Module 1: IEP Overview – A Plan for Guiding Instruction and Service Provision

 Product:  An individualized plan reasonably calculated to result in educational benefit (FAPE)  Process:  Planning to determine what is needed for student to benefit from education Product vs. Process

IEP Development Process Desired Outcomes/ Instructional Results Write Measurable Goals Select Instructional Services & Program Supports Implement & Monitor Progress General Curriculum Expectations Current Skills and Knowledge Area of Instructional Need PLAAFP Statements on IEP Form Developing PLAAFP Statements

You:  Know where you want to go  Enter data about where you are  Create a map  Adjust to opportunities/barriers  Arrive and choose a new long-term goal IEP Development: a “GPS”

 Knowing where you want to go  Using data as the basis Planning: Two Critical Components

Good IEPs are:  Reasonably calculated to result in educational benefit  Connected to state standards as a fundamental component to educational benefit Assumptions

Good IEPs are:  Dependent upon knowledge of curriculum/effective practice  Not an isolated event  Consistent with regulation/best practice Assumptions

Requires:  Consideration of individualized data/needs  Different goals for different students based on needs The “I” in IEP

Why:  Are standards important?  Should we consider them?  Standards-Based IEPs? Reflect & Note: Activity 1.1

 Added accountability by requiring:  Demonstrated progress on state standards  Assessment on grade-level standards  Students with disabilities as a reported subgroup Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA)

“…meet the child's needs... to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum... ” 34 CFR (a)(2)(i)(A) Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)

Successful educational outcomes for all students Statewide Assessment Accountability for all students Consequences for not assessing all students Access to the general curriculum is essential to closing the achievement gap and reaching Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO) ESEA/IDEA Intersect

“ It means that all our kids, even the ones our system calls ‘hard to teach’ can learn.” - Rod Paige, former Secretary of Education “Ready means ‘never’ if we continuously focus on the lowest-level skills.” - Maggie McLaughlin, Autumn 2009 Ultimately…

 Finish this sentence:  Standards-Based IEPs are important because… In Your Own Words… Activity 1.2

What is meant by the general education curriculum?  The full range of courses, activities, lessons, and materials routinely used by the general population What is meant by access?  Participation in the knowledge and skills that make up the general education curriculum Accessing the General Education Curriculum

Access to the General Education Curriculum for Students with Disabilities ACCESS is not: Students with disabilities sitting in the general education classroom completing work that is unrelated to the grade-level standards. Students with disabilities sitting in the general education classroom exposed to content that is out of their reach.

Access to the General Education Curriculum for Students with Disabilities It is essential to determine how students with disabilities will participate in the content of the general education curriculum. The student’s strengths provide the best information to determine how the student can access the knowledge and skills of the general education curriculum.

Provide instructional accountability Drive general education content instruction Support instruction in the least restrictive environment Define the expectations of all students with or without disabilities Create a structure for linking the IEP to the general curriculum Standards Drive Curriculum

High stakes accountability, performance goals and indicators IDEA – access to the general curriculum Essential for closing the achievement gap Promotes a single system of education – inclusion and a common language Encourages greater consistency across schools and districts It’s best for kids – assumes more, not less Why Connect IEPs to Standards?

How are you using the standards in your school to shape your curriculum and instruction? How are you using the standards to develop IEP goals? Think and Discuss Activity 1.3

Does not mean –  Writing goals that restate the standards  Using the academic standards alone to determine goals  Assuming that every student will work only on grade-level content Connecting IEPs to Standards…

Does mean –  Referring to standards to determine expectations at grade level  Using the standards as a guide to determine what is important for the student to learn or be able to do  Conducting an analysis to determine gap between grade expectations and current skills/knowledge Connecting IEPs to Standards…

What is a Standards-Based IEP? A process and a document (product) that is framed by the state standards to ensure instructional accountability for each student with an exceptionality. A plan that contains goals individually designed to facilitate the student’s achievement of grade- level state standards. The cornerstone of access to the general education curriculum for students with exceptionalities. 23

1. Consider the grade-level content standards  Examine benchmarks  Discuss expected knowledge and skills  Consider prerequisite knowledge and skills 2. Examine student data to determine where student is in relation to grade-level standards  Compare expectations with student’s current instructional level  Gap Analysis General Steps:

 Content is determined through planning process  Development is like using a GPS Standards-Based IEPs: Review and Wrap-up

Depend on good data from multiple sources Start with discussion about the desired outcome Include vision with parent and student as a source of data Determine instructional need(s) by a gap analysis Include data from comprehensive evaluation as one source of data Standards-Based IEPs: Review & Wrap-up

Process of Developing Standards-Based IEPs Determine general education curriculum expectations Identify current skills, knowledge and area(s) of instructional need Conduct data/gap analysis and develop impact statement NxGCSOs/Support for SB-IEPs (ELA, Math) NxGECEs/Community Readiness Unwrap the Standards What is the big picture? Which are most important? Which are critical needs? Develop student data profile Review student data profile Review Grade-Level CSOs Review Learning Progressions Determine Gap Where student is and where student needs to go

Develop Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Choose content standard and objective(s) Write measurable goals and objectives Collect Data Identify Strengths Identify Needs Develop Impact Statement What standard(s) and objective(s) best address the gap? What standard(s) and objective(s) are critical for accelerating student learning? Develop 4-Point Goal In what length of time (Timeframe) Under what context (Conditions) The student (Who) - Will do what (Behavior) Through what assessment (Evaluation) - To what degree/level (Criterion) Accommodations/Modifications/Specially Designed Instruction

High achievement always takes place in the framework of high expectation.

Activity 1.4

Which Came First? Standard Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance