1. The IEP: Progress Monitoring Process
Southwest Ohio Special Education
Regional Resource Center
By: Liz Neal, Clermont County Educational Service Center

2. Session Objectives
To provide an overview of the steps of progress monitoring.
To provide resources and tools for gathering and compiling data.
To provide time for practical application and feedback.

3. Session Agenda Definition Rationale Prerequisites
The Steps of Progress Monitoring
Data Collection
Unpack Existing IEP
Fill in the Missing Pieces
Determine Measurement Types and Tools
Data Collection Schedule
Data Compilation
Data Compilation Tools
Data Compilation Schedule
Data Reporting
Data Reporting Schedule
Data Presentation… To Graph or Not to Graph
Using Data to Make Instructional and Service Decisions

4. Session Format
These slides indicate time for questions, group discussion, review of the IEPs you brought, and application of monitoring suggestions.

5. What is Progress Monitoring?
Progress monitoring is the ongoing process of collecting and analyzing data to determine student progress.
Progress monitoring should be used to make instructional and service decisions based on student performance.

6. Rationale
Individuals With Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEIA) 2004
Requires a student’s individualized education plan (IEP) to include:
A statement of present levels of academic and functional performance;
A statement of measurable annual goals;
A statement of special education, related and supplemental services;
Etscheidt, Susan K. (2006)

7. Rationale
An explanation of the extent, if any, of non-participation in the regular classroom;
A statement of any appropriate and necessary accommodations on state and district-wide assessments;
A statement of dates and duration of services;
Appropriate, measurable post-secondary goals and transition services; and
A statement of how the child’s progress toward the annual goals will be measured.
Etscheidt, Susan K. (2006)

8. Rationale Legal Decisions
The absence of adequate progress monitoring has been the focus of several administrative and judicial decisions.
Courts are unwilling to accept the claims of school districts regarding the appropriateness of a student’s program without proof in the form of data.
Etscheidt, Susan K. (2006)

9. Rationale Legal Decisions
Recent decisions concerning progress monitoring have revealed five primary areas of concern:
The IEP team fails to develop or implement progress monitoring plans;
Responsibilities for progress monitoring are improperly delegated;
Etscheidt, Susan K. (2006)

10. Rationale
The IEP team does not plan or implement progress monitoring for behavior intervention plans (BIPs);
The team uses inappropriate measures to determine student progress toward graduation;
Progress monitoring is not frequent enough to meet the requirements of IDEIA or to provide meaningful data to IEP teams.
(after reviewing slide)… so where do we start?... The current IEP…
Etscheidt, Susan K. (2006)

11. Prerequisites
A statement of measurable annual goals, including benchmarks or short-term objectives related to meeting the child’s needs that result from the child’s disability to enable the child to be involved in and progress in the general curriculum and to meet the child’s other educational needs that result from the child’s disability. (OS page 66)

12. how well… under what conditions?
Prerequisites
In order to collect data that provides evidence of student progress, the IEP must include measurable annual goals and benchmarks or short-term objectives.
Annual goals and benchmarks or short-term objectives must include:
clearly defined, observable behaviors/actions;
the condition under which the behavior is performed;
the performance criterion.
Who… will do… what…
how well… under what conditions?

13. Prerequisites
A statement of how the child’s progress towards the annual goals will be measured and how the child’s parents will be regularly informed (through such means as periodic report cards), at least as often as parents are informed of their non-disabled children’s progress… (OS page 66)

14. Prerequisites …in regard to
Their child’s progress towards the annual goals, and
The extent to which that progress is sufficient to enable the child to achieve the goals by the end of the year.
(OS page 66-67)

15. Prerequisites
In order to collect data that provides evidence of student progress, the IEP must also include a specific statement of how and when progress will be measured and reported.
What data will be collected?
Where will the data be collected?
Who will collect and compile data; who will report progress?

16. Step 1: Data Collection Unpack the Existing IEP
Existing IEP contains
measurable goals
and short-term objectives
as well as a clear
and specific statement
of student progress. NO
YES
Determine and define
missing pieces of the goal,
benchmark, or objective.
missing pieces in the
statement of
student progress.
Measure the behaviors under the
conditions using the criteria
set forth in the goal,
benchmark, or short-term objective
defined in the IEP.
Follow data type, schedule, and
person responsible defined in the IEP.

17. Step 1: Data Collection Fill in the Missing Pieces
Make the existing IEP’s goals, benchmarks, and/or short-term objectives measurable.
Determine purpose and outcome of goal. (What do we need to observe of this student?)
Fill in the blanks. (Conditions? Criteria?)
Check with the team. (What are parent and other team member perceptions of purpose and outcome?)

18. Step 1: Data Collection Fill in the Missing Pieces
Make the existing IEP’s statement of student progress specific.
Determine the best way to provide evidence of student progress. (What type of data will be collected?)
Determine who will collect, compile and report data and progress.
Determine where evidence will be collected. (Where will the data be easily collected as well as provide documentation of skill?)

