How to Write a High Quality IEP

WRITING HIGH QUALITY

IEP’SBy: Heaven Ball

PURPOSE OF AN IEP

The student with disabilities have a access to a free appropriate public

education.

Consider students with disabilities individual needs.

Set reasonable goals for student with disabilities.

State the services a school will provide to a student with disabilities.

Allows for parents, teachers, school administrators and other related

services to work together to improve instruction for student with

disabilities.

MEETING NOTICE Must be sent to the parents/guardians of the students in a reasonable

amount of time and be held at a mutually agreed upon time.

Meeting Notice includes dates, times, location, purpose, and attendees.

Parents must be notified by phone, by letter sent home with students,

and by registered letter.

Don’t:• Wait till the day before to call the parents and inform them of the meeting tomorrow.• Send the Meeting Notice out after the old IEP expires.

IEP Members Needed to Present

Parent/Guardian

Student (over the age of 15)

Special Education Teacher

General Education Teacher

School Psychologist or Person who can interpret data

Principal or principal designee

If a person is going to be absent they must send a written report.

Don’tHold the meeting without everyone above being present unless the parent has given permission.

Cover Page and Secondary Transitions

Cover Page

Student demographics must be

written correctly.

Projected dates for the beginning of

services and modifications, the

anticipated frequency, location, and

duration of services.

IEP Signatures obtain during the

meeting.

Secondary Transitions

Complete only for a child over the age of 14.

Complete measureable goals based upon age-

appropriate transitions.

Include transitions goals, post-secondary

training, employment projections independent

living, transition details, and where student

might like to go to college.

FACTORS FOR IEP CONSIDERATION Results of the initial or most recent evaluations of the students;

The strengths of the student;

The academic, developmental, and functional needs of the student;

The concerns of the parent/guardian for enhancing the education of their

child;

The communication needs of the student;

The student’s needs for benchmarks or short-term objectives;

Don’t and MustDon’t be too vague in writing the factors.Must allow parents/guardians enough time to express their concerns. Don’t rush through this section. The parents/guardian need to have time to discuss their child’s educational needs. Must address the factors that need to be covered in the IEP.

FACTORS FOR IEP CONSIDERATION Whether the student requires assistive technology;

In case of a student whose behavior impedes his/her learning or that of others, consider

use of positive behavioral interventions, strategies, and supports to address the behavior;

In case of a student with limited English proficient, consider the language needs of the

students as these needs relate as those needs relate to the student’s IEP;

In case of being blind or visually impaired, provide services;

In case of a student who is deaf or hard of hearing;

Extended school year;

Before writing the positive behavior interventions, be sure to assess the students need by using a functional behavior assessment. Then discuss the assessment results and write up all the factors that are to be considered.

Continued

PRESENT LEVEL OF PERFORMANCE (PLOP)

Describes how a disability affects student’s participation in general education/appropriate activities and will address the individual needs of a child that will be addresses by the special education teacher.

Establishes a baseline of measureable information that are used to develop goals and objectives.

Characteristics of the PLOP

“Measureable (you can see it, hear it, count it)

Objectives (clear and concise)

Functional (useful in child’s daily life)

Current

Identifies any special factors

Describes both academic and non-academic areas

Includes results of most recent evaluations (formal and informal data)”

Directly quoted from the Virginia Department of Education PowerPoint- “Individual Education Program”

Present Levels of Performance (PLOP)

Student’s Strengths This describes what the student must know or be able to do. Answer the question, did the student make progress with performance in the general education class? Describes classroom academic performanceUSE DATA for all discussions made. Might include most recent evaluation scores.

Student’s Areas of Need

Discuss were any intervention successful. (USE DATA)Answer the Questions:Did the student not meet any grade level standards?Where are the gaps in knowledge and skills?

Effect of disability on Student

Answer the Questions: (USE DATA)Where is the student preforming in relation to the grade-level standards?Where are the individual areas of need for the student to be able to access and master the general education curriculum?Give the parents/guardians an opportunity to express concerns.

Academic Performance

Write the skills that the student is able/unable to perform.What strategies were used to help the student be successful in the general classroom?USE DATA: Class Grades, Benchmark Scores, PALS, AIMS Web, and many other assessments

Functional Performance

What behaviors is the student able/unable to perform?Does any functional areas affect involvement in the general education setting.(social competence, self-determination, communication, behaviors, and/or personal management.

