October 10, 2012
Guiding Principles
 Inform the reader about student needs based on
area of disability
 Create a road map for delivery of services
 Establish goals and objectives for tracking of
student progress
 Provide a legal contract between parents and
school
Developing the IEP: Start with
Parent/Student Concerns
• Parent meeting invitation notes that parent concerns
will be discussed
• Chairperson asks:
– Are there concerns that you have now or in going
forward in developing the IEP?
Strengths and Key Evaluation Results
 Establish why the student is on a IEP
 Provides an overview of strengths and
weaknesses
 Predict student goal areas
Components
* State the disability
* Describe overall cognitive ability (verbal, perceptual,
working memory, processing speed)
* Describe academic assessment results (focus on why
student is on an IEP)
* Social-Emotional, Behavioral , and Related Services (if
appropriate)
* School Related Skills (if appropriate)
* Standardized Tests (MCAS, etc.)
* Extracurricular Information
Present Levels of Performance
 PLEP A
 How disability affects progress in the curriculum areas:
 Intent is to inform the classroom teacher as to how the
student’s disability will present within the classroom
 Mary’s specific learning disability in the area of reading affects her performance in all
curriculum areas. Her weak decoding skills result in a significantly reduced reading rate,
which further impacts her ability to comprehend grade level materials independently. She
benefits from class discussion and review of key concepts to fully understand new
information.
Accommodations
 Must be disability related
 Provided by classroom teacher
 Practices/strategies/modifications that allow student
to receive information in a more effective manner
 Not required for all students, in all
curriculum/program areas
 Teachers will be better assisted with clear and
specific recommendations
Specially Designed Instruction
 This IS special education!(Per DESE)
 Specially designed instruction addresses the unique needs of the student that
result from the student’s disability.
 Specially designed instruction is a modification not regularly provided for
students in the general education program.
 However, not all students will need specially designed instruction in all areas of
educational need and not all students will require all types of specially
designed instruction.
 Specially designed instruction includes modifications that affect content,
delivery of instruction, methodology and/or performance criteria and are
necessary to assist the student in participating and learning.
Specially Designed Instruction
Content – is it necessary for the student to learn
curriculum that is different from their peers?
 Key concepts only?
 Alternative math program?
 (Specially designed instruction of this nature is significant…)
Methodology – in what way is it necessary for the
student to learn the curriculum that is different from
their peers?
 Small group setting?
 Multi-sensory reading program?
 Direct instruction in (writing; study skills) strategies?
Specially Designed Instruction
Performance Criteria – will the way in which we
measure performance for the student be different from
their peers?
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Modified grading?
Pre-post testing?
Pass/Fail option
PLEP B
 Focuses on related services and activities outside the
classroom
 Most common: behavior plans, social skills, significant
communication challenges
 Accommodations will be different from PLEP A
 Methodologies should detail specialized instruction
(i.e., social pragmatics, ABA)
 Intent is a broader look at how the student’s disability
affects their overall involvement within the school setting
SMART Goals
Specific
Measurable
Use Action words
Realistic and relevant
Time-limited
IEP Goals and Objectives
 Determined by area of disability
 SLD in mathematics
 Health (ADHD)
 Social-emotional
math goal
work management
social skills, emotional
regulation
 Data-based current performance level stating what the
student CAN do
 Measurable, manageable, and related to the disability area
Reading Goal for Sandy
 Flows directly from your CPL information
 Given a second grade reading passage, Sandy will
decode all words presented with 90 percent accuracy
and improved fluency in 4/5 opportunities.
 Sandy will read a Fountas and Pinnell level E book with
90 percent accuracy on 3 consecutive cold reads.
 In 4/5 opportunities, Sandy will demonstrate a reading
rate of 45 wpm on a second grade Read Naturally
passage.
 Sandy will independently read 50 CVC words and 25
CVCE words.
Other Tips for Making It Measurable
 Don’t confuse strategies and goals
 Tell us what the student will demonstrate not how
 Specify what the performance level will be
 Can be age level, grade level, or other standard
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District standards or curriculum
Known scope and sequence materials
Testing materials – standard scores
 Say what part of performance you intend to measure
 80% of all opportunities?
 80% of any 15 minute observation?
Other Considerations
 How does the need relate to the disability?
 What does the Team want the student to know or be
able to do in 12 months?
 Why can’t she or he do it now?
 What will I see the student doing when he/she reaches
this goal?
 What is developmentally typical for all students at this
grade level?
Nonparticipation Justification; Schedule
Modification; Transportation
 If services take place outside of the classroom, Yes
must be checked with a statement as to why and
specific to which areas.
 Any schedule modifications determined to be
necessary by the Team must be noted.
 This includes Extend Year Services (EYS)…previously
know as summer school or summer services!
Nonparticipation Justification; Schedule
Modification; Transportation (cont.)
 EYS:
 Substantial regression of skills
 Measurement: 1 week = 3 weeks
 Disability related
 Data collection based
 Special transportation includes the need for
specialized equipment, monitor, etc.
Additional Information
Only for issues not previously addressed and may
include:
 Plans for follow up meetings
 Health issues (not medication)
 Student ability to follow discipline code
 Plans for 688 referral (high school)
 Discussion of transfer of rights at age of majority
Transition Planning Form (TPF)
 Part of the student’s IEP for the year in which they will
turn 14; student input is crucial
 Vision statement is key – drives the Action Plan
 Action Plan include all three areas:
 Instruction – what steps are needed to prepare the student for Post
Secondary Education (PSE) options?
 Employment – what steps/experiences are need to prepare the
student for employment?
 Community Experiences – what steps/experiences are needed to
prepare the student to live independently within a community?