Best Practices in IEP
writing
September 26, 2012
Overview
• Future district Wednesday trainings will be held on IEPs
• Work with liaisons to identify additional PD needs
• As you are writing IEP’s please try to avoid education jargon
and acronyms
• Please avoid identification of specific curricula
Agenda for today
• Timeline
• Present levels
• Goals and objectives
Timeline
• 60 calendar days to complete initial evaluation begins when
informed written consent is received from parents *
• If student is found eligible for services you have an additional thirty
days to develop the IEP.
• Best practice for triennials- An attempt of three documented ways
to obtain informed written consent from parents. If no response is
received you can conduct an evaluation and hold the meeting
without parental consent. If we do not receive parental consent we
need to send a “Prior Written Notice of Special Education Action”
outlining our proposal to evaluate to determine ongoing eligibility.
Consent for a triennial can be obtained anytime in the current
academic year. *
Timeline
• Notice of Meeting must be received by parents no less than 10 days
prior to the scheduled meeting. The notice must include all
participants in the meeting. Draft IEPs should be sent with Notice of
Meeting. (Both parents unless parental rights have been terminated
are entitled to participate and receive all documents) *
• For extenuating circumstances (such as parent request) a meeting
can be held with less than 10 days notice as long as parent gives
written consent. You can write a statement at the bottom of the
Notice of Meeting paperwork and have the parents sign the
statement.
• If parents bring additional people we must have a signed release
allowing that participant access to the child’s educational records
(FERPA). The form is in infinite campus titled “Release of
Confidential Information”. *
Present levels
• Student Strengths, Preferences, Interests: What are the student’s
educational/developmental strengths, interest areas, significant
personal attributes and personal accomplishments?
• What does the teacher/staff see as a strength?
• What does the student think they can do? What motivates the
student?
• What do the parents report as strengths and interests?
• Present levels of educational performance Summary:
Includes recent evaluation information from all areas
ie: academic, communication, health ,motor, social emotional behavior
• Transition assessment process used to develop post school goals
• Second Semester of 8th grade if they have an IEP during semester
otherwise first semester of 9th grade
Present levels cont…
• Student Needs and Impact of Disability
How does the student’s disability affect his/her involvement and
progress in the general curriculum and participation in appropriate
activities?
• Concerns of parents
• Academic, developmental and functional needs
• Access skills
• Anytime a need is identified it must be addressed by a goal in
the IEP or through accommodations and modifications
Goals
• Goals must be attainable within a year. If progress monitoring
data indicates progress towards goal is not being met, you are
legally obligated to adjust the goal or objectives. This must
happen through an amendment or an IEP meeting.
• It is the expectation that every student has goals and objectives
• Objectives should not be kept the same year to year.
• Amendments must always be sent home to parents and anyone
who has a copy of the IEP, the original needs to be sent to Sue. *
• All goals should have baseline data and state clearly the unit
of measurement.
• Do not leave baseline data blank or write in “new goal”
• If a goal is discontinued or changed this must be reflected in
the meeting notes. *
Next time…..
• Development of SMART goals
• Development of Standards-Based goals
• Service Delivery - tied to LRE options