life be different?

Examining…

What is opportunity? What is access? How are we provided access to

opportunities?

Examining…

What is opportunity? Chance Opening Occasion Break Prospect

What is access? Admission Entrance Gate

Examining…

What is equal opportunity? Fair

Just Adequate Non-discriminatory Reasonable

Equal Identical Alike Same

Fair Equal

Imagining…

Access to the general curriculum is like an elevator in a tall building because…

Informing…

Background Information on Responsible Inclusive Practices

No Child Left Behind

IDEA ‘97

PJ Goals

Increase in the % of students with MR (ID) who are placed in regular classes (80% or more of day with nondisabled peers)

Reduction in the disparate identification of students by LEA, race, ethnicity, gender

Increase in the mean and median % of the school day spent with nondisabled peers

PJ Goals

Increase in the % of students who attend their “home school” (school they would otherwise attend if not disabled)

Increase in the % of students who participate in school-sponsored extracurricular activities with nondisabled students

Bridgeport Data

Practicing…

Working Through a Case Study

The Process

1. Identify the Current Level of Performance

2. Determine the Goals and Benchmarks

3. Develop a Plan of Action

4. Implement and Monitor the IEP

5. Evaluate the Overall Progress of the IEP

Step 1: Identify the Current Level of Performance

What can the student do?

What can the student do?

Examine and analyze background information and data.

What are the student’s… strengths? interests? learning strategies?

What is his/her instructional level?

What Data Are We Using?

Looking at Numbers Quantitative data

(Numbers) Instructional level Overall student

progress

Move Beyond Numbers Qualitative data

(Descriptions) What is known Strengths Approaches to learning Specific skill areas to

address

What Data Are We Using?

History School Records Development Medical

Anecdotes Classroom Specific Events Family

Interviews Family Student Previous Teachers

General Records Report Cards/Grades Discipline Referrals Intervention Plans

What Data Are We Using?

Norm-referenced or Standardized

WISC Woodcock Johnson

Criterion-referenced Brigance CMT DRA

Curriculum-based assessment

Running records Writing samples Student products

Observation-based assessment

Scripting Monitoring

– tallying– duration

Types of Assessments

Norm-referenced Pros Determines where we

compare to our peers

Cons Labels us Does not relate to local

curriculum One shot deal

Types of Assessments

Criterion-referenced Pros Determines specific

skill area strengths and weaknesses

Connects to curriculum

Cons Does not reflect daily

lessons One shot deal

Types of Assessments

Curriculum-based assessment

Pros Directly connects to

curriculum and daily lessons

On-going

Cons Consistency of

assessment procedure

Types of Assessments

Observation-based assessment

Pros Assesses actions

beyond paper-pencil Assesses context

Cons Observer bias

Essential Questions to Ask About Student Academic Performance

What does the student know?

What can the student do? What are the student’s

strengths? What are the student’s

interests? What it the student’s

instructional level?

What learning strategies does the student use?

How does the student organize information?

How does the student approach new learning?

Does the student self-monitor?

What are the patterns in errors?

Instructional Match

0102030405060708090

100

Baseline Frustration Instructional Independent

Task completion

Comprehension

On-task

Gickling, E. & Armstrong, D. (1978) Journal of Learning Disabilities, vol.. 11, pp.. 559-566.

Instructional Levels for Reading

Word Identification Independent level

98%-100%

Instructional level 93%-97%

Frustration level 92% or less

Reading Comprehension Independent level

100%

Instructional level 75%-100%

Frustration level 74% or less

Instructional Levels for Math

Drill/Facts Independent level

85%-100%

Instructional level 70%-85%

Frustration level 69% or less

Application Independent level

96%-100%

Instructional level 85%-95%

Frustration level 84% or less

Essential Questions to Ask About Student Behavior

When/where is the behavior most likely to occur? With whom?

What happens immediately before the behavior?

What do others do when the behavior occurs?

What environmental factors may contribute to the behavior?

Does the behavior interfere with learning? The student’s learning The learning of others

Does the behavior affect… Safety to self or others, Respect to others, or Responsibility for self?

What does the student get/avoid with this behavior?

What are the gaps in student performance?

Define the gap between current level of performance and the level of expectation/standard in the general curriculum of age appropriate peers?

0

20

40

60

80

100

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Step 2: Determine the Goal(s) and Benchmark(s)

What do we want the student to do?

What do we want the student to do?

Determine the long-range desired outcomes/ goals. Person Centered Planning

MAPS COACH PATH

Family Desires Student Desires Quality of Life

Accommodations vs. Modifications

Accommodation A change made to the

teaching or testing procedures in order to provide a student with access to information and to create an EQUAL OPPORTUNITY to demonstrate knowledge and skills (HOW)

Modification A change in what the

student is expected to learn and/or demonstrate (WHAT)

While a student may be working on modified course content, the subject area/context remains the same as for the rest of the class.

Accommodations vs. Modifications

Accommodation Accommodations do notdo not

change the instructional level, content, or performance criteria for meeting standards; they do notdo not alter the big idea or major learning outcomes expected of the instruction.

Modification Modifications may alter

the subject matter or the expected performance of the student.

Citation from Sarah

Three Types of Accommodations

Alternative Acquisition Modes to augment, bypass, or compensate for a motor, sensory, or information processing deficit.

Content Enhancements to assist with identification, organization, comprehension, and memory of information.

Alternative Response Modes in order to reduce barriers created by sensory or motor deficits or language differences.

Citation from Sarah

Two Types of Modifications

Change in the amount of key concepts or performance expectations to be learned within the grade level standard (e.g., learn characteristics of one planet in depth vs. characteristics of all nine planets)

Change of the grade level standard to match the student’s instructional level (e.g., recognition of wholes and parts vs. equivalent fractions)

Citation from Sarah

Want To Take A Test?

What do we want the student to do?

Using the desired goals, level of expectation/standard in the general curriculum, and student’s current level of performance, determine what can be achieved within the context of the general curriculum. AS IS?AS IS? With accommodations? or With modifications?

Levels of Accommodations

Change Instructional Strategies (Input) Change Materials (Process)

Low Tech Mid Tech High Tech

Change Tasks to Demonstrate Learning (Output)

To Determine the Most Effective Accommodations

Based on current level of performance, the

student can _____________________

In order to increase _______________, the

student’s educational team will______________

and the student will______________________.

Examining Impact of Selected Accommodations

High Impact on LearningHigh Impact on Learning

High Access to High Access to General CurriculumGeneral Curriculum

Fosters IndependenceFosters Independence

Low Impact on LearningLow Impact on Learning

No AccessNo Access

Fosters Dependence Fosters Dependence

Examining Feasibility of Selected Accommodations

Most Like PeersMost Like Peers

Easy to ImplementEasy to Implement

Least Like PeersLeast Like Peers

Difficult to ImplementDifficult to Implement

Within the Current System/Practice

What changes in the current system/practice would move the selected accommodations into the green zone?

Content Standards vs.Performance Standards

Content standards refer to what gets taught, the subject matter, the skills and knowledge, and the applications. Content standards set the broad curriculum goals.

Performance standards set the targets or levels of mastery that students must meet in various subject matter. Performance standards translate that content into specific knowledge and skills that students are expected to demonstrate. Such standards are defined at specific grade levels or benchmark years.

An Example From Bridgeport’s Curriculum

Social Studies Curriculum, Grade 3 Content Standard 10: Physical Places –

Students will use spatial perspectives to explain the physical processes that shape the Earth’s surface and its ecosystems.

Performance Standard 10.3-4.4 – Students will draw a simple map of continents and oceans.

What do we want the student to do?

With identified accommodations or modifications, determine the outcomes/goals that can be achieved within one school year. Determine the benchmarks to achieve the

outcomes.

Developing a Desired Outcome Statement

Clearly define the outcome Observable (can be seen) Measurable (can be counted) Specific (clear terms, not vague, no room for a

judgment call)

When {condition}, {the student} will {desired outcome} from {baseline/current level of performance} to {expected growth that can be achieved within one school year}.

Step 3: Develop a Plan of Action

Who will do what, where, when, how, and with what resources?

Who will do what, where, when, how, and with what resources?

Determine what resources are needed to accomplish the goals/benchmarks. Time Materials Specific skills/expertise

Develop a Plan of Action-Who will do what

where and when, how and with what resources?

Determine who can provide Instruction, Accommodations, or Consultation.

Develop a Plan of Action-Who will do what

where and when, how and with what resources?

Determine the best time to provide instruction on the goals/benchmarks Academic subject Extracurricular activity Specials Lunch/recess Specific time of day

Develop a Plan of Action-Who will do what

where and when, how and with what resources?

Determine the best setting for the instruction/support in the least restrictive environment Use continuum.

Hospital or Institution

Homebound Instruction

Residential School

Special Day School

Full-Time Sp. Ed. Classroom

Sp. Ed. Classroom w/part-time in Gen. Ed. Classroom

Gen. Ed. Classroom placement w/resource room assistance

Gen. Ed. Classroom Placement with Itinerant Special Assistance

Gen. Ed. Classroom placement with Collaboration Teacher Assistance

Gen. Ed. Classroom Placement with Few or No Supportive Services

Most

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Least

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Continuum of Services

Implement and Monitor the IEP

How are we doing?

Implement and Monitor the IEP-How are we doing?

Determine a monitoring process/assessment, connected to the baseline

Determine a timeline/frequency for monitoring Determine who will monitor:

student progress with goals/benchmarks implementation of IEP

Implement and monitor the IEP

Evaluate the Overall Progress of the IEP

What changes occurred?

Evaluate the Overall Progress of the IEP-What changes occurred?

Determine the new current level of functioning using the same assessment procedures as the baseline

Reflect on the overall effectiveness of the IEP plan

Examine the integrity of the implementation of the IEP (Did we do what we said we were going to do?)

Make next steps decisions based on the reflection and data

Applying…What Will We Do?

What affirms your current process? What new learning or insight changes your

process? Make a plan for the PPT.

What pieces will you use? What parts will be done before the PPT? What will be done at the PPT? What will be done after the PPT?

Reflecting…What Have We Learned?

What potential new opportunities did this process provide for the student?

How do you plan to provide access to these opportunities (equal opportunity)?

What are the potential barriers? How can you “remove” these barriers?

Performing…What Will Our Process Demonstrate?

After the PPT, reflect on the process…