Writing Measurable IEP Goals

1. Writing Measurable IEP Goals Presented By: IEP Managers NYC DOE Integrated Service Centers December 2, 2009 1

2. The IEP Managers Staten Island ISC Janet Blit: jblit@schools.nyc.gov Brooklyn ISC Nick Chavarria: nchavar@schools.nyc.gov Manhattan ISC Madeline Rochelle: mrochel@schools.nyc.gov Queens ISC Tanya Smith: tsmith18@schools.nyc.gov

3. Topics 3 • Introduction • Educational Benefit • Present Levels of Performance • The Components • Expectations • Psychologist Connection • Smart Goals • Components of SMART Goals • Sample SMART Goals • IV. Appendix • Sample Goals

4. Audience Poll #1 • Who is in the audience? • Principal or Assistant Principal • Teacher • School Psychologist • Related Service Provider • IEP Teacher or Coordinator • Other

6. Educational Benefit Review Process 6

7. Determine if there is a clear relationshipamong: Present levels of performance Identified needs Annual goals Transition Short term objectives (required only for Pre-K & Alternate Assessment Students) Progress reports Accommodations/modifications Recommended services THE IEP:DOES IT ALL CONNECT? Is there a clear connection of the student’s transition needs throughout the IEP? 7

8. Summary of Educational Benefitreflects on the quality of IEP development to increase student access, participation, and progress in the general education curriculum The intent of a “Free Appropriate Public Education” (FAPE) for students with disabilities is: to design individualized instruction with sufficient supports and services to enable the student to receive educational benefit. What is Educational Benefit? Determining if there is a clearrelationship between: the identified needs/present levels of performance, annual goals, accommodations/modifications & services/placement (DOES IT ALL CONNECT?) Have changes to annual goals, services/placement been made based on the results of the student’s progress? (HAS THE IEP BEEN WRITTEN/MODIFIED TO MEET THE STUDENT’S CURRENT NEEDS?) Information on the student’s IEP: strengths, needs, annual goals, accommodations & modifications, services/placement & progress compared – looking for patternsover the past 3 years (DOES THE IEP GIVE A CLEAR PICTURE OF THE STUDENT’S PROGRESS THROUGH THE YEARS?) The Purpose of the Educational Benefit Review Process is: to determine whether the design of the IEP was *reasonably calculated for the student to receive educational benefit. * Reasonable Calculationevaluates if the IEP reflects on the student’s present levels of performance, goals, supports & maximize access, participation & progress in the general education curriculum 8 Staten Island Integrated Service Center (ISC)

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11. Educational Benefit Chart/ Focus Transition

12. Educational Benefit Chart/ Focus Transition

13. Present Levels of Performance IEP Pages 3, 4 and 5 13 13

14. AUDIENCE POLL #2 All needs/concerns noted in the Present Levels of Performance for students who participate in Standardized assessment should be addressed in The FBA b) The BIP c) Annual Goals d) Short Term Objectives

15. Writing Present Levels of Performance It cannot be overstated that the overall quality of an IEP rests firmly on the foundation of the Present Levels of Performance.

16. IEP DevelopmentThe IEP as an individualized long-term lesson plan Present Level of Performance (PLOP) Annual goals Plan and deliver instruction Measure progress (on-going assessment)

17. Key Questions for Present Level of Performance Strengths, Affinities? Needs? Learning styles? Preferences, Interests? Parent/Student concerns? Special Considerations? Progress in the past year? Student Performance compared to standards? Response to Intervention? What has worked? What hasn’t? Transition – Post high school plans? (age 14 and up)

18. Audience Poll #3 Which of these items does NOT belong in the Present Levels of Performance?: Parent Concerns Student Interests Student Strengths Student Needs Holiday Wish List 18

19. Present Levels of Performance • Student Present Levels of Performance are documented on pages 3, 4 and 5 of the IEP, and are directly connected to the annual goals. • Annual goals are developed to address the individual student’s needs from the present levels of performance. • There must be a direct relationship between the annual goals and the present levels of performance. • Annual goals are statements, which emanate from the present levels of performance.

20. Present Levels of Performance • Present Levels of Performance must specifically describe and reflect the students’ learning, social, health and developmental characteristics as identified by the IEP Team. • It is also important to document student strengths and interests in the present levels of performance. • Strengths can be leveraged to enhance the learning experience. • Level I Vocational Assessments describe student interests. This becomes extremely important when addressing Transition in the IEP. • Students’ preferences can guide teaching strategies; e.g. • Large group vs. small group, learning style, etc. • Parental and student input must be reflected in order to give a more complete description of the student.

