Writing Instructionally Appropriate IEPs
Special Populations
Tennessee Department of Education
Norms
We Will:
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Be open to others’ views and input
Share experiences and ideas
Determine roles and responsibilities
Ask questions within and outside of our own group
Provide constructive feedback
Be engaged in the presentations and group work
Be respectful and turn all technology to silent mode during work
time
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Procedures
Roles and Responsibilities of Group Members

Make sure that each person in your group is serving in at least one role. If you have more than 4 people in your
group, have more than one Timekeeper/Gatekeeper. If you have less than 4 people in your group, have group
members serve in more than one role. Everyone should serve as a secondary facilitator, helping make the group’s
work easier.
Small Group Facilitator

The Facilitator leads the discussion, making sure that everyone is fully participating.
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Examples of getting all to provide input: “Will each person give your thoughts about what data we should
include in our present levels of performance?”

“As the most highly qualified professional providing the most intense intervention, what supports
would we have in place for our student? What do you all suggest? We will start with (name) and go
around the group”.
Scribe

The Scribe writes the information for the group on the presentation chart
Reporter

The Reporter reports the small group's work to the whole group.
Timekeeper/ Gatekeeper

The Timekeeper keeps track of the time and makes sure that the group finishes the task on time as well as
ensuring everyone remains on task.
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Procedures
 This activity is meant to simulate the collaboration that is needed to
gather all the necessary information to write an instructionally
appropriate IEP.
 As a professional educator, there might be times when you receive a
file on a student and there will be things missing. This is a time
where you might have to go look for the information to make your
file complete.
– For example, you might need to discuss with the general education teacher,
special education teacher, school psychologist, and any one else necessary
to make sure all information is collected.
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Developing A Strong Narrative
A quick snapshot describing the student’s strengths and
concerns
Must include:
• Student’s strengths
• Parent concerns in their own words, to the greatest extent
possible
• Impact on Mastery of Standards/Core Instruction
• Medical information, even if no concerns (don’t leave
blank)
• Must pass the “stranger test”
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Narratives Include:
Medical Information:
Describe the student’s strengths:
Describe the concerns of the parents regarding their student’s education:
Adverse Impact: Describe how the student’s disability affects involvement and
progress in the general curriculum:
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Narratives:
Medical Information:
Ex. Susan’s parents indicated there are not medical concerns at this
time.
• Do not leave this area blank
Student’s Strengths:
Ex. Specific Learning Disability-associated deficit in ReadingSusan has strong listening comprehension skills. She enjoys listening to
information when it is presented orally, and recalls information very
easily. She has a strong sight word vocabulary and tends to utilize this
as her primary strategy when reading independently.
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Narratives:
Parent Concerns:
Ex. Specific Learning Disability-associated deficit in Reading.
Mr. & Mrs. Test are very concerned about Susan's reading progress.
They report that she is easily frustrated when she has to read
independently and worry that she will only fall further behind.
Impact on Mastery of Standards:
Ex. Specific Learning Disability-associated deficit in reading
Susan's deficits in the areas of basic reading skills, specifically phonics
& decoding, and fluency impacts her mastery of reading standards as
well as impacts her access and participation in core instruction. At this
time, she is does not have the skills necessary to independently read
information in academic areas which interferes with comprehension.
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Developing A Strong PLEP
A summary of assessments aligned to area(s) of need
Must include:
• Student’s current assessment data
• Narrative description about skills assessed
• Impact on mastery of standards
• Exceptional: yes or no
• Positive terms and language
• Must pass the “stranger test”
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Example PLEPS
Associated Deficits of Specific Learning Disability in Reading

Test of Silent Word Reading Fluency (TOSWRF) In looking at Susan's protocol,
it appears that she worked very slowly. She managed to divide 45 words on the form,
but made 10 errors. Her descriptive rating indicated that she fell within the below
average range placing her at the 13th percentile. Based on expected third grade
norms, Susan is significantly behind for her current grade level. This impacts her
mastery of standards throughout content instruction as third grade is the year
instruction switches from learning to read to reading to learn. Exceptional: Yes

Curriculum-Based Measure: Given a 1 minute fluency test, Susan accurately
sounded 42 letters. This represents the 45th percentile according to winter norms.
Word Identification Fluency: Susan identified 6 words from the CBM third grade
word list in one minute. This represents the 10th percentile according to winter
norms. Her difficulties with phonics and word identification impacts her mastery of
standards.

Reading Fluency-Given a 1 minute grade level passage, Susan read 25 words
correctly with 11 errors. This is significantly below the 10th percentile according to
winter norms. Susan is significantly behind grade level average compared to her
third grade peers in word identification fluency and reading fluency and will be
impacted her mastery of reading standards. Exceptional: Yes
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Developing A Strong MAG
A clear description of an observable behavior a student will be
able to do within one year
Must Include:
• Condition
• Behavior
• Performance criteria (How well? How consistently? How
often? How measured?)
• Must pass the “stranger test”
 Look at the template provided
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www.pattan.net
http://www.ksde.org
Goal Statement- Let’s Practice!
 Given__________________
(condition/materials/setting/accommodation), ________________ (student
name) will __________________ (do what measurable/ observable
skill/behavior in functional terms), _______________________ (to what
extent/how well to determine mastery), _________________ (# of
times/frequency/how consistently), by _______________________ (how
often) evaluated/determined by _________________(measure).
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Goal setting with CBM data
 Step One: Determine Typical Rate of Improvement (ROI)
(_____________
Spring benchmark
expectation
-
_____________)
Fall benchmark
expectation
/
______36_______
Number of weeks
=
___________
Typical ROI (slope)
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Let’s Practice!
Measure
Words Read Correct (WRC)
Fall Benchmark Expectation
60 WRC
Spring Benchmark Expectation
100 WRC
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Goal setting with CBM data
 Step One: Determine Typical Rate of Improvement (ROI)
(___100______
Spring benchmark
expectation
-
_____60______)
Fall benchmark
expectation
/
______36_______
Number of weeks
=
___1.11______
Typical ROI (slope)
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Goal Setting with CBM data
 Step Two: Determine Goal Rate of Improvement (ROI)
_________
x
_____2_____
=
Typical ROI
_____________
Aggressive ROI
OR
___________
Typical ROI
x
______1.5_______
=
_____________
Reasonable ROI
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Let’s Practice!
 Step Two: Determine Goal Rate of Improvement (ROI)
___1.11______
x
_____2_____
=
Typical ROI
____2.22_________
Aggressive ROI
OR
____1.11_______
Typical ROI
x
______1.5_______
=
____1.67_________
Reasonable ROI
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Goal Setting with CBM data
 Step Three: Calculate Student Goal
_________
Initial Score
+
__________
(Goal ROI) X (# of weeks)
=
_____________
Goal Score
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Let’s Practice
Student’s initial score
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Goal ROI
1.67
Number of weeks
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Goal Setting with CBM data
 Step Three: Calculate Student Goal
___20______
Initial Score
+
__60.12________
(Goal ROI) X (# of weeks)
=
_____80.12________
Goal Score
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Goal Statement
 Given a 2nd grade reading passage, Joanne will accurately read 80 words
correct on three consecutive data days using a weekly reading curriculum
based measure.
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Link MAG to Characteristics of Intervention
• This is not added into Easy IEP
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Characteristics of the
Most Intensive Intervention
Potential intervention components:
• specifically target student’s skill deficit
• are research based, explicit, and systematic
• are more intensive than general education interventions
• for academics, must be more intensive than Tier III
• provides support to students in addition to intervention
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Accommodations
Accommodations change the “how”
Must address:
• Core instruction participation and access
• Assessment participation and access
• Student’s entire school day; not limited to ELA & Math
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Modifications
Modifications change the “what.” This is a very significant decision
that should only be considered as a last resort.
 Scaffolding, accommodations, support, interventions, and
additional adult assistance should all be tried first with data
collected to determine effectiveness and fidelity of each
accommodation.
 Modifications are restrictive by nature. They are only the Least
Restrictive Environment (LRE) once all other options have been
implemented with fidelity and data has been collected. Only then
can we determine that modifications are required.
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Considerations of Service Delivery
• Least Restrictive Environment
– All students are general education students first
– All students receive high quality core instruction— for
students with the most significant needs, the “how” and
“where” is the “I” in IEP
• Areas of deficit
• Intervention required to meet student’s need
– Directly linked to the MAG
– A person is not an intervention
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Considerations of Service Delivery Cont.
• Student independence
– The MAGs should be increasing the student’s skills so he or she
requires increasingly less accommodation/modifications the
following year.
• Collaboration between general and special education teachers
• Training support for staff/peers
– May be noted in the MAGs under “details—supplementary
supports for school personnel”
Ex: A child has a visual schedule. A special education professional
would provide a fifteen minute training to all staff on that particular
schedule.
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Progress Monitoring
 How will you know if the intervention is working?
 Monitor progress at least as often as non-disabled peers
• Once a week
• Once every other week
 Monitor progress in student’s identified area of need
 If the intervention is working, keep going!
 If the intervention is not working, the team may need to consider
changing the intervention
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What is Adequate Progress?
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What is Adequate Progress?
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Sharing what has been developed
 Present Your Student (Case study)
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Moving Forward—Self Reflection
 What questions do you still have?
 Who on your team/school/LEA can assist you moving forward?
 How will you communicate about the changes to parents? When? In
meetings, prior, multiple times?
 What interventions do you have available at your school?
 What interventions might you need?
 How will your schedule be different next year?
If you have questions you would like answered, please place the index card
in the box in your room.
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Programming team
Joann Lucero, Literacy Intervention Specialist
Joann.Lucero@tn.gov
Ryan Mathis, Mathematics Intervention Specialist
Ryan.Mathis@tn.gov
Alison Gauld, Behavior and Low Incidence Coordinator
Alison.Gauld@tn.gov
Jill Omer, Speech, Language and Autism Coordinator
Jill.Omer@tn.gov
Tie Hodack, Director Of Instructional Programs
Tie.Hodack@tn.gov
Theresa Nicholls, Director, Special Education Eligibility
Theresa.Nicholls@tn.gov
Josh Stanley, High School Intervention and Transition Coordinator
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