COMPONENTS OF STANDARDS BASED IEPS
IN Q AND A FORMAT
1.
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
f)
The Standards-Based IEP is:
A guide for instruction
Documentation of authorized services
The basis for monitoring progress
A compliance/monitoring document
All of the above
None of the above
The SB-IEP serves as a guide for instruction by stating the student’s
present levels of performance, instructional goals, and necessary
support services. It functions as an evaluation device in determining the
student’s progress toward projected outcomes. The SB-IEP is also used
by monitoring personnel to determine whether an eligible student is
actually receiving the free, appropriate, public education agreed to by
the parents and by the school.
2. All CSO skills that fall between a student’s current level of performance
and grade level expectations must be taught before the student can
successfully perform with grade level peers. FALSE
Skills and processes defined in the CSOs are not equally essential.
Careful analysis of assessment data allows teachers to prioritize skills to
address present levels of performance, to develop appropriate goals and
to avoid direct teaching of every CSO that falls on the continuum
between the student’s current level of performance and his or her
present grade level.
3. Present levels of academic achievement and functional performance must
be stated in objective, measurable terms. True
Although the content of present levels of performance statements are
different for each student, each statement must:

Be written in objective, measurable terms and easy-to-understand nontechnical language;
 Establish a basis for the other components of the SB-IEP, including
annual goals, and, if applicable, benchmarks/objectives and special
education services for students who participate in the West Virginia
Alternate Performance Task Assessment (APTA);
 Provide a starting point for goal development; and
 Articulate the gaps between the student’s grade level expectations
(CSOs) and his or her demonstrated performance.
4. The IEP team should copy objectives from the CSOs and paste them into
the SB-IEP. FALSE
Goals must relate specifically to needs identified in the present levels of
performance. Goal setting involves strategic consideration to determine
the critical competencies that will contribute the most to the student’s
success during the current year and beyond.
5. When planning the goals of a SB-IEP, the team looks first at the CSOs for
the grade level in which the student is assigned. TRUE
Grade level CSOs must be seen as the target. Goals must be developed
that connect all students to concepts and skills represented in their
grade level standards. Each student, by law, has the right to a
customized collection of support services and accommodations that will
be the means by which the student gains access to grade level CSOs.
6. State assessment data are more important than classroom data in
determining a student’s acquisition of grade level standards and objectives.
FALSE
On-going progress monitoring is essential. An array of assessment tools
like end-of-unit tests, informal and systematic questioning of the
student, teacher observation, and other curriculum-based measures are
all important means of determining if a student is acquiring the skills
and processes necessary for student success. Frequent monitoring
allows teachers to adjust how students are instructed which increases
the effectiveness of instructional time.
7. Formal and informal assessment data can reveal critical strengths and
weaknesses for shaping goals and instruction. TRUE
Careful, detailed analysis of an individual student’s responses is a part
of goal development. It can serve as a filter, revealing more exactly
what is known and what still needs to be known thereby defining more
explicit instruction.
8. Having an identified learning disability allows a SB-IEP to include
goals related to reading language arts or mathematics or both. True
A learning disability is defined as a disorder in one or more of the basic
psychological processes involved in understanding or in using language,
spoken or written, that may manifest itself in the imperfect ability to
listen, think, read, write, spell, or to do mathematical calculations.
While a learning disability may manifest itself primarily in one or
more particular content areas (i.e., reading, mathematics, writing) it
should not be viewed as a disorder related to an isolated academic
area. A learning disability is broadly and fundamentally
characterized by overall difficulty in learning or learning differently.
9. Accommodations and modifications are found in what section of the
SB-IEP:
a)
b)
c)
d)
e)
Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional
Performance (Section IV)
Goals and objectives (Section V)
Statewide Testing (Section VII)
Services (Section VI)
All of the above
Self explanatory
10. The content of a SB-IEP drives specially designed instruction in the
general education environment. TRUE
A student receiving special education service is to be educated with
age-appropriate non-exceptional peers to the maximum extent
appropriate based on the SB-IEP. The LRE decision focuses on with
whom the student is educated rather than where the student is
educated. Special classes, separate schooling and other types of
removal of a student with a disability from the general education
environment may occur only when the nature or severity of the
disability is such that education in the general education environment,
even with the use of supplementary aids and services, cannot be
achieved satisfactorily.
11. SB-IEP goals for explicit instruction in reading and mathematics are
not required for high school students. FALSE
All students with exceptionalities must acquire the foundational and
critical thinking skills in reading language arts and math. Explicit
instruction in these content areas is even more critical for high school
students who have not mastered these foundational skills.
12. Designing or modifying instructional materials and monitoring
behavior management plans are examples of indirect instruction. True
Indirect services include consultative services to individuals
responsible for the provision of services described in the SB-IEP to
directly benefit the student. These services include but are not limited
to, selecting or designing materials and/or activities, monitoring
behavior management plans or evaluating progress.
13. The general educator’s role in development, revision and
implementation of the SB-IEP is to consider and contribute to:
a)
the student’s involvement and progress in the general education
curriculum
b)
appropriate positive behavioral interventions and strategies
c)
the supplementary aids, services, program modifications and
supports for school personnel
d)
All of the above
e)
None of the above
The general educator’s participation in all these aspects of providing
appropriate and effective instruction to students with SB-IEPs is
crucial for keeping performance connected to the context that is
prescribed by law.
14. Direct, objective and frequent measurement of student performance is
one of the hallmarks of special education. TRUE
Present levels of performance, measurable annual goals, and
articulated services defined by SB-IEPs all support the use of ongoing
formative assessment which is a key for maximizing student learning.
15. Annual goals must be observable and measurable and be directly
linked to the present levels of performance. True
Academic and functional annual goals must be measurable and
related to the student’s needs described in the present levels of
performance statements. They are to describe what a student is
reasonably expected to accomplish as a result of special education
services within the time period covered by the SB-IEP, generally one
year.
16. Only information from eligibility evaluations can be used to
determine present levels of performance. False
Information from eligibility evaluations is one aspect of present levels
of performance. Careful analysis of all sources of summative and
formative assessment further articulates the gaps between a student’s
grade level expectations (CSOs) and his or her demonstrated
performance and makes appropriate instructional decisions more
visible.
17. The present levels of performance must address what
accommodations a student needs to be successful with standards and
objectives that his or her grade level peers are pursuing. TRUE
Present levels of performance based on a full spectrum of data are
expected to reveal the specific challenges a student encounters in his
or her grade level setting which will point to the accommodations
required for success. Identification of aspects of the CSOs that the
student has attained can also provide direction in the selection of
appropriate accommodations.
18. Assