SHARING “SMALL” WINS Eleanor Hamilton EDU658/Instructional Leadership Kathy Zientek August 18, 2013

Change Strategy Description The change strategy description implemented is for the agency to change the current IEP process. The change is requesting that each department gets more involved in the classroom activities for the IEP child to reach the goals and objectives that are in the IEP plan.

Eligibility for Individualized Education Plan (IEP ) Any child who has difficulty learning and functioning and has been identified as a special needs student is the perfect candidate for an IEP.

Who Qualifies for an IEP? According to the Department of Education “Children struggling in school may qualify for support services, allowing them to be taught in a special way, for reasons such as”  Learning Disabilities  Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHA)  Emotional Disorders  Cognitive Challenges  Autism  Hearing Impairment  Visual Impairment  Speech or Language Impairment  Developmental Delays

Explanation of Benefits from the Win  Teachers can effectively assist the child in reaching the goals.  The particular departments will be able to closely follow and assist in the progress of each child and the data completion for each child.  Special cases will be able to get more help beneficial to each child.  Progress on IEP goals, benchmarks, and short-term objectives can be reported to parents earlier.  Parents will have assurance that their child is getting the help needed to reach and accomplish their goals.

The Data Compilation Schedule If data is collected  Daily  Two or three times per week  Once a week Then data should be compiled  Weekly  Bi-weekly or monthly  Monthly

Results After the Board of Directors and the CEO took a careful look at the current results from the IEP’s progress charts it has been determined that the agency need’s to make some changes to the current process.

Shared Value for all Stakeholders Starting with the Parents and Children. The parents are concerned about their children gaining the skills they need to reach their independence with the current IEP process.

Shared Value Stakeholders Continued Administrators Educators District Representatives IEP Compliant Department and the community because we are in this change together.

Shared Value Continued Administrators, Teaching Staff, District Representatives, IEP Compliant Department, Parents and The Community all share the value that with the changes in the IEP process it will help the children reach their full potential sooner. The teaching staff will also be able to get the help needed to implement the goals and objective and collect accurate data for the IEP students.

Small Win Explanation The small win is that the CEO, Board of Directors, Mental Health, Disabilities and Teaching staff have all approved the changes that need to be made to the IEP process.

Early Wins “An effective change leader deliberately plans for small, early wins that demonstrate concretely that achieving the change goal is feasible and will result in benefits for those involved” (Spiro 2011, p.91).

Publication of The Win The win will be announced at the next Mandatory Quarterly All Staff Agency Meeting September 4, 2013 by the CEO of the agency.

Next Steps The next steps include Hire Change Agent (completed) Training for all staff (in progress) New forms printed (completed) Update Outside Agency Contact List (ongoing) Purchase Needed Materials (completed, and add more as needed)

References Individualized Education Plan (IEP). ( ). Retrieved from Spiro, J. (2011). Leading change step-by-step: Tactics, tools, and tales. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass. U.S. Department of Education. (2013). Retrieved from