The Heart of the IEP

1. The Heart of the IEP Fritz Geissler, Elaine Gould, and Sue Land T/TAC W&M

2. Background • Mary Dodson

3. Today’s Outcomes • Awareness of the legal basis for IEPs • Awareness and understanding for writing the Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance • Awareness and understanding of assessment considerations in building IEPs • Awareness and understanding of writing measurable annual goals • Model and demonstrate delivery and activities for district follow-up

4. Levels of Impact and Training Methods Rosenfield & Gravois, 1996

5. What’s 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.

6. Definition of an Individualized Education Plan A written statement for a child with a disability that includes… • Seven general components • Transition Services • Transfer of Rights

7. A. General Component #1 • A statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance

8. How the child’s disability affects his involvement and progress in the general education curriculum

9. A. General Component #2 A statement of measurable academic and functional goals that • Enable the child to make progress in the general education curriculum • Meet each of the other needs that result from the child’s disability

10. A. General Component #3 A statement of how the child’s progress toward the annual goals will be measured, and when periodic progress reports will be provided

11. A. General Component #4 A statement of the special education services, related services, supplementary aids and services, and program modifications or supports school personnel will provide

12. Meaning of Special Education • Specially designed instruction • Physical education • Travel training • Vocational education

13. Meaning of Related Services • Transportation 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…

14. Examples of Related Services • Transportation • Speech-language pathology • Audiology services • Interpreting services • Psychological services • Physical therapy

15. Occupational therapy • Recreation (including therapeutic recreation) • Early identification/assessment • Counseling services (including rehabilitation counseling) • Orientation and mobility services

16. Medical services for diagnostic or evaluation purposes • Health services • School nurse services • Social work services • Parent counseling • Parent training

17. Meaning of Supplementary Aids and Services Aids, 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 …

18. Examples of Supplementary Aides and Services • Accommodations and Modifications • Pacing or presentation of course content • Measurement of student progress • Direct services • Support staff who work with the child • Training for support staff • Self-management tools (e.g. calendars, study skills training) • Social skills training

19. 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 arrangement • Staff planning time for collaboration • Levels of support (e.g. consultation, one-on-one assistance, behavior specialist) • Testing Adaptations

20. 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 goals

21. Access/progress in the general education curriculum • Participate in extra-curricular and non-academic activities • Participate with other children with and without disabilities in all activities listed above

22. A. General Component #5 An explanation of the extent (if any) to which the child will not participate in • The general education class • Extra-curricular activities • Non-academic activities

23. A. General Component #6 A statement of • appropriate accommodations for state and district-wide assessments • why 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

24. A. General Component #7 The projected date for the beginning of the services and modifications, and the anticipated frequency, location, and duration of those services and modifications

25. B. Transition Services A coordinated set of activities • Designed to improve the child’s academic and functional achievement • Designed to facilitate movement from school to post-school activities in the following areas:

26. Postsecondary education • Vocational education • Integrated employment (including supported employment) • Continuing and adult education • Adult services • Independent living • Community participation

27. Based on the child’s needs, taking into account the student’s strengths, preferences, and interests • Includes the following kinds of activities:

28. Instruction • Related services • Community experiences • Employment objectives • Other post-school adult living objectives • Daily living skills • Functional vocational evaluation

29. C. Transfer of Rights • A statement that the child has been informed of the child’s rights, if any, that will transfer to the child on reaching the age of majority (age 18)

30. Brain Break • What was new information for me? • What additional information do I need?

31. Writing the Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance

32. Meaning of “Academic” and “Functional”

33. Academic areas include… • Reading/Writing • Mathematics • Science • History/Social Science

34. Functional areas include… • Social Competence • Communication • Personal Management • Behavior • Self-Determination

35. Meaning of Social Competence • The social, emotional, and cognitive skills and behaviors that children need in a variety of settings • The ability to establish and maintain relationships and avoid victimization

36. Meaning of Communication The exchange of thoughts, messages, or information by speech, signals, writing, or behavior

37. Meaning of Personal Management • The process of planning and outlining personal goals for life in such areas as • Personal growth • Personal health/safety/wellness • Management of resources • Community involvement

38. Meaning of Behavior Actions that help individuals meet environmental expectations, such as • Impulse/Self-Control • Attention/Concentration • Organization • Initiative • Persistence • Resourcefulness • Flexibility • Autonomy • Responsibility/Accountability

39. Meaning of Self-Determination “Skills, knowledge, and beliefs that enable a person to engage in goal-directed, self-regulated, autonomous behavior” (Wehmeyer, 2002)

40. 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?

41. Assessment Considerations

42. Methods selected must be appropriate for the learning, cultural, and linguistic characteristics of the student (Sitlington, et al., 2007)

43. Methods must be tailored to the types of information needed and the decisions to be made regarding educational planning (Sitlington, et al., 2007)

44. Assessment is a planned, continuous process of obtaining, organizing, and using recently-acquired and newly-generated information (Clark, 2007)

45. No single assessment approach is adequate(Clark, 2007) • Outdated assessment data lacks validity and can adversely impact a student’s outcomes

46. Sources of Assessment Data

47. Formal Measures Valid and reliable instruments that typically contain standardized procedures for administration, scoring, and interpretation Scores generated can be compared across student populations Clark, 2007

48. Formal Measures • Academic Achievement • Woodcock-Johnson Test of Achievement • Cognitive Functioning • Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children • Adaptive Behavior • Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales • Behavior • Scales of Independent Behavior • Aptitude • Differential Aptitude Test

49. Informal Measures • Non-standardized measures that usually do not include reliability and validity measures • Typically less structured and do not allow for comparison of scores across populations Clark, 2007

50. Informal Measures • Curriculum-Based Assessments • Observational Reports • Structured Interviews • Rating scales • Surveys or Questionnaires • Situational Assessments • Review of Medical Report • Functional Behavioral Assessment (Clark, 2007)