IEP Development To Provide Educational Benefit

1. IEP Development To Provide Educational Benefit Shannon E. McMahon Program and Training Specialist BCIU #22

2. PRESENT LEVELS OF ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AND FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE 2 2

3. 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. 3

4. The IEP as an individualized long-term lesson plan Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Annual goals Plan and deliver instruction Measure progress (on-going assessment) 4

5. Key Questions for Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional 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) 5

6. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance • Annual goals are developed to address the individual student’s needs from the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance. • There must be a direct relationship between the annual goals and the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance. • Annual goals are statements, which emanate from the present levels of achievement and functional performance. 6

7. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Present Levels of Performance must specifically describe and reflect the students’ learning, social 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. 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. 7

8. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Details, details … When documenting present levels of academic achievement and functional 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!) 8

10. 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!) Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance 10

11. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Individual students may have unique traits that affect their learning process Detailed documentation of these traits will give teachers better insight into the student’s individual social–emotional performance. Details, details, details…. 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!) 11

12. Educational Benefit:Present Levels of Performance Results of evaluations, as expressed in an IEP, must be interpreted and described in language that is understandable by teachers and parents. Do NOT use clinical language on the IEP. Describe the tasks performed Describe the level of performance obtained Describe any relevant specific behaviors observed during testing Project a description of how weaknesses may affect classroom performance; e.g. Student’s weakness in auditory processing interferes with her ability to take useful notes. This projection makes it much easier to select pivotal skills goals! *For a partial list of applicable reading assessment measures see the “Practitioner’s Guide”, Fall 2007, P. 52-53. 12

13. Present Levels of Academic Achievement Provide a summary of baseline academic achievement data/assessment data indicating what the student is currently able to do and a description of how the disability effects student’s progress in the general education curriculum * include at least 3 of the 4 types of assessment (Summative, Formative, Diagnostic, Benchmark) 13

14. Present Levels of Academic Achievement Instructional Level and Grade Level It is critical that assessment, present levels, goals and progress monitoring include both the instructional and grade levels Instructional level alone does not meet the criteria of the general education curriculum Grade level alone does not meet the criteria of an IEP based on identified skill deficits

15. Present Levels of Academic Achievement Instructional Level and Grade Level The two levels together allow the student to make progress in the general education curriculum, while also addressing skill deficits It is necessary to use grade level, particularly for outcome, large scale measures in order to determine if what is in the IEP is working The information then translates into content for goals and specially designed instruction in order for the student to work toward mastery in the general education curriculum

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17. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Example 1: (Gary is an eighth grader.) On the calculation subtest, Gary demonstrated mastery of addition and subtraction of four digit numbers, with regrouping. He has mastered the 2, 3, 5 and 10 multiplication tables for single digits. He struggles with long division, which affects his ability to solve algebraic equations. Test results show that Gary has trouble with sequential memory. This affects his ability to easily recall basic math facts, and slows down his completion of assignments. 17

18. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Example 2: On the reading comprehension subtest, on which he was required to provide correct answers to questions related to a passage read silently, Gary demonstrated the ability to comprehend reading material on the fifth grade level. His weakness in organizing information appears to affect comprehension. His teacher reports that Gary struggles to understand content area reading assignments, and he takes a long time to complete tests. 18

19. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Example 3: Gary’s frustration with his difficulties in reading comprehension interferes with his ability to stay engaged during silent reading assignments in the classroom, and when his peers are responding to teacher questions related to reading material. He often attempts to distract his peers by making jokes, tries to initiate conversation, and looks for reasons to leave his desk. His behaviors escalate when rebuffed by his peers. 19

20. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance It is important to include information about which teaching and learning strategies have been successful with Gary and which ones have not. Example 5: Teachers report that Gary does not respond well to independent class activities. He does not like to work alone. He operates best during small group activities in which he has opportunities to share information with and learn from his peers. 20

21. Educational Benefit:Matching Present Levels Academic Achievement and Functional Performance to Annual Goals All areas of student needs on the Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance, MUST be addressed on Annual Goals or within the Specially Designed Instruction. 21

22. S.M.A.R.T. Goals 22 22

23. 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.

24. Annual Goals Annual Goals need to be SMART! S –Specific M –Measurable A – Achievable R – Relevant T –Time related 24

25. Annual Goals: SMART! Specific: Describe what the student will do one year from now that s/he cannot do today. Example: In one year, using a sequential reading comprehension improvement program, andgiven athree-paragraph passagewritten on asixth grade level, Gary willanswer comprehension questions, as measured by five consecutive weekly comprehension tests with 90% accuracy. 25

26. Annual Goals:SMART! Measurable: Describe the criteria to be used to measure successful achievement of the goal. Example: In one year, using a sequential reading comprehension improvement program, and given a three-paragraph passage written on a sixth grade level, Gary will answer comprehension questions as measured by five consecutive weekly comprehension tests with 90% accuracy. 26

27. Annual Goals:SMART! Achievable: Looking at the student’s present levels of performance, project a goal that is attainable by the student in one year. Example: In one year, using a sequential reading comprehension improvement program, and given a three-paragraph passage written on a sixth grade level, Gary will answer comprehension questions as measured by five consecutive weekly comprehension tests with 90% accuracy. 27

28. Annual GoalsSMART! Relevant: The goal must be related to class activities and improve classroom performance. Example: In one year, using a sequential reading comprehension improvement program, and given a three-paragraph passage written on a sixth grade level, Gary will answer comprehension questions as measured by five consecutive weekly comprehension tests with 90% accuracy. 28

29. Annual Goals:SMART! Time Related: Describe how long the goal will take to achieve, and, when possible, embed the schedule for assessment. Example: In one year, using a sequential reading comprehension improvement program, and given a three-paragraph passage written on a sixth grade level, Gary will answer comprehension questions as measured by five consecutive weekly comprehension tests with 90% accuracy. 29

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31. Annual Goal: Example • 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?).

32. Annual Goal: 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. 32

33. 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.

34. Organization • 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. 34

35. 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.

37. Writing 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. 37

38. Annual Goal-Example • 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.

39. 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.

40. Behavior: Coping skills 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.

42. Use the Student’s Name

44. Program Modifications and Specially Designed Instruction Well developed specially designed instruction focuses directly on reading, writing and math. Specially designed instruction is delivered across subjects and across teachers throughout the day. A student does not only receive it when he or she is with the special education teacher. 44

45. May involve any aspect of the student’s instruction, including materials, techniques, assessments, and activities May proceed to modifications of content, but only after modifying the instruction Must consider the regular education curriculum first, then modifications to the regular education curriculum, and only then can SDI involve a special course The “What” of SDI 45

46. Anywhere inside or outside the school, as stipulated in the IEP. Implemented in any classroom. Implemented by all teachers, although a special education teacher directs it. If the instruction described is what the student needs to meet the goal, write it in SDI -- this will ensure that it is implemented across all school environments. Where is SDIImplemented? 46

47. Examples SDI: Instruction Use of word processor for written assignments and notes. Use of graphic organizers with writing to organize thoughts and clarify ideas. Use of study guides one week prior to tests from chapter text and classroom notes for the purpose of review and reinforcement. Student will underline the answer found in the paragraph instead of writing out the answer to the question. Teacher assistance with written assignment directions on a daily basis. Read notes to students and provide a copy of notes after student attempts partial outline of his / her own notes. Students will outline each chapter in sections including main topics, supporting details, and vocabulary with teacher reading/checking for inclusion of important facts. Use of study guides to complete specific objectives in each chapter. 47

48. Examples SDI: Assessment Use scribe to complete narrative essay questions on content tests in science and social studies. Clarify or explain test questions defining vocabulary before taking the test. Student repeats test item directions before doing the test items. Oral responses from student to teacher only after student indicates that he has attempted the test item in writing. Provide an example of how to mark the answer sheet when giving a student a separate answer for a test. Do not use separate answer sheets for tests. Student to answer items right with the item, before going on to the next item. Use graphic organizers provided by teacher for essay tests. Student will underline the answer found in the paragraph instead of writing the answer to a question. 48

49. SDI: Non-examples “Small group instruction” listed without any clarifiers. “One-on-one instruction” listed without any clarifiers. “Materials as Appropriate” needs clarification. “Student responsible” is not acceptable because specially designed instruction is the responsibility of regular and special education teachers to implement. “Teacher assistant will assist with computer program” is too general; just what will the assistant do? “Preferential seating” is too general; just what does it do and why is it necessary? “Score no less than____”; specially designed instruction should state no levels of an expected grade. 49

50. IEP Development Checklist Let’s look at and use the annotated IEP checklist!