1. IEP and Collaboration in the General Education Classroom
Claudia Battle, General Education Teacher
Malena Casteel, Autism Program Manager
Tiffany Cook, Speech-Language Pathologist
Holly Van Meeteren, Occupational Therapist
Anna Zavala, Resource Specialist Teacher
Tustin Unified School District
August, 2013

2. IEP and Collaboration in the General Education Classroom
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
IEP Team Members
Roles and Responsibilities
Case Carrier
General Education Teacher
Supporting the General Education Teacher
Student Study Team (SST)
504 vs. IEP
Implementing the IEP
Inclusion, Collaboration and Co-Teaching

3. Inspiration for inclusion!

4. The IEP

5. Individualized Education Plan
Definition –
A plan or program developed to ensure that a child who has a disability identified under the law and is attending an elementary or secondary educational institution receives specialized instruction and related services.

6. Individualized Education Plan
The IEP must include the following:
A statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance.
How the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum.
A statement of measurable annual goals (academic, functional).
For children with disabilities who will take alternative assessments to align with their achievement standards need a description of benchmark or short-term objectives.
A statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services.

7. Individualized Education Plan
A statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel.
A statement of any individual appropriate accommodations that are necessary to measure the academic achievement and functional performance of the child on State and district wide assessments consistent with section 612(a)(16) of the Act;
The projected date for the beginning of the services and modifications described in paragraph (a)(4) of this section and the anticipated frequency, location and duration of those services and modifications.

8. Individualized Education Plan
Laws:
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)
-To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities are educated with children who are not disabled, and special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability of a child is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.

9. Individualized Education Plan
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act
(IDEA)
Law ensuring services to children with disabilities throughout the nation. IDEA governs how states and public agencies provide early intervention, special education and related services.

10. IEP Team Members

11. IEP Team Members
IDEA defines the “IEP team” as a group of people who are responsible for developing, reviewing and revising the IEP for a student with a disability.
By law, these people include: general education teacher, special education teacher, representative of the local education agency (administrator), parent, student as appropriate, someone who can interpret and other people the parent or school have chosen to invite.

12. IEP Team Members The child’s parent/guardian
The general education teacher
The special education teacher
LEA representative (administrator)
Provider of related services
Interpreter
Others

13. IEP Team Members Adaptive physical education (APE)
List of possible team members – California Department of Education (CDE)
Adaptive physical education (APE)
Assistive technology (AT)
Audiology
Behavior management
Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH)
Education Technology
Group counseling
Health and nursing
Home and hospital teacher
Individual /small group instruction
Individual counseling
Itinerant services
Language and speech (LAS)
Occupational therapy (OT)
Orientation and mobility
Parent counseling
Physical therapy (PT)
Psychological services
Social services by a social worker
Specialized physical health care
Specialized service for low-incidence disabilities
Transportation
Vision services

14. IEP Team Members Need to Know:
The student.
Available services.
External and internal sources of assistance.
The IEP process.

15. Roles of Team Members: Related Service: Behavior Management
-Autism program manager and school psychologists -help to make environmental changes and changes in response to behavior -reduce maladaptive behaviors and increase adaptive behaviors

17. Roles of Team Members: Related Service: Language and Speech (LAS)
The focus of school-based speech language pathologists is the communication abilities of students .The school-based speech-language pathologist’s goal is to remediate, improve, or alleviate student communication and swallowing problems within the educational environment . To meet this goal, school based speech-language pathologists: (a) prevent, correct, improve, or alleviate articulation, fluency, voice, language, and swallowing impairments (b) reduce the functional consequences of the communication and swallowing disabilities by promoting the development, improvement, and use of functional communication skills; (c) provide support in the general educational environment to lessen the handicap (the social consequence of the impairment or disability) by facilitating successful participation, socialization, and learning

18. Roles of Team Members: Related Service: Language and Speech (LAS)
Individualized: Drafts parts of present level of performance, IEP goals and objectives/benchmarks related to speech-language impairment; Provides intervention appropriate to the age and learning needs of the individual student
Caseload Management: Employs a continuum of service delivery models in the LRE; meets federal and state mandates as well as local policies in performance of job duties
Collaboration: Contributes to the literacy achievement of students; Addresses the linguistic and metalinguistic foundations of the curriculum
Role: Provides pre-referral consultations and involved in various initiatives including RtI
Identification: Serves as member of team for any students with suspected speech-language deficits
Evaluation: Conducts a comprehensive assessment to determine the existence of a disability; Identifies child’s communication strengths and weaknesses; Prepares evaluation report; Presents speech-language assessment results at team meeting
Eligibility: Describes the student’s functional speech and language skills as they relate to the student’s ability to access the curriculum and progress

19. Roles of Team Members: Related Service: Occupational Therapy (OT)
Provides assessment and identification of student needs in the area of neurological and orthopedic disorders and fine motor and sensory integration deficits.
Support a child’s ability to gain access to and make progress in the school curriculum.
Support a child’s engagement in participation in daily occupations which include activities of daily living, education, prevocational work, play, rest, leisure and social participation (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2008)

20. Roles of Team Members: Related Service: Occupational Therapy (OT)
Pre-referral services and supports as part of general education process.
504 referral and services as part of general education.
Special education referral and request for assessment.
Special education assessment in the areas of perceptual motor skills, motor coordination, sensory development, muscle strength and activities within the context of the child’s curricular activities, routines and environment.
IEP planning.
Transition planning and services.
Intervention planning and implementation of IEP services consistent with a continuum of services within the child’s LRE.
Documentation of student progress.
Liaison to communicate with other team members.
Staff development and support through in-service training.
Program management for coordination of school-based OT services.

21. Roles of Team Members: Resource Specialist Service
The role of the Resource specialist is to implement academic goals. This is done through several models:
Pulling a student out of class for a specified amount of time.
Collaboration, the RSP teacher goes into the general education and supports staff.
The RSP teacher consults with the general education staff in regards to implementing student’s IEP.
RSP can also be used as a resource for struggling students.

22. Case Carrier Roles and Responsibilities
The Case Carrier is the Resource Service Provider, the Speech Pathologist, or the Special Education Teacher, depending upon the placement and eligibility of the student.
The Case Carrier:
Schedules the IEP meetings and notifies IEP team members.
Develops agendas for IEP meetings.
Sends out SE-2 (Assessment plan).
Parent contact and team member liaison for communication about student.
Organizes services
Organizes IEP documents and tape records if an attorney or advocate attends.
*Information taken from SEIS document library and modified for presentation.

23. Case Carrier Roles and Responsibilities (cont)
Makes corrections into SEIS after the IEP
Gathers work samples and evidence of progress
Develops draft goals and benchmarks with team
Sends IEP and reports to the district office and to IEP team members.
Files reports and maintains student’s confidential file.
Calls additional IEP’s if necessary.
Completes and sends special education progress reports at the report card periods.
Related service types and minutes vary with each student.

24. General Education Teacher Roles and Responsibilities
To the extent appropriate, participate in the development, review, and revision of the child’s IEP, including assisting with:
Determination of appropriate behavioral interventions and strategies for the child
Determination of appropriate supplementary aids and services, program modifications, and supports for school personnel that will be provided for the child.
Must be a member of the IEP team and if they are not participating, the case carrier must notify the parent in writing and the parent must approve.

25. General Education Teacher Roles and Responsibilities
To be an effective part of the IEP process, general educators will also need to:
Know how to communicate effectively.
Know how to observe special education students and record their behaviors objectively.
Describe a student’s performance and behaviors to emphasize the student’s strengths.
Convey an acceptance and willingness to actively participate.
Be willing to try new approaches.
Be flexible with the schedule.
Be willing to ask for additional assistance.

26. General Education Teacher Roles and Responsibilities
Correspondence with parents inside the IEP.
Be honest, objective and kind and speak positively without bias.
*See handout for a list of verbs and phrases that may help you to prepare positive, descriptive statements for an IEP.
*See handout for “What a teacher can do to prepare for an IEP”.
What to say and what not to say.
*See handout for the Do’s and Don’ts.

27. General Education Teacher Roles and Responsibilities
Correspondence with parents outside the IEP.
Be honest, factual and professional.
Keep opinions out of the interactions.
Always support your team and school district in the eyes of the parent and share concerns with the case carrier and team before entering the IEP.
Support staff need to relay all communication through the teacher, case carrier or Autism Program Manager, if applicable.

28. Special Education Monthly Meetings
Check your school site as most special education teams meet monthly to schedule IEP’s and discuss student progress.
Review of student IEP’s.

29. Supporting the General Education Teacher
When you have a student who you feel is struggling in their academics due to, but not limited to: behavior, attention, social, communication, auditory, visual there are several options for support:
1. Start collecting data on the areas of need and current interventions in place.
2. Review and collect all information accessible to you.
3. Contact the Student Study Team (SST) Coordinator for your school site and complete the SST paperwork.

30. Support for the General Education Teacher (cont)
4. Discuss and document all concerns with the SST Coordinator so that all necessary professionals for the team may attend.
5. Do NOT promise the student and family support as services are recommended only after a student has qualified.

32. Student Study Team (SST)

33. Student Study Team (SST)
A pre-referral action plan process for intervention.
A regular education responsibility that MUST be considered prior to an IEP.
Required team members for meeting: parents, SST coordinator, classroom teachers and administrator.
Additional team members for meeting: related service providers as needed.
Necessary documentation and information to be brought to the meeting.

34. Student Study Team (SST)
During the meeting all present representatives will summarize the student’s strengths and concerns in the classroom.
After the review of all documented information a plan is developed.
If the plan is successful for the student – YEAH!!
If the plan is unsuccessful for the student a follow-up meeting is scheduled within 4-6 weeks to repeat the SST process.

35. Student Study Team (SST)
What if the revised plan is unsuccessful for the student???
The student may qualify for more structured accommodations/modifications that are part of either a 504 Plan (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act) or an Individualized Education Plan (IEP).
Reference material:
*See handout for Student Study Teams.

36. 504 or IEP?

37. 504 Plan vs. IEP 504 Plan IEP Function of General Education
Offers all children equal access to an education.
Document with a written plan.
Specific timelines do not exist.
No required team members for meeting, only recommended team members.
Function of Special Education
Only for students who require special education services.
Individualized program to meet a student’s unique needs.
Must provide educational benefit.
Document with specific language and sections.
Specific timelines.
Requires specific team members – administrator, general education teacher, special education teacher.

38. 504 Plan vs. IEP

39. Implementing the IEP

40. Implementing the IEP
**The case carrier is the primary contact with any issue regarding the IEP**
The case carrier will provide a copy of the IEP to the general education teacher.
A complete special education confidential file is available at the school site.
Full student IEP is available on SEIS – see the case carrier for access.

41. Implementing the IEP Key areas of focus in the IEP.
1. Accommodations and Modifications
*See handout for “Typical Special Education Accommodations”
2. Supplementary Aids and Services
3. Testing
4. Goals
5. Grades

42. Implementing the IEP Accommodation Modification
A change that helps a student overcome or work around the disability.
Ex: Allowing a student with difficulty writing to verbally dictate answers.
It is imperative for the general education teacher to implement with support for the special education case carrier.
A change in what is being taught or expected from the student.
Ex: Altering the content of an assignment to make it “easier” or more appropriate for their learning grade level.
It is imperative for the general education teacher to implement with support for the special education case carrier.

43. Implementing the IEP

44. Implementing the IEP
Supplementary Aids and Services –documented throughout the IEP in various locations
Adaptive equipment.
Assistive technology.
Training for staff, student and parents.
Peer tutors.
A one-on-one aide, ex: extra classroom support, special circumstance aide, Para behavior interventionist (PBI)
Adapted materials.
Collaboration/consultation among staff, parents and other professionals.

45. Implementing the IEP Testing
IDEA requires students take part in state and/or district testing.
A student on an IEP must have all accommodations and/or modifications needed for testing included in the IEP.
The IEP team decides what tests are appropriate for the student.
The general education teacher must know the tests the student will be taking and all accommodations and modifications.

47. Implementing the IEP Goals
IEP goals are written by the service providers with input from the IEP team members.
The service providers (special education) send home progress reports in sync with general education report cards.
The general education teacher is responsible for supporting the IEP goals.

48. Implementing the IEP Grades
Elementary students may receive a “P”, below grade level but making progress.
If a “P” is given to a student it does NOT need to be documented in the IEP.
The appropriate accommodations/modifications need to be in the IEP.

49. Inclusion, Collaboration and Co-teaching

50. Inclusion, Collaboration and Co-Teaching
Why inclusion at TUSD?
Laws - IDEA, LRE

51. Definition of Inclusion
Being a part of what everyone else is in
Maximizing a person’s quality of life
Belonging with the support needed
Adaptations are made to support the child
Team work, interrelate and function together – diversity is valued
“Inclusion teaches compassion, understanding and patience for typical children and gives special needs children self-esteem and friendships.”
Gloria Jean Bass, Special Needs Coordinator

52. Definition of Collaboration
Share decisions, goals and classroom instruction (teacher with special education team)
Teachers as equal partners
Joint planning, combine expertise to meet the needs of all learners

53. Definition of Co-teaching
Joint planning between teacher and special education team
Support
Teaming together to provide appropriate curriculum, assessment and adaptations to the day

54. Suggestions for implementing the model
Whole class
Small group
All types of instruction
Increases peer role models for academic and social skills
Increases IEP goals
Higher expectations are modeled
Acceptance of diversity
Opportunities to master concepts by teaching and practicing
Respect for all

55. Thank you for attending!!!