Making our IEPs Compliant AND Well Written: A Shift in Thinking

1. Gold Star Making our IEPs Compliant ANDWell Written: A Shift in Thinking SST 13 Deb McGraw & Sean Riley Gold Star

2. How can well written IEPs increase student performance and close the gap?

3. Goals for Today • Identify the elements that are needed to write a compliant present level of performance (PLOP), goals, and specially designed Instruction sections of an IEP. • Work together to write “good” present levels, specially designed instruction and goals for an IEP.

4. Section 3: Profile Foundation of IEP – Connection to ETR • Explanations of Connection to the ETR: • Why you aren’t addressing a certain need area (i.e. not priority, already addressed and mastered, especially for adaptive skills when a child is MD and behavior when a child is ED or it was marked in special factors) • Why you are addressing a new need area that isn’t in the ETR (i.e. “all needs identified in ETR 3/5/2011 have been mastered, new data indicates needs in ….”) • Explanations of Missing Components: (i.e. Assistive Technology assessment was done but why the student doesn’t have AT on the IEP , Dismissal from a related service, Why accommodations are needed (i.e. dictation)

5. Other Items in Profile • Where the BIP and Individual health plan can be found (don’t attach) • Parent concerns • What works/doesn’t work • Results of Past IEPs • OAA/OGT subscales • Justifications leading towards LRE you choose

6. Section 6: Measurable Goals Present Levels of Performance Goals Objectives/ Benchmarks

7. PLOP – What ODE Looks For When Doing an Onsite Review… • DS-1 How the disability affects involvement in general curriculum • DS-2PLOP that address the needs • DS–3 Goals address academic needs • DS-4 Goals address functional needs

8. A. Present Levels Of Performance • Are the baseline for the goal – where the student is now • Have a direct relationship between the ETR, PLOP, and benchmarks/objectives • Includes specific Data • Use the same unit of measure as the PLOP (%, __out of 5) – it is a way to measure progress. • Hint: copy and paste the goal in the PLOP and put where the child is functioning now. • Also includes how the disability has an impact in making progress in the general ed curriculum • Hint: compare to typical peers

9. Present Levels of Performance • Must be linked to ETR or based on new assessment information from Profile • Must be a baseline measurement of the goal – it must match! • Must be a very specific measurement • Should be a measurement that is in the same format as the goal i.e. %tage on __ of __ opportunities (ability to compare apples with apples)

10. PLOP – What else causes compliance errors? ODE’s comments… • Lacks baseline data • Doesn’t state where she is performing right now • Doesn’t state specifically what she can and cannot do and at what level • PLOP does not establish a specific gap with baseline data -explain what the child can and cannot do- not just test scores • Doesn’t compare to general ed students • PLOP is not linked to ETR, and or Goals • PLOP does not have the same unit of measurement as is in goals/objectives/needs (can’t tell amount of progress) • Scores are provided but does not tell what he can and cannot do nor is there any explanation of the scores • PLOP does not indicate how the disability has an impact in making progress in the general education curriculum

11. BAD PLOP Example Anthony’s ETR data, collected November 2012, indicates that his performance in the area of Reading Comprehension is below average with 40% accuracy. MAZE reading comprehension data, collected in September 2013, records a score of 13. The benchmark for 19th grade, fall semester, is 28+

12. BAD PLOP Example Devin reads 101 words per minute on 5th grade material. On indicator assessments, Devin scored 70% or above on figurative language, character, and point of view. He scored 30% on his setting assessment. He is slowly making progress with identifying the main idea with 2 supporting details, sequencing events, and summarizing text. Goal: Given grade level text, Devin will answer literal and inferential questions about what he has read, and/or had been read aloud with 75% accuracy.

13. PLOP Checklist

14. What does ODE look for???DS–5 Goals Measurable?B. Measurable Goals • Are the roadmap from where the child is currently performing to where they need to be (ACS). • Specify how the team will determine that the student has met the goal – give a clear picture • Are individualized • Not an ACS for same grade? • Is it what student will do – not teacher? • Are prioritized and accomplished in 12 months • Meet the stranger test – no confusion as to when the goal has been met

15. Measurable Goals Include:What does ODE look for?? Now only 3* elements are needed: • Who • *Will do what (be sure simplify) • *To What Level and degree (include BOTH criteria and mastery) • *Under what conditions • In what length of time (i.e. by the end of the IEP) • How will Progress be measured (put what is in the check box in words)

16. 1. Will Do What? • Measurable and observable behavior. • It is expressed as an action word (verb). • What it looks like when student has mastered it.

17. Measurable Verbs Also see http://www.adprima.com/examples.htm

18. 2. To What Level or Degree • Includes Criteria- how many times the behavior must be observed/measured before it is considered to be mastered • Frequency • ___ times weekly • in ___out of ___ attempts/opportunities • ___ consecutive trials/weeks • Duration • For __ minutes/repetitions • Accuracy • _____% accuracy • ___ out of ___ trials • Latency/Speed • within ___ minutes • with less than ___ errors per minute/paragraph • Intensity • With __intensity so _ can be heard

19. Include BothCriteria and Mastery Both must be present to be compliant 1. Criteria - examples: • __% accuracy, __ out of __ occasions • __ duration/minutes, • rate/wpm • Cumulative counts (-- 2. Mastery – how many times before the skill is considered mastered – examples: • __ out of 5 trials/documented occasions • on __ consecutive sessions/days • This same criteria should be what is reported for progress reports.

20. Bad Examples Criteria and Mastery without both will you know what it looks like when mastered? • Carter will correctly answer targeted wh questions on 4 out of 5 trials. • Spencer will correctly perform double-digit multiplication problems with 80% accuracy. • Mandy will keep her hands to herself in the classroom during 3 out of 5 academic classes. • Jason will use his self-help skills throughout his school day.

21. Bad Examples – Incorrect usage of %tage • Billy will correctly cross the street 80% of the time…. • Jake will initiate involvement in peer group activities by an increase of 20 % over baseline.

22. 3. Under What Conditions • Situation (during circletime, given a familiar object/ experience, when student’s hand is placed on the switch, with hand over hand support • Setting (Small group, classroom, 1:1, on the playground) • Required Material, Given… (an auditory/visual/ written prompt, graphic organizer, teacher notes, a topic, given 5th grade vocabulary words)

23. What else causes compliance errors with Goals? ODE’s comments… • Not including both criteria and mastery • Doesn’t include all elements • Isn’t clear – what grade level? What mathematical operations?, doesn’t say will solve the problem accurately • Using vague terms “increase”, “decrease” or “improve” without a baseline and target, "participate", "reasonable amount", "ask for help when needed”, “acceptable level of performance”, using grade scores (A, B, 75 or 90) • Inappropriate measurement or not compatible to baseline measurement in PLOP • Goal is more related to a score achieved on an AIMSweb CBM Math Concepts and Applications. The achieved score is meaningless as to specific skills. • Goals which are content standards (should be skills leading to) • No behavior goal but it is marked in special factors or ETR

24. BAD Goal Example #1 When given a 10th grade reading probe, Anthony will apply reading comprehension strategies, such as skimming, scanning, highlighting, visualizing, predicting and questioning, to demonstrate knowledge of the text, by answering comprehension questions with 89% accuracy. • Need criteria and mastery – how many times till you say it is mastered • What type of comprehension questions (literal, inferential, analysis, synthesis….)

25. Bad Goal Example #2 Given a reading passage, Adrianna will increase her phonemic awareness, word recognition, and comprehension with 80% accuracy. • What is the culminating skill?

26. Bad Goal Example #3 Mark will improve his fluency of basic math skills, increase his ability to solve word problems independently and increase his math reasoning skills so that he can perform grade level work.

27. Breaking Down Goals

29. Goals Checklist

30. But there is more than compliance!! You can have a bad compliant goal

31. What are Bad Goals? • Goals that don’t lead to the most important skill to move the student ahead- they are so what? Goals. • Goals that have multiple skills in one ( i.e. reading decoding and comprehension). • Goals that are so complicated you don’t know what it is about. • Goals that somebody who is dead could accomplish.

32. “So What” Goals – Not about skills, or a skill that will move the student the farthest • Tara will complete noun/verb worksheet with 90% accuracy. • Billie will pass all classes with a “B” grade or higher. • Present Level: While student turns in most of his assignments on time, he frequently fails to fill out his assignment notebook. Goal: Student will fill out assignment notebook 100% of the time.

33. Mixing Skills in one Goal – can’t measure progress • Austin will improve his fluency and comprehension to increase his reading level from level “h” to level “l” • By June 2014 Tammy will tell time to the half hour using an analog and digital clock with 80% accuracy

34. So convoluted- Its hard to figure out what it is addressing. By December 2014, Todd will use strategies to follow classroom routines and meet classroom expectations in 4 out of 5 instances. He will follow three step directions given to him by his teacher. He will demonstrate behavior that causes peers and teachers to react in a positive manner to him. Todd will accept consequences and direction from adults

35. “Dead Goals” - • Tammy will complete all bathroom tasks with hand over hand assistance. • Todd will not swear at peers in his classes on 3 of 5 days. (vs. will talk to peers without swearing….)

36. Clue: Now that you have your goal… Go back to your PLOP and be sure to have the baseline measurement that matches your goal. It will have a lesser level of achievement but this statement MUST be in the PLOP.

37. C. Objectives/Benchmarks • Make the plan to reach the goal. • Need the same elements as a measurable goal • If the student is not achieving them- Revise them. • Reconvene the IEP team to revise the goals/objectives • Reevaluate the specialized services and/ or instruction

38. How will progress be measured? Be selective • Selected from the list, or write your own in the text box (Methods)- but be sure to write it in the goal. • Whatever you choose you must have data for ALL methods

39. Goal Development Practice • With an “elbow partner” look at the IEP that you brought. First determine what the skill is. • Why the student is on an IEP • The most important skill to close the gap • Can be accomplished in a year • Is there more than one skill? If so which is the highest? The other will be accomplished if the highest is met (i.e. inferential/literal)

40. 2. Clarify the Skill • Include the Condition (i.e. given __ grade material, in 3 minutes, with a topic sentence/2 supporting details and a conclusion, using a 3+ word sentence….) AND B. Make it specific • Ask yourself What kind? • Think of the variety of students who do this skill (highest and lowest)… how can you clarify what your target is? (i.e. double digit problems with regrouping, inferential questions, finding the main idea within the text read by the student…)

41. 3. Add the Criteria and Mastery • Criteria – (i.e. %tage, __documented occasions, __ times in science class, …) B. Mastery – how many times does the student have to do it, for you to consider it mastered? (i.e. 3 consecutive sessions/days, __ out of __ documented occasions/opportunities, at least__ times a day…)

42. 4. Add the Time and How it will be Measured • By the end of this IEP • Matching to the box to the right (i.e. observation, checklists, …) *We think this is not needed in the goal but was part of the original 6

43. 5. Copy the goal and Paste into the PLOP • Change the criteria and mastery levels to what the student can do now. B. Mention how this compares to typical peers • Now you KNOW the PLOP will match the goal

44. 6. Write your Objectives or Benchmarks • DON’T write your objectives until after you write the goal! • A frequent mistake of many is that their objectives are measureable, clear, and specific but the Goal is NOT. • These are the steps to get to the goal

45. Goals – Critical Friends • Write your goals on the poster paper. • Every 3 minutes we will rotate groups and your friends will write constructive feedback on your goals. • We will rotate 4 times.

46. Exit Ticket

47. Section 7: Specially Designed Services • A clear description of specially designed instruction, related services, AT, Accommodations, Modifications, Supports for school personnel and Medical • Synthesized services by: • provider, • location, • amount of time • and frequency (i.e. daily, monthly)

48. Specially Designed Services • You need a new set of boxes if there are any changes in: • the specially designed instruction • provider • location (resource room, general ed classroom..) • amount of time or frequency • DETERMINED BY NEED (not all identical)

49. Specially Designed Instruction • Describe the instruction- that can’t be provided in the general ed class by the teacher on a regular basis. (This is the foundation for LRE) • SDI and related services are direct instruction with the child- what you are going to do to reach the goal (i.e. teach __ strategies, give placement cues of how to produce an “r”, model, repeated practice, etc….) • Put only 1 location per box – if it is 2 use 2 boxes • Put only 1 provider per box unless co-teaching

50. A. Specially Designed Instruction Frequent feedback and checks of understanding • What the child needs that a regular education teacher can’t provide • PROVE YOUR DEGREE !! • BE SPECIFIC – • Describe what the instruction is • How it is to be delivered • What group size (i.e. individual, small group), • Type of service (i.e. direct only) • Conditions (i.e. using__ grade) What is the knowledge/ skills you have that are needed??? Breaking down tasks Guided practice Simplify vocabulary- examples/pre-teach