Standard Based IEP’s/MCA-M
Overview
Why Standards Based IEPs?
 Eligibility for MCA-M
 MCA-M Decision Making
 PLAAFP
 Standards
 Goals
 Objectives

Why Standards Based IEP’s
Required for students taking MCA-M
beginning 2010-2011
 Best Practice for all IEPs

MCA-M is…

An alternate assessment based on modified
achievement standards.
 Designed to provide increased access to
grade-level assessment tasks
 Intended for students for whom the MCA-2 or
MTAS is inappropriate
 Has fewer response options than the MCA
and structure is simplified but still meet the
benchmarks
MCA-M Eligibility
Students who were non-proficient in
reading and/or math in two previous
tests
 Students who met or exceeded MTAS
standards
 State will provide list of eligible students
 Requires a Standards Based IEP before
Spring 2012 testing

What if my student took the MCA-M?

Once a student is eligible for the MCA-M,
they remain eligible for the MCA-M
 IEP team makes decision whether to continue
with the MCA-M or move to the MCA or the
MTAS
Accessing Student Test Data with Campus
Accessing Student Test Data with Viewpoint
ELA and MATH Standards
Use Current 2007 Minnesota Math
 2003 ELA Standards (phased out after
this year) …or
 Common State ELA Standards phased
in for 2012-2013
 Secondary may refer to Power
Standards

PLAAFP
Present Level

Purposes:
-To provide a summary of baseline information that
indicates the student’s academic achievement
-To identify strengths and weaknesses and to provide
an explanation of how the disability affects the
student’s involvement/progress in the general
curriculum and their ability to meet grade level
standards
-To identify student’s needs
Present Level

Characteristics
- Standards based - addresses the general education
curriculum
- Data driven- includes formal and informal data (MCA
strand data, MAP, etc.)
- Understandable - uses clear, easily understood language
that provides a snapshot of the student’s needs and strengths
- Measurable- written in terms that are observable, specific,
and based on evidence
Present Level
Student based needs

Prioritize in relation to how they affect
involvement and progress in the general
education curriculum

Ask….
“What prerequisite skills/knowledge does the student
need to close the gap between his/her present level
and the grade-level content standards?”
Present Level
DO NOT use the student’s exceptionality to explain
how the disability affects involvement/progress in the
general curriculum.
-Example of what NOT to write:
Marcus’ learning disability affects his progress in
the general curriculum.
-Example of what to write:
Marcus’s weakness in applying strategies, such as
making inferences and making complex
predictions, affect his progress in comprehending
sixth-grade literary materials.
Present Level

Remember……
The present level of academic
achievement and functional
performance sets the stage for
developing IEP goals.
Annual Goals

Annual goals are related to needs summarized in
the PLAAFP that directly affect involvement and
progress in the grade level general education
curriculum
*For transition age student, annual goals should link up
with post-secondary goals (dream goals) and, in high
school, the student’s four year course of study.
*Need to teach a specific skill.
Developing Annual Goals

If a large number of needs are identified in the
present level, the IEP team must consider how each
need impacts the student’s progress in the general
education curriculum.

Select the need that has the greatest impact on
progress, and develop a goal to address that need.

May write goals based on state standards or
benchmarks
Objectives

When objectives are written, they must
contain the following:
– Content to be learned or skills to be
performed
– Intermediate steps or targeted sub-skills
related to accomplishing the Measurable
Annual Goal
Adding Accommodations

What strategies, accommodations,
and/or assistive technology can be
successfully implemented in this
student’s educational programming?
Adding MCA-M to Easy IEP
MCA-M testing statement
Resources for Standards
•http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/Academic_Excellence/Academic_Standards/index.html
•http://thecenter.spps.org/
•Versions will also be sent via email as a .pdf
•Hard copies of the Standards are available from your SERC