THE ART AND SCIENCE OF THE PURR-FECT IEP August 19, 2013 Presented by: Brenda Lyne and Jan Demro

Bend-Lapine School District v. K.H. That ruling, at 43 IDELR 191, held that the IEP denied FAPE due to lack of baseline data, measurable goals, and a description of services to be provided Court Ruling

What needs to be taught? How do we teach it? These are the critical questions you need to ask every time you sit down to write an IEP. Deciding what needs to be taught is also called IDENTIFYING the CRITICAL AREAS OF NEED. What drives the IEP?

You have to know what is expected of General Education students at that grade level. From that point, you determine how your student is performing in relation to that standard. Another area might be what the child needs to learn or be able to do functionally. How do you do that?

Use a variety of sources for that data….. Grade-Level TEKS that includes Strands, Essence Statements, Student Expectations, Pre-requisite Skills results of standardized assessment (FIE) results of curriculum-based assessment (DCAs, chapter tests, C-Scope tests, STAAR results, RTI information) data collected from current IEP goals and objectives Progress-Monitoring scores (STAR, Aimsweb, TPRI, I-Station) General Education Teacher information (YES, you have to talk to the general education teacher.) Where does that information come from?

Use the data you have collected to determine what strengths your student already possesses and what skills are needed. The important needed skills will lead you to your goals and objectives…. Don’t forget to use what you already know about teaching…. Use work samples Anecdotal records Teacher tests Behavioral data

All this data collection happens before you write a single goal or objective. This information is used to create your Present Levels of Performance (PLAAFP). Repeating: THE PLAAFP COMES FIRST!!!!! AGAIN: You don’t ever write goals and objectives without first writing your PLAAFP statements. When???

A good way to organize your PLAAFP statement is to write a paragraph or by listing the observable and measurable strengths and weaknesses you’ve identified for each area of critical need. Observable means you can see it and Measurable means you can count it.

How does it look?

Mia is outgoing, has many friends, and enjoys participating in group activities. Mia completes her work but often forgets to turn it in on time; she needs three to four verbal reminders to turn in her work, which affects her grades. Mia can use addition and subtraction to solve problems involving whole numbers and decimals. On the last assessment with addition and subtraction of decimals, she scored an 87%. Mia can multiply whole numbers without the use of a calculator; one digit by one digit with 60% accuracy, one digit by two digits with 45% accuracy, and three digits by two digits with 20% accuracy. Mia knows her multiplications fact with 0’s – 5’s on sight with no errors but struggles with 6’s – 12’s. Mia’s struggling with multiplication facts is causing her to fall behind in math compared to other typical fifth grade students. Example 1

Isabella is non-verbal and uses many ways to communicate including gestures, facial expressions, eye gaze, vocalizations, word approximations, head nods for yes, head shakes for no, and use of an augmentative communication device she accesses with a head switch. Isabella does best when given tasks in a real-life setting to complete; she struggles with generalization of skills. She utilizes pre-requisite skills to access the TEKS. She needs very direct, individualized instruction to acquire new skills. Isabella enjoys having stories read to her or listening to them on tape. When shown a book that has been read to her before that she enjoyed, she will use her communication device to say “Please read it again!”  Isabella will use her communication device independently to respond to the teacher to answer questions about the story/book with 80% accuracy. When she is given a question about two familiar stories/books and asked to make a comparison or connection between two, she answers independently with 40% accuracy. When asked the same questions with peers present, she needs two to three verbal prompts to use her communication device or give a response. Example 2

Reading Anthony’s first district benchmark in reading was 56% and language arts was 54%. He currently reads 24 words per minute at the 3rd grade level. One month prior to his last district benchmark, he started using a placemarker. His reading score increased to 78% and his language arts score increased to 70%. His words per minute in 3rd grade texts increased to 44 words per minute. His frustration level has been greatly reduced; currently he becomes frustrated in 4 out of 10 situations. Example 3

Stating the obvious: Based on the PLAAFP Statement you will have written, your goals and objectives will be TEKS-based and individualized for your student. Here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind when writing your IEPs. STAAR Minimum one goal in every area of critical need That goal should address the accommodation in every way STAAR M Test-Takers Minimum of 1 goal with 2 objectives in each area of need STAAR-Alt, Early Childhood and PPCD Must have academic and functional goals (SHARS) Minimum of 1 goal with 3 objectives each for each area of need Goals and Objectives

Your IEP needs to address all the areas of CRITICAL NEED…. Basic Reading Skills Reading Comprehension Math Calculation Math Problem-Solving Written Expression Listening Comprehension Functional Skills Behavior Social Skills Communication Goals on what?

Depending upon the child’s needs, some goals may target areas of the general education curriculum. For example, what does the child need to learn or do academically? The answer to this question might indicate what goals would be appropriate for that child. Examples could include learning to identify a range of sight words or learn basic number facts. Other goals may target learning that comes from a special education or individualized curriculum, such as reading Braille. Another area for goals might be what the child needs to learn or be able to do functionally. These type of goals focus on functional needs that impact participation in the educational environment, such as communicate with an augmentative communication device or address social or emotional needs, such as impulse control. How do I know which areas?

Some students may have just a couple areas of critical need while others may have many areas of critical need…. Remember, you are determining your students’ progress in the general education curriculum based on data. Based on the data you have collected, you have determined the student’s CRITICAL AREAS OF NEED (what they need to learn)…. Now you move on to the next question….. Keep in mind…

Goals and objectives are observable and measureable, Including: timeframe, conditions, criterion and behavior Timeframe-Specifies the amount of time in the goal period (e.g. By the next annual ARD) Conditions - Specifies the manner in which progress toward the goal is measured and involves the application of skills or knowledge (e.g. when provided with….) Behavior - Clearly identifies the performance which is being monitored; reflects an action in which can be directly observed (e.g. Juan will answer comprehension questions about a grade level passage). Criteria- identifies how much, how often, or to what standard the behavior must occur in order to demonstrate that the goal has been achieved (e.g. with 70% accuracy)

How we teach something includes the accommodations and modifications the student needs to be successful in accessing the General Education curriculum. This needs to be included in the IEP and on the ARD paperwork. Data should be collected on the use of the accommodations and modifications to determine if they actually improve performance. How do we need to teach that information?

4 parts

TimeframeConditionBehaviorCriteria In 36 instructional weeksUsing decoding skills and oral practice within a 3 rd Grade passage Joseph, a 3 rd grade student, will read 70 words per minute with fewer than 10 errors By May 15, 2013Given a 4th grade story prompt and 30 minutes to write Linda, a 4 th grade student, will write A three paragraph essay using transition words in sentences and between paragraphs with 5 or less errors By the end of the school year Given mixed fraction problems using all operations Jose, a 6 th grade student, will solve 85% of all assigned problems correctly Examples

With the information you have been provided: Write a PLAAFP Based on your PLAAFP Write a measurable goal/goals Practice

Fishing for answers????