Author: Connie Compton, SCID Mom whose SCID Warrior recently celebrated her 31st Life Day.
Connie retired June 2023 after working as a Special Education Teacher for 42 years.
An Individualized Education Plan or IEP is a written plan for a child’s special education experience in school.
The first step is an evaluation. When the evaluation team determines that the student is eligible for special education, the next step is to develop an “IEP” or written plan. How soon the IEP is developed varies by state, typically within about 30 calendar days. Special education services should not begin until the IEP is completed and a parent or guardian signs consent for initial placement.
The evaluation drives the IEP. The IEP must address all services deemed necessary in the evaluation and cannot include services for areas for which the student has not qualified. An IEP is developed in an IEP meeting by a team that, by law, includes the parent(s)/guardian(s), the special education provider(s), a general education teacher, and a representative of the school district. The latter person is often a principal or another administrator whose role is to represent the interests of the school district and personnel.
An IEP meeting may feel intimidating. A parent can bring other people for support. Many IEP meetings include grandmas, aunts, and best friends, and sometimes even paid parent advocates.
IEPs are long documents that should be written to specific legal standards. They can range from 10 pages to more than 50 pages depending on the services the student receives. Most often the special education provider(s) will draft the IEP prior to the meeting. In best practice, the draft is sent to the parents/guardians before the meeting. Between the length and legal language, the document can be overwhelming. I always encourage parents to highlight concerns or questions and write notes on the draft. It is important to remember that while teachers will focus on a child’s strengths on a day-to-day basis, the purpose of an IEP is to address needs and challenges. The IEP should be specific and use data to address those things. Documents are considered drafts until the team meets and agrees to the final version.
There are multiple required sections in an IEP:
Present Levels of Performance (PLOP, also called PLP or PLAAFP: Present Levels of Academic and Functional Performance): The PLOP has several required components, including responses to questions addressing strengths, behavior concerns, standardized testing, medical needs, assistive technology needs, communication needs, hearing and vision, and whether the student is multi-lingual. Depending on the state, the district, and the IEP software being used, some of these questions might be addressed with yes/no checkboxes or they might be addressed with a short sentence or paragraph. There should also be a statement describing the student’s participation in the general education setting and how their disability impacts their learning and performance in the general education setting.
Each area of service must be addressed in the PLOP. This should include a statement reflecting the needs determined by the evaluation. A review (or follow-up) IEP should also discuss progress towards prior goals, ideally with a synopsis of the data demonstrating that progress. Most importantly the PLOP should provide a baseline for goals. Data in a PLOP can come from a variety of sources and should be specific and clear.
Goals: IEP goals are driven by the PLOP. The goals are predictions using our best understanding of the student; goals are not a guarantee. The baseline of each goal should reflect data in the PLOP. For example, if the PLOP states that a student is able to read first-grade level text at 25 words per minute, then the goal would state this baseline and predict a target to achieve. In best practice, the goal should only change one component of the baseline – in this example that would be either the grade level or the words per minute. Goals are benchmarks used to demonstrate progress and should be achievable within the duration of the IEP. Goals are not written for the full scope of the curriculum. For example, if a student qualifies for math calculation (the ability to calculate), there might be a goal for addition skills and multiplication skills, but instruction would still include subtraction skills. Growth towards the addition and multiplication goals would be the benchmarks demonstrating the student’s progress. It is typical to write 2 to 3 goals for each area of service.
Accommodations and Modifications: This section addresses how the student’s needs will be met across the school setting. An accommodation affects how a student accesses their education and may vary the time, format, setting, and/or presentation. Ideally, the need for an accommodation has been presented in the PLOP. A common accommodation for an older student who receives basic reading or reading comprehension services might be “Provide audio books or alternative text for math and content areas.” An accommodation for a student who qualifies in behavior might be “Check for understanding of novel directions.” Modifications change what is learned. Modifications might include fewer questions, shortened assignments, or alternative projects. The purpose of an accommodation or a modification is to provide a student with equitable access to learning and the opportunity to show what they know. Accommodations and modifications should set the student up for success.
Services: The services section should consider the PLOP, Goals, Accommodations, and Modifications to determine the services needed in order for the student to make progress. It should address each area of service detailing who will provide the service, where the services will be provided (general ed setting or special ed setting), and the amount of time the service will be provided. This section should include a statement explaining the student’s access to their “Least Restrictive Environment” or LRE. The law provides that students are to be in their LRE to the greatest extent possible. A key to understanding LRE is that a student needs to be able to make progress in the setting. Most students should spend most of the school day in a general education setting. Still, there may be reasons that general ed is not the LRE for an individual student. For example, some students are more successful working on basic reading skills in a small group separate from their peers. Some students may be over-stimulated by a room of 25 peers and therefore their LRE may be a different setting. The question of the LRE needs to be carefully considered by the IEP Team. The goal should always be moving toward inclusion in general education.
Testing: The IEP should also state whether a student will participate in state and district testing and if so, what accommodations are needed.
A note on medical information: In my experience, how medical information is addressed varies by state and school district. In my state, nurses are expected to develop a health plan for students with medical needs. Health plans are agreed to by parents and shared with everyone in the school who works with the student. My practice was to have the nurse complete the medical section of the IEP. She would note a diagnosis and the health plan. Then we attached the health plan to the IEP. When a student had unique health needs, the nurse would attend the IEP meeting. Additionally, I would add an accommodation that stated, “Read and follow the student’s health plan.”
Per the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and state laws, IEPs must be reviewed at least every 365 days. IEP teams can convene sooner if there are concerns or if the student has mastered the goals in the current IEP. If an IEP needs minor changes, the IEP can be amended. If more significant changes need to be made, a new IEP is developed. Additionally, parents/guardians should receive goal progress reports at least as often as general education report cards are provided. (Special education students who participate in general education should also receive report cards).
As stated by the US Department of Education, “The IEP creates an opportunity for teachers, parents, school administrators, related services personnel, and students (when appropriate) to work together to improve educational results for children with disabilities. The IEP is the cornerstone of a quality education for each child with a disability.”
Resources:
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