19. Step 1: Data Collection Fill in the Missing Pieces
Make the existing IEP’s statement of student progress specific. (continued)
Determine how often evidence will be collected. (How often is enough to truly show progress, or lack of?)
Check with the team. (What are parent and other team member perceptions about data collection and reporting?)
Any written changes on an IEP must be approved by the IEP team (parents, service providers, district personnel).

20. Step 1: Data Collection Fill in the Missing Pieces
Questions and Suggestions.
Review the IEP at your table and
work through the flow chart
for unpacking the existing IEP.
Changes?
Questions?
Feedback?
Roadblocks?

21. Step 1: Data Collection Determine Measurement Types and Tools
The tools used to collect data and ultimately measure progress provide evidence of student performance specific to IEP goals, objectives, and/or short-term benchmarks.
Data collection tools should represent different types of measurement in order to provide a clear picture of student progress.
Bullet one: let the behavior to be observed dictate the tool…
EVIDENCE means you can tangibly show the team how the student performed
Example: You wouldn’t use clothing size alone to measure progress in weight loss… you would use multiple measures like weight, inches, clothing size, BMI, etc…

22. Step 1: Data Collection Determine Measurement Types and Tools
DIRECT MEASUREMENT provides valid and reliable indications of student progress.
Behavior Observation can be documented in many different ways; behavior observation provides first hand evidence of student performance as it occurs.
Observation Narratives
Data Charts
Frequency Recording
Duration Recording
Interval Recording
Time Sampling
More…

23. Step 1: Data Collection Determine Measurement Types and Tools
DIRECT MEASUREMENT (continued)
Curriculum Based Assessment (CBA) is the
direct observation and recording of student’s performance in the school curriculum.
Criterion Referenced Test (CRT)
Teacher constructed
Focuses on hierarchies of skills in the general education curriculum
Curriculum Based Measure (CBM)
Brief, standardized samples
Fluency based (accuracy and time)

24. Step 1: Data Collection Determine Measurement Types and Tools
DIRECT MEASUREMENT
Questions and Suggestions.
Review the data collection tools for
direct measurement.
Which of these tools could be used to
monitor the IEP you just unpacked?
Questions?
Feedback?
Roadblocks?

25. Step 1: Data Collection Determine Measurement Types and Tools
INDIRECT MEASUREMENT can supplement direct measures.
Rubrics
Describes performance on a scale from desired performance to undesired performance using both qualitative and quantitative descriptions.
Goal Attainment Scaling (GAS)
Rates student performance changes on a five-point scale of from least to most favorable.
Rubrics typically in writing (OAT, OGT)… we’ve all seen these… can be used for behaviors and other things too… should be used more often as long as the team is clear the scale of the rubric
GAS is an excellent way of monitoring performance… very simplified and clear… again team should be involved in and understand the scale…GAS can be modified (example… joan)

26. Step 1: Data Collection Determine Measurement Types and Tools
INDIRECT MEASUREMENT (continued)
Interviews
Provides a summary of student performance on a given behavior in a structured format; regular education teachers or other school personnel can informally conference with the teacher in charge of data collection; conferences are then summarized and added to the progress monitoring file.
Student Self-Monitoring
Documents student behaviors and performance through self recording given specific cues.
Structure student self monitoring… have some kind of accountability tagged to it… IE student rates him/herself on a scale of 0-2, then the teacher does to… discuss any differences… etc…

27. Step 1: Data Collection Determine Measurement Types and Tools
INDIRECT MEASUREMENT
Questions and Suggestions.
Review the data collection tools for
direct measurement.
Which of these tools could be used to
monitor the IEP you just unpacked?
Questions?
Feedback?
Roadblocks?

28. Step 1: Data Collection Determine Measurement Types and Tools
AUTHENTIC MEASUREMENT provides evidence of student performance through genuine student input.
Work Samples
Provides evidence of student performance through “hard copies” of actual student work.
Writing
Math
Projects (cutting, drawing)
Pictures of student work
Audio recordings of student performance (reading, responding to questions)
Portfolios
Documents student performance through a collection of work samples demonstrating specific outcomes.
Work samples should be accompanied with some sort of explanation of what the sample is showing (see cover sheet from AA)
IE: portfolios should be sectioned… should not just be a random sampling of math, writing, behavior, spelling, etc…. Should be placed in the collection to show progress (or lack of) according to specific IEP goal, benchmark, or objective
Students should be involved in the construction and evaluation of their portfolios (ownership)

29. Step 1: Data Collection Determine Measurement Types and Tools
AUTHENTIC MEASUREMENT (continued)
Student Interviews
Assesses student performance through informal conferences between the teacher and student; conversations are then summarized and included in the progress monitoring file.

30. Step 1: Data Collection Determine Measurement Types and Tools
AUTHENTIC MEASUREMENT
Questions and Suggestions.
Review the data collection tools for
direct measurement.
Which of these tools could be used to
monitor the IEP you just unpacked?
Questions?
Feedback?
Roadblocks?

