GOAL WRITING FOR INDIVIDUAL SERVICE PLANS

GOAL WRITING FOR INDIVIDUAL SERVICE PLANS These materials are available as resources at: http://www.doe.state.in.us/alted/altedlinkpg.html .

Lessons from Current Practice • “Measurable” goal writing • “Tiered” support • “Response to Intervention” • “Data-driven decision making” • “Accountability” • “Problem solving”

Create a Living Document • Make this meaningful and worth revisiting • Involve the student as much as possible in owning the plan • Articulate goals that will be recognized as they are attained BRIGHT LINE • Align the components of the document to support student success.

Minimum Components in Regulation • Educational Goals • Behavioral Goals • Program Description • Services to meet Goals

ExpectationsNeedsGoalsServicesProgress MonitoringEvaluation of Effectiveness

Expectations • Closely aligned with the stated mission of the alternative program • The general intention for all of the students participating in the alternative program

Examples of Expectations • Students will pass ISTEP+ / End of Course assessments. • Students will graduate. • Students will demonstrate the social and behavioral skills to successfully return to the traditional school and make progress at grade level.

Expectations  Needs • Consider the secondary and post secondary aspirations of the student • Compare the aspirations with the current level of performance • Identify the obstacles that face the student in meeting expectations • Include input from staff who know the student

Needs • Individualized current status • Data-based when possible • Baseline for measuring progress • Comprehensively identifying obstacles to meeting expectations • Leading to a hypothesis of WHY the student has not been successful

Examples of Needs • Marty is capable of mastering course content but has difficulty conforming to traditional course requirements. • Carmen is supporting a baby and needs flexibility and assistance in earning credits to graduate. • Donald needs to develop anger management skills in order to successfully interact with authority. • Christine completes her work but does not turn it in as required.

Needs  Goals • Examine data to identify needs • Identify those areas of deficiency that are most critical to the attainment of post secondary goals. Less is more. • Select pivotal performance indicators that can be measured efficiently • Consider those that are most appropriate to the student’s circumstances

Goals • Stated as a student behavior or proficiency, not an activity of school personnel or an event • Giving access to the achieve expectations • Individualized based on needs • Stated in observable, measurable terms • Stated so that is obvious what is “good enough” • Providing a logical rationale for services • Permitting progress monitoring at intervals in the program (graph-able)

Simple Examples of Goals • Jose will maintain 80% mastery of course material measured by weekly computerized assessments. • Marcus will follow the procedures posted in the front of the classroom on a daily basis. • Hassan will attend school every evening. • Mary Ann will turn in all assignments listed on the course syllabus.

Goals  Services • Design services that address individual needs and goals • Deliver services reliably, with “fidelity” • Avoid one-size-fits-all mentality • Strive to be effective • Distinguish goals from services or events

Services • Defined as anything that the school does for the student (in and out of school) • Can include instructional services, counseling, behavioral supports, the provision of computer software… • Customizable with consideration of the needs and goals of the student

Examples of Services • Staff will provide training on how to organize his learning materials and his time. • Student will receive support in finding transportation to the educational facility. • Staff will train student to use relaxation techniques to deescalate anxiety-producing circumstances.

Services  Progress Monitoring • Collect data on the effectiveness of the services • Use this data to adjust services • Include the student in self-advocacy and self-management • Include acknowledgement of incremental success or additional needs

Progress Monitoring • An extension of the baseline needs • Directly leverages the measurements from the goal statement • Use counting or graphing system as the easiest method • Report out in intervals that permit correction

Examples of Progress Monitoring • Asha has attended the alternative program 24 days out of 25. • William is receiving an 82% proficiency score based on weekly assessments. • Tanya has maintained a Level 1 status for 3 weeks of maintaining adherence to the classroom procedures.

Progress Monitoring  Evaluation • Examine the patterns of the data collected to determine if the alternative education program is effective • Consider adjustments if the program is less effective than intended • Connected to program level goals

If you can’t graph it, it is not measurable growth time

Consistent Measurement expectation goal progress monitoring needs Services

Maintaining 80% Proficiency 80% Scores Attempts

Tanya’s Goals

Maintaining Level 1 Status LEVEL 1 LEVEL 2 LEVEL 3 Weeks

Completing my goals 95% Completion of goals Weeks

ExpectationsNeedsGoalsServicesProgress MonitoringEvaluation of Effectiveness

Revised Individual Service Plan On the Alternative Education page at http://www.doe.state.in.us/alted/altedlinkpg.html under ‘Resources’ you can locate: • ISP Template (revised) • ISP Goals Worksheet

GOAL WRITING FOR INDIVIDUAL SERVICE PLANS