Notes on IEP

Individualized Education Program (IEP):

1.     Guidelines for writing IEP:

a)     An IEP is developed normally to address the special education needs of each student with a disability. Just as each student is different, so also is each IEP.  The process for developing the IEP however, is the same.  Specific steps must be followed in a prescribed sequence which leads naturally to recommendations regarding least restrictive environment options.

b)     The IEP is a written statement of specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of a student with a disability.  The IEP is developed in a meeting which must include a person knowledgeable about general curriculum and school systems available resources, person who can interpret implications of evaluation results, the special education teacher, a regular education teacher, the parents or guardian of the student and when appropriate, the student.  The IEP is a legal document which functions as a management tool and a monitoring instrument used to ensure that the agreed upon services are provided.

c)     The IEP is not a lesson plan.  It is intended to be a statement of expected outcomes for the student, usually after a year of implementation, rather than a detailed, day-to-day instructional plan.  The IEP is not a contract.  An IEP specifies that needed services must be provided, it does not guarantee results.

d)     Every IEP must have the following components:

                                               i.     A statement of the student’s present levels of educational performance

                                              ii.     A statement of measurable annual goals

                                             iii.     A statement of short-term instructional objectives (written in behavioral terms) including projected dates of mastery

                                             iv.     A statement of special education and required related services

                                              v.     A description of the extent to which the student will participate in regular education programs or natural pre-school environments and a description of the program to be provided (not applicable only student IEPs who are studying in schools where normal school is attached)

                                             vi.     The projected dates for initiation of services and the duration of the services

                                            vii.     Objective criteria, evaluation procedures and a schedule for determining whether the short-term instructional goals are being achieved and how progress will be reported to parents.

1.1.   Criteria for Goal Mastery:

This is a statement of the performance the student must demonstrate to show mastery of the objective.  The criteria may be expressed as a percent, but the number of trials must be indicated.  For example, if the student is expected to answer three of four comprehension questions correctly the criteria for mastery is 75%.  If the student is expected to complete a given reading book the criteria for mastery may be expressed as successful completion of all Magazine Tests for that book.

In stating the criteria for mastery, considerations must be given to the appropriateness of the criteria in relation to the student and to the stated objective.  Many objectives are not designed to be completed within specified time periods and many are not designed to require 100% performance.  An intellectually disabled student may not be able to do addition facts in two minutes or with 90% accuracy.  The decision must be made whether such criteria is appropriate or essential to the student’s instructional program.  Perhaps for this particular student the criteria should be 80% accuracy with a 10-minute time limit.  The best educated opinion of the teacher must be used in determining to what degree a student must master a skill in order to be useful to the student’s future achievement.

1.2.   Long Term Goals:

The IEP is developed as a plan for one school year.  The goals are developed with the expectation that they can be accomplished within that year.  At the end of the year, the goals and objectives are reviewed and new goals and objectives are developed for the next school year.  The goals/objectives must be written in measurable terms so that progress and mastery can be clearly documented, explained and continued from one year to the next, as appropriate.

Some life goals will take more than one year to accomplish.  The IEP should not be mistaken as a plan to provide the student with all necessary life skills in one year, rather as an ongoing plan of instruction.  Annual goals may be viewed as the short-range goals leading to much broader expectations that will enable students with disabilities to achieve their maximum potential upon leaving school.

1.2.1.Annual goals in the IEP are statements which describe what a student with a disability can reasonably be expected to accomplish within the time specified in the IEP (usually one school year).  Each annual goal must contain a From-To statement i.e., John will increase his basic reading skills from paragraph of having 30 words to 5 paragraphs (150 words).

1.2.2.There must be a direct relationship between the annual goals and present level of performance. As in the example above, for a student currently reading at a grade level (from) a long-term goal which states that the student will increase reading level to (To) need to be reasonable.

1.2.3.There must be a long term goal for each area identified as a weakness.

1.2.4.Goals must be written in behavioral terms which state what the student will do.

1.2.5.In developing long-term goals, the IEP committee should consider:

1.2.5.1.           Past achievement

1.2.5.2.           Present levels of performance

1.2.5.3.           Practicality of the chosen goals

1.2.5.4.           Priority needs of the student

1.2.5.5.           Amount of time to be devoted to instruction related to the goals

1.2.6.Developing the annual goals for a student is a step in the process of long-range planning. While annual goals will be global in nature, they should still be detailed enough to ensure that the goal can be understood by the parent or another professional and detailed enough so that other possible behaviors will not be mistaken for the desired behavior.

1.2.7.It may appear difficult to determine when a long term goal is too global.  Remember, it should be realistically attainable within one year and encompass several shortterm objectives or steps to accomplish that goal.

Examples of long-term goals

Too Broad:

·       To improve academic skills

·       Improve expressive and receptive language

·       Improve behavior in school

Adequate:

·       Diane will improve math computation skills from simple addition to regrouping.

1.3.   Short time Objectives:

1.3.1.Short-Term instructional objectives are measurable, intermediate steps between the student’s present level of performance and the annual goals.

1.3.2.Short-Term objectives should:

1.3.2.1.           Be sequential

1.3.2.2.           State specific desired behavior and criterion

1.3.2.3.           Be manageable for both the student and teacher

1.3.3.Each short-term goal must contain the following parts:

1.3.3.1.           What – a statement of what the student is expected to do

1.3.3.2.           Where – a statement of the conditions under which the student will  perform the behavior

1.3.3.3.           How Much – a statement of the criterion that will determine the degree of success

1.3.3.4.           When – a statement of time, indicated as a date by which the student is to master the objective

Example: 1

Annual Goal: Ramu will demonstrate an understanding of money

Short-Term Objectives:

                                  i.         Recognize coins by being able to correctly name and give the value of Rupees, coins, in eight out of ten trials.

                                 ii.         Consistently create equivalent sets of coins of up to 10 rupees with a variety of coins.

                                iii.         Recognize paper currency and be able to name and give the value of bills in denominations of one, five, ten, twenty, fifty and one hundred.

                               iv.         Consistently create equivalent sets of bills up to rupees 100.00

                                v.         the above is only example

Understand the concept of money as a form of exchange by successfully purchasing (and making the correct change) items from the classroom store eight out of ten trials.

Example: 2

{Context: Given worksheets requiring written answers student will be able to

Out Come: Correctly compute subtraction problems

1.     with no regrouping

2.     regrouping in each of the decimal places

3.     regrouping consecutively

4.     regrouping alternately

Criterion: between 80 % and 90 % per worksheet.

Time: by end of July 2007

Ex. Ramu will correctly solve / 4/5 problems (80%) / subtraction problems with no regrouping in the class room / under supervision / in 10 days}

1.3.4.Specifying expected behaviors is not difficult; the teacher must consider what the student will be expected to do.  Terminology must be chosen to enable the teacher to recognize when the student has accomplished the objective.

Goals using the following terminology are open to many interpretations and are therefore unacceptable when writing behavioral objectives:

to understand                            to know

to realize                                   to learn

to gain knowledge                     to master

to like                                        to be concerned

to appreciate

Goals using the following terminology are open to few interpretations, and thus, are more acceptable when writing behavioral objectives:

to indicate                                 to compare

to contrast                                to repeat

to design                                   to classify

to count                                    to solve

to group                                    to explain

1.3.5.Behavioral objectives should also identify the learner and state the special conditions under which specified behavior should occur, for example, a student who will be allowed to count on his fingers while computing addition facts.  Other examples may be the physically disabled student who will use a typewriter to complete written assignments or the blind student who will use tape recorder to complete homework.  If special conditions are required for the attainment of the objective, they must be stated as a part of the student’s objective so that others involved in the student’s educational program will be aware of the conditions under which the student can attain the desired performance.

1.3.6.Format: Short Term Objectives

IEP Instructional Goals and Objectives

Student Name:          

Specific Problems:

Long Term Goal:

2.     Guidelines for writing IEP:

The IEP document describes specifically what the student will learn through annual goals and short-term objectives. These include educational/academic goals as well as related service goals.

{Sample form provided at the end of this document}

2.1           How are annual goals developed?

Long-term goals reflect the prioritized needs of the student and indicate the improvement in learning the student is expected to demonstrate. Goals should challenge the student but be achievable and relevant to the student’s needs. They should be stated positively (i.e. what the student will do, not what they will cease doing) and should focus on what will be learned rather than what will be taught.                                                           

2.2           What factors should be considered when determining annual goals for a student?

2.2.1       The priorities of the student and parent

2.2.2       The age of the student 

2.2.3       The general education curriculum for their grade level and the appropriateness of the proposed activity ( it depends on the students level of performance

2.2.4       The student’s past achievement

2.2.5       The usefulness of the goal in other settings (i.e. work, home, community)

2.2.6       Contribution of the skill to the independence, social and career development of the student

Whether or not there is another way to allow the student to achieve the same result     

2.3           How are short-term objectives developed?                                                         

Goals are then broken down into shorter-term objectives which represent the sequential, intermediate steps between the student’s present level of performance and the annual goal. Objectives are specific statements that describe observable, measurable behaviors and indicate student progress.                                                          

Once an objective is developed, the team must describe how the student will demonstrate that the objective has been achieved.  

2.4           How can short-term objectives be used to measure progress?

The IEP must include objective criteria and evaluation procedures and schedules for determining whether the short instructional objectives are being achieved

2.5           What if the student has mastered a goal before the end of the school year?

Children grow and change rapidly. Their educational needs also change rapidly. If the IEP needs to revised more often than once a year, parents and educators can ask for a meeting to revise the IEP document. An IEP can be revised as often as necessary. This is done at least once a year at the annual review meeting

2.6           What if the student has failed to reach a goal by the stated time?

If it becomes apparent that a student is “off track” on an annual goal and its related short-term objectives, an IEP meeting should be called to reexamine the delivery of instruction and the techniques used for the objectives, the relatedness of the objectives to the goal, and the appropriateness of the goal. The IEP should be revised as necessary.

3.   Forms:

Goals and Objectives

1.       Student Name____________________________________

2.       Annual Goal ___________________________________________

� Progress will be reported on the goals form � Other (Specify) � Progress toward annual goals will be provided at time of report cards; or � Other (Specify)