COMMON ERRORS WHEN WRITING A PLOP!!!

Overreliance on test scores from the initial and three-year special

education evaluation.

Vague descriptions on how the disability affects involvement and

progress in the general education curriculum.

Absence of appropriate baseline data for developing the Annual

Goal/s

Vague description of strengths and areas of need.

Not using solid data measures to write the PLOP.

PURPOSE OF ANNUAL GOALS

Must be measureable.

Student must be able to accomplish in one year.

Must be written to help the student in the general education

setting.

Can help meet other educational needs that result from the

child’s disability

Must be clear and concise.

Writing Measurable Annual Goals and Objectives

Must relate directly to the PLOP and describe their area of need that was identified.

Must be written to specifically focus on one area of instruction

Must be positive and describe a skill that can be seen or measured.

Should answer the questions: Who, What, Where, How, When

Answer the question: What challenging, yet attainable, goal can we expect the student to meet

by the end of this IEP period?

Meet the child’s need that results from the child’s disability to enable the child to be involved in

the general education classroom.

Should include a Positive Behavioral Intervention if needed.

Must be meaningful and comprehensive.

The ways a goal can be measured must be written as a rate, percentage, or time.

PRECAUTIONS FOR WRITING ANNUAL GOALS Using subjective measures.

Use of open ended statements.

Teacher observations are not an adequate way to monitor

student progress.

Examples of poor statements:

• The student will improve

• A goal of improving “reading comprehension or decoding

skills.”

• Don’t write more than one skill.

• Don’t copy the standard (SOL) and use it as a goal.

LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT (LRE) SERVICES The services for LRE is a statement of the program modification or supports for

school personnel that will be provide.

The IEP must be written to place the student in the LRE.

LRE must include interaction with non-disabled students to the maximum extent

appropriate.

The description of the LRE should include: what service (setting), frequency, location,

instructional setting, and duration.

Include a Placement decision- be specific, clear, and concise.

Be careful:Don’t let a students behavior keep them out of general education classes unless the proper data is obtained.Make sure the description covers the entire length of the IEP.

WHAT NOT TO DO IN AN IEP MEETING

Least Restrictive Environment

Accommodations and Modifications

Accommodations are generally physical or environmental changes:

Examples: the course, standard, location, timing, and scheduling

Modifications involve deliberate intellectual lowering in the level of materials presented.

Examples: change the standards to a lower standard

Must list all accommodations/modifications

along with their frequency, location,

instructional setting, and duration (m/d/y to

m/d/y.

Must also list all testing

accommodations/modifications along with

their frequency, location, instructional setting,

and duration (m/d/y to m/d/y.

Participation in State and Division-Wide Assessments

Participation in Statewide Assessments

Must include the following information.

Test

Assessment Type(SOL, VGLA, VAAP)

Accommodations (Yes or No)

If yes, List Accommodations- must list all accommodations that are listed on the Accommodation/Modification page

Must answer all the Yes or No questions.

Participation in Division-Wide Assessments

Must include the following information.

Test

Participation (Yes, No, Not assesses or not enrolled)

Accommodations (Yes or No)

If yes, List Accommodations- must list all accommodations that are listed on the Accommodation/Modification page and on Statewide Assessment section

PURPOSE OF WRITING THEPRIOR NOTICE

It provide written notice to the parent:

Provide comprehensive documentation of the proposed and refused actions.

Make sure everyone is on the same page.

Provide the parent a chance to voice any concerns.

Provide the parent with sufficient information to ensure the parent

understands the IEP as written.

Assist parent in determining the basis for any disagreements.

WHEN APRIOR NOTICE IS REQUIRED

Evaluation or Reevaluation-consent or refusal to test

Identification- change of categorical identification

Placement- initial change in the LRE

Provisions of FAPE- change in services, change in

accommodation/modifications, addendums

WHAT NOT TO DO DURING AN IEP MEETING.IEP Perplexity Puppets

RESOURCES

www.uky.edu/~kmkram1/eds513/iep/iep.../iep.pp

faculty.virginia.edu/ape/LectureNotes/IEPProcess.ppt

www.mde.k12.ms.us/docs/sped-powerpoints-page/

IEP_Basic.ppt?...2

www.sps.springfield.ma.us/deptsites/pac/contents/

Accomadations.pdf