21. Present Levels of Performance • Details, details … • When documenting Present Levels of Performance a detailed description of the student’s learning, social and developmental characteristics is required in order to ensure that the annual goals, in turn, will truly address student needs; • e.g. Carla is reading far below grade level. (No detail) • e.g. Carla demonstrates an inability to consistently remember symbol to sound relationships. This prevents her from being able to successfully sound out words. (Details!)

23. Present Levels of Performance • Page 3-Academic Performance and Learning Characteristics • Describing students’ needs and learning styles • Meaningful, measurable and observable annual goals must emanate from the student’s Present Levels of Performance. A clear picture of students’ needs, which are connected to: • the disability, and • the preferred learning style • … is necessary in order to know what areas need to be addressed when writing annual goals.

24. Present Levels of Performance • Page 3-Academic Performance and Learning Characteristics • Detailed descriptions of students include information relating to progress made since the previous IEP was written, as well as their performance compared to standards. • The IEP must document student growth from one year to the next. • Formal assessments, class tests, as well as teacher and provider observations give information on how the student is performing in comparison to the standards. • Again, details are important: • Suzanne has made progress since last year. (No detail) • Since last year, Suzanne has increased her decoding skills. Currently, she is able to decode multi-syllable words containing closed and open syllables. (Detail!)

25. Present Levels of Performance • Page 4 Social-Emotional Performance • Individual students may have unique traits that affect their learning process; e.g. • a student with behavioral challenges • a student who takes medication • Detailed documentation of these traits on IEP pages 4 will give teachers better insight into the student’s individual social–emotional performance. • Maria is disruptive. (No detail) • When Maria is confronted by challenging assignments she often reacts by talking loudly, leaving her desk and refusing to complete the assignment. (Detail!)

26. Present Levels of Performance • Page 5 Health and Physical Development • When students are to receive services such as Adaptive Physical Education, Occupational or Physical Therapy, there needs to be a description of the attributes that require those services on page 5. • Example: When a student receives Occupational Therapy, a statement such as, • (Student) demonstrates (condition/characterized by:)that prevents him/her from (identify the affected learning activity). • Example: • Jim demonstrates poor fine motor control that interferes with his general handwriting ability, and he has difficulty producing legible written work.

27. The Psychologist Connection • For School Psychologists: How to make the connection between clinical findings, gathered during a private, one-on-one session, and the classroom? • There must be connections among clinical findings and how: • Strengths, affinities and weaknesses may manifest in class • Cognitive attributes connect to management strategies and annual goals • Achievement findings connect to classroom performance and annual goals • How what was seen in the testing situation may manifest during class performance • The objectives are to make annual goals achievable and relevant for students, and to see improvements in test results, homework and the behaviors that heighten responsiveness. • The collaboration between clinician and teacher is essential in order to develop the connections mentioned above.

29. The Psychologist Connection • For School Psychologists: How to communicate the clinical findings in language that can be understood and implemented by parents and teachers? • The best practice is to eliminate psychological jargon from the Present Levels of Performance. • Also, be careful with terms such as “grade level”. It is more meaningful, instructionally, when the student’s skills are described in light of what will manifest in class. • (Student’s) math skills are on a third grade level. • Although (Student) can add and subtract whole numbers up to three-digits, with regrouping, multiply two-digit numbers by two-digit numbers, due to weakness in active working memory s/he cannot retain information necessary for carrying out the sequential steps of the long division process.

30. The Psychologist Connection • For School Psychologists: How to communicate the clinical findings in language that can be understood and implemented by parents and teachers? • Psychological terms have relevance within the context of a psychoeducational report. The terms familiar to only school psychologists are not necessarily appropriate within the context of the Present Levels of Performance in an IEP. • When Reporting about cognitive functions such as memory, attention, visual or auditory processing, spatial or temporal awareness or executive functioning skills the question becomes: • How might the affected skill set manifest in the classroom? For example: • “On the Digit Span and Letter-Number Sequencing subtests, (student) demonstrated delays in short-term memory”, might not have a lot of meaning for a teacher. • Better to describe: How a short-term memory delay might affect learning in the classroom. • The collaboration between clinician and teacher is essential in order to develop the connections mentioned above.

31. AUDIENCE POLL #4 • Why should IEP Writers use S.M.A.R.T. Goals? • Because there are no longer short term objectives to fully explain the parameters of the goal and set the standard for achievement • Because if the IEP is not lengthy, it looks like we’re not doing enough • Because teachers and providers like to use lots of paper and ink

32. S.M.A.R.T. Goals 32

33. Enjoy Spell orally List in writing Know Walk Understand Illustrate Grasp the meaning of Point to Read orally Write a paragraph Remember Realize Circle Be familiar with Count blocks Categorize Annual Goal Activity Measurable & observable?.... Or Not? Placenext to measurable & observable examples andXnext to non measurable & non observable examples. Will you know it when you see it?

34. Writing Meaningful IEP Annual Goals • We can’t measure what we cannot sense (see, hear, smell, feel, taste). • Out with the old! • Annual goal: (Student) will display improved social skills. • What does that look like? • What is it you want to see? • Annual goals must be observable as well as measurable. • Identify a behavior. • Describe a concrete behavior or skill set that the student will exhibit.

35. Audience Poll #5 • Elements of Annual Goals need to incorporate all except • Specific • Measurable • Artistic • Achievable • Relevant • Time-Related

36. According to the SOPM: • Short-term objectives are no longer required for students who participate in City and State-wide testing. • IEPs will now have Annual Goals only • Only pre-school students and students who participate in New York State Alternate Assessment (NYSAA) will require short-term objectives • Annual Goals must be directly related to the Present Levels of Performance • Annual Goals must be measurable and observable

37. S.M.A.R.T Annual Goals • Note: Do not get “hung-up” on the color codes; many S.M.A.R.T. elements overlap. The main purpose is to ensure that all 5 elements are included in each annual goal. • S– Specific: Describe what the student will do one year from now that s/he cannot do today. • M – Measurable: Describe the criteria that will be used to measure successful achievement of the goal. • A – Achievable: Based on the student’s current level of performance, what is a reasonable and attainable higher level of performance that the student will achieve within one year? • (What will you see happening a year from now that you don’t see happening at the present time, and what can the student reasonably be expected to be able to do in one year?) • R – Relevant: Does the annual goal reflect individual needs identified in the Present Levels of Performance? How does the annual goal relate to the student’s classroom performance? • (Annual goals emanate from the present levels of performance and must have a direct relationship with classroom performance). • T – Time Related: Describe how long the goal will take to achieve, and embed the evaluation schedule

39. Decoding: Student lacks automaticity in decoding words, reducing comprehension of text. • Example: To address one possible deficit in decoding • Paul can decode initial consonants in single-syllable words but lacks knowledge of short vowel sounds. He has difficulty blending sounds to read words. • S – Specific, M– Measurable, A – Achievable, R– Relevant, T– Time Related • Annual Goal: • In one year, givenstrategies such as VAKT (visual/auditory/kinesthetic/tactile)association, Paul will fluently decode syllable types:closed, open, vowel-consonant-e, r-controlled, consonant-le and vowel teams*, in controlled textwith 90% accuracy as measured in five consecutive trialsovera two-week period, as measured by (Whom?). • Note: Do not get “hung-up” on the color codes; many S.M.A.R.T. elements overlap. This is only one example to ensure that all 5 elements are included in the annual goal.

40. Processing control: (Student) lacks ability to determine relevance in order to retain information that is central to reading comprehension • Example: To address one possible deficit in reading comprehension • Sarah has difficulty picking out the main idea from reading passages. She is unable to isolate supporting details to help her understand the text, and she is unable to correctly answer reading comprehension questions. • Annual  Goal: • In one year, given strategies such as: outlines to help focus on important information, reading guided questions before reading the text, summarizing and paraphrasing during reading, previewing vocabulary and important concepts, prioritizing specific information, Sarah will correctly answer nine out of ten* comprehension questions on reading passages as measured by (Whom?) on five consecutive weekly assessments. • * According to what is consistent with the student’s current level.

41. Organization • Example: To address one possible deficit in organization skills • Daquon lacks ability to organize academic materials for classes and homework. He appears unable to keep track of due dates, class and homework assignments, tests and projects. He loses papers easily and arrives in class and at home without the materials and directions necessary to complete assignments. • Annual Goal: • In one year, given explicit sequential instruction in organizational strategies such as using an assignment pad, calendar, checklist system and color-coded folders, Daquon will independently keep track of and complete weekly assignments as measured by (Whom?) over five consecutive weeks with 100% accuracy.

43. Writing: Language processing deficits interfere with the Student’s ability to produce written compositions • Example: To address one possible deficit in written expressive language • Indira has difficulty writing complete sentences, using proper grammar and punctuation. She appears unable to organize ideas to produce expository writing that effectively communicates ideas. She has difficulty with consistently using transition words such as because, although, but, so and therefore to expand sentences to express her ideas. • S – Specific, M– Measurable, A – Achievable, R– Relevant, T– Time Related • Annual Goal: • In one year, given explicit sequential instruction in expanding sentences to include transition words such as because, although, but, so and therefore, Indira will write complex sentencesusing sentence starters on nine of ten examples as measured by (Whom)? in five assessments over a two -weekperiod.

44. Auditory Comprehension/Cohesion: Student has difficulty taking notes from orally-presented material. • Example: To address one possible deficit in auditory processing • Jack has difficulty taking notes in class due to slow processing of information delivered orally. This prevents him from gathering enough information to successfully complete assignments. • Annual Goal: • In one year, given strategies to improve auditory cohesion, such as picking key words out of sentences and selected key concepts from orally-presented paragraphs, summarizing exercises and comparison of note-taking efforts with prepared notes, and using color-coding and graphic organizers to guide note-taking, Jack will take appropriate notes on an orally-presented narrative to include characters, time/locale, main issue and outcome, as measured by (Whom?) with 90%* completeness of notes on five consecutive weekly note-taking assessments. • * According to what is consistent with the student’s current level.

45. Behavior: Coping skills • Yasmin has difficulty negotiating situations in which she is in conflict with her peers. Her inability to establish appropriate boundaries, and to respect the boundaries of others causes her to get into frequent verbal disputes with peers. She uses offensive and threatening language during her disputes. • S – Specific, M– Measurable, A – Achievable, R– Relevant, T– Time Related • Goal:Within one year, given explicit instruction in conflict resolution strategies and the opportunity to role-play in counseling sessions,Yasmin will state verbally to a peer when she feels that she has been disrespected or her personal space has been invaded, using appropriate, inoffensive words, in 4 out of 5 situations as assessed both in class and in unstructured settings by any of her teachers and/or guidance counselor over two consecutive weeksthrough direct observations.

47. Math: the Language of MathTo address one possible deficit in math processing James has difficulty with recognizing numbers/digits, operational signs, place value, fractions, squares, roots and the general language of math. He has some directional confusion, and he inappropriately inserts or omits digits, words and signs. He sometimes interchanges similar digits inappropriately. These difficulties interfere with his ability to solve word problems in math. Goal: In one year, given VAKT (visual/auditory/tactile/kinesthetic) strategies to improve directional confusion and concept understanding, sequentially increasing language complexity, graphic organizers that sort a) known information, b) unneeded information, c) what the problem asks and d) strategies to solve the problem, rubrics for checking and rechecking, James will solve math word problems with two embedded operations with 90% accuracy on five consecutive weekly quizzes.

48. TransitionAll annual goals on a Transition IEP should be focused on working toward the student’s post secondary work, school or training. • Ginny wants to work as a secretary in a law firm. She needs to develop office skills, such as knowledge of word-processing software and keyboarding. • Goal: In one year, given opportunity to learn and practice regularly with typing-teaching software and a word processing program, Ginny will type text with appropriate formatting of formal business letters at 20 words per minute, as measured by 3 timed trials in a two-week period. • Note: Academic goals should also point toward skills and achievement toward the student’s career choice.

50. For Assistance & SupportYour IEP Managers to the rescue….Staten Island ISCJanet Blit: jblit@schools.nyc.govBrooklyn ISC Nick Chavarria: nchavar@schools.nyc.govManhattan ISC Madeline Rochelle: mrochel@schools.nyc.govQueens ISC Tanya Smith: tsmith18@schools.nyc.govSOPM: http://schools.nyc.gov/NR/rdonlyres/5F3A5562-563C-4870-871F BB9156EEE60B/0/03062009SOPM.pdfSOPM Forms: http://intranet.nycboe.net/TeachingLearning/SpecialEducation/SOPMLetters/default.htm IEP HELP SQUAD