31. Step 1: Data Collection Schedule
The data collection schedule depends on how service is delivered.
Direct Instruction
Times for data collection should be worked into daily and weekly plans for instruction.
Data collection does not necessarily have to be separate from this instructional time; this situation can provide a real picture of student performance during a typical day.

32. Step 1: Data Collection Schedule
Indirect Instruction or Support
Times for data collection should be worked into the time when service is being delivered, if possible.
Data can also be collected remotely by regular education teachers or other service providers.
Consultation
Regular education teachers and other service providers play a key role in data collection and input.
Times for data collection should also be scheduled when concerns have been brought up; this is a perfect opportunity for using direct measures (observations, data charts, etc.)

33. Step 1: Data Collection Schedule
The effectiveness of services and instructional method is determined most efficiently when progress is measured frequently.
If progress is monitored
Then effectiveness may
Daily, as part of instruction
Be determined within 2 weeks
Twice a week
Be determined within a month
Weekly
Be determined within a quarter
Quarterly
NOT be determined, even after a year
An Administrator’s Guide to Measuring Achievement for Students with IEPs.

34. Step 1: Data Collection Schedule
Questions and Suggestions
Develop a data collection schedule for two or three of the tools you chose.
Use your daily routine.
Consider how services are delivered.
Consider measurement type and
frequency.
Questions?
Feedback?
Roadblocks?

35. Step 2: Data Compilation
Compiling data is a critical component in progress monitoring.
Summarizes data collected periodically during the duration of an IEP.
Ultimately saves time; attempting to compile all data collected during the duration of a year long IEP would be an overwhelming task.
Provides the team with useful reference points in time.
Saves time and confusion during meetings.

36. Step 2: Data Compilation Tools
The tools used to compile data should include:
Student name;
IEP effective dates;
The goal, benchmark, or short-term objective directly from the IEP;
A restatement of the criteria in the goal, benchmark, or short-term objective;
An organized format that makes clear the data compilation schedule.
EXAMPLE form after this slide

37. Step 2: Data Compilation Schedule
The data compilation schedule depends upon the data collection frequency.
Suggested compilation schedules:
If data is collected
Then data should be compiled
Daily
Weekly
Two or three times per week
Bi-weekly or monthly
Once a week
Monthly
EXAMPLE form after this slide

38. Step 2: Data Compilation Tools and Schedule
Questions and Suggestions?
Discuss data compilation:
If you already practice compiling data, how do you make it work along with all other responsibilities?
If you don’t usually compile data, how might it be worked in with everything else you do during school?

39. Step 3: Data Reporting Schedule
Progress on IEP goals, benchmarks, and short-term objectives is reported to parents as often as non-disabled student receive academic progress reports.
Timeline
Mid-Quarter (Interim Reports)
Quarterly
Format
Compilation Forms
Graphs
Narratives
Accompanies hard data
Explains any instructional changes or specific circumstances

40. Step 3: Data Reporting Data Presentation… To Graph or Not To Graph
Review the two sets of collected data provided at your table.
Review the graphs used to compile the data collected.
Discuss the impact of the graphs.
How might the IEP meetings for these students gone had only the collected data (not compiled) been shared.
Questions?

41. Using Data to Make Instructional and Service Decisions
Student progress is considered in relationship to each goal, benchmark, or short-term objective.
Four aspects should be considered:
Progress
Did the student make the progress expected by the IEP team? (criteria)

42. Using Data to Make Instructional and Service Decisions
Comparison to Peers or Standards
How does the student’s performance compare with the performance of general education students?
Independence
Is the student more independent in the goal area?
Goal Status
Will work in the goal be continued?
Will student be dismissed from this goal area?

43. Using Data to Make Instructional and Service Decisions
Questions and Suggestions
Using the graphs of compiled data, consider instruction or service options.
Consider progress, comparison to peers or standards, independence, and goal status (with the limited information you have).

44. Final Thoughts
Progress monitoring remains a required part of the IEP with IDEIA 2004.
Other provisions in IDEIA 2004 mandate greater accountability for student progress.
Results-oriented shift
Outcomes
Etscheidt, Susan K. (2006)

45. Final Thoughts
Progress monitoring processes that are focused, clearly defined, and completed will ensure meaningful educational programs for students with disabilities.

46. Works Cited/Consulted
Alexandrin, J. R. (2003). Using continuous, constructive classroom evaluations. TEACHING Exceptional Children,
An Administrator’s Guide to Measuring Achievement for Students with IEPs.
Etscheidt, Susan K. (2006). Progress monitoring: Legal issues and recommendations for IEP teams. TEACHING Exceptional Children,
Jones, C. J. (2004). Teacher-friendly curriculum-based assessment in spelling. TEACHING Exceptional Children,
Operating Standards for Ohio’s Schools Serving Students with Disabilities (OS),
Show Me the DATA! University of Washington, Experimental Educational Unit
Pemberton, J. B. (2003). Communicating academic progress as an integral part of assessment. TEACHING Exceptional Children,

47. Information
Contact Information
Elisabeth Neal
Clermont County Educational Service Center
(office)
The IEP: Progress Monitoring Systems
September 12, 2006
4:30 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.