Guidelines for Making Decisions
about IEP Services

IEP Services 7 of 8

Decide “What” Before
“How”
This series of slide shows is based on:
Guidelines for Making
Decisions about IEP Services
2001
Michael F. Giangreco, Ph.D.
University of Vermont, Center on Disability and Community Inclusion
This document is available in a pdf (portable document format) on the internet
http://www.uvm.edu/~uapvt/iepservices/
http://www.state.vt.us/educ/Cses/sped/main.htm
Distributed by the
Vermont Department of Education
Family and Educational Support Team
Montpelier, Vermont
Development of this material was supported by a grant from the Vermont Department of Education, Montpelier,
Vermont under the auspices of Vermont Act 117: An Act to Strengthen the Capacity of Vermont’s Education
System to Meet the Needs of All Students, Section 7 (d) (5).
Decide how services are provided

Modes and
Frequency of
Service
Modes of Service

Assessment

Direct Services

Indirect Services

Consultation

Combinations
Assessment
Assessment is the gathering
of information for
educational planning and
includes record review,
interview, observation and
administration of formal and
informal tools that are
appropriate and valid for the
student.
Direct Service
Direct services are those
provided by qualified personnel
directly to a student, including
those who have met stateapproved “certification, licensing,
registration, or other comparable
requirements that apply to...
...providing special education or
related services”
(34 CFR §§ 300.23).
Indirect Service
In contrast to direct service,
indirect services are
delivered directly to the
student by another person
(e.g., a paraprofessional)
under the direct supervision
of a qualified professional.
Consultation
Consultation refers to the
planned communication of
information or skills from
one person to others. It can
include technical assistance
and training, monitoring,
service coordination, and
administrative consultation.
Match mode of service to
purpose served
Deciding what combination
of service modes (e.g.,
direct, indirect, consultation)
is appropriate means
matching the mode with the
purpose to be served.
Frequency of Services
Decide how much service
is needed. There is no
formula to make such
decisions, rather it is based
on the student’s needs,
past performance, and
priorities.
In determining the frequency
of the services, the amount
chosen for one discipline’s
involvement may affect the
amount for another discipline.
Therefore, consider the
interrelationships among the
disciplines.
Extended School Year Services
A special consideration
regarding frequency of
services pertains to
whether a student with a
disability requires extended
school year (ESY)
services.
Extended school year services refer to special
education and related services that:

are provided to a child with a disability;

beyond the normal school year of the public agency;

in accordance with the child’s IEP;

at no cost to the parents of the child; and

meet the standards of the SEA (State Education
Agency).
“...extended school year
services must be provided
only if a child’s IEP team
determines, on an
individual basis, … that
the services are
necessary for the
provision of FAPE to the
child.”
34 CFR 300.309
Consider approaches that build school
capacity
In general, the more
knowledge and skills,
school staff have to
address diverse needs of
all students, the lower the
need for specialized
services for students with
disabilities.
Building the capacity of
the school community
allows human and
material resources to be
developed and utilized in
ways that benefit
increasing numbers of
students with and without
disability labels.
If paraeducator support is proposed,
consider its use and impact
The IDEA allows for
“paraprofessionals and
assistants who are
appropriately trained and
supervised… …to be used
to assist in the provision of
special education and
related services to children
with disabilities.”
(34 CFR 300.136)
Sometimes the wellintended assignment of a
paraeducator to a student
merely shifts the
responsibilities. It is ironic
that this common solution
sometimes results in
assigning the least trained
and least qualified adults to
students who have the
most complex learning
challenges.
Inadvertent detrimental effects of assigning a
paraeducator to an individual student:








creates unnecessary and unhealthy dependencies on
adults
interferes with teacher ownership and responsibility
for students with disabilities
interferes with peer relationships
limits students’ access to competent instruction
limits access to typical class activities
isolates students within the classroom
may be perceived as stigmatizing by students
limits personal control and self-determination
Any paraeducator services
offered to a student with a
disability are indirect
services. This is the case
because under IDEA
paraprofessionals must be
trained for their roles and
supervised by qualified
professionals. They are not
to be operating on their own
without such training and
supervision.
Does paraeducator support
match the need?
There should be a match
between the supports to be
provided and the skills of the
person designated to provide
the supports. For example, if a
student needs extensive curriculum
modifications or the development of
a positive behavioral support plan,
assigning a paraprofessional is
unlikely to meet that need.
At what times or under what conditions
paraeducator support match the need?
Be clear about the times and
conditions in which such
supports are needed. For
example, one student may only
need certain types of supports
when using the bathroom or
eating lunch. Another student
may only need support during
math activities or in physical
education.
Will it mask other needs or
delay attention to them?
Assigning paraeducators,
when the root of the problem
rests in curricular, instructional,
personnel, service provision,
training, or organizational
factors may mask serious
concerns or delay attention to
them.
Remember, IEP services can be
modified if needed
After the initial IEP has
been developed,
adjustments may be
required to better
match the actual
situation where the
student will receive IEP
services.
Open the next slide show

Open the next slide show
labeled:

IEP Services 8 of 8

Slide show 8 of 8 addresses,
Implement the Special
Education Services and
Evaluate the Impact of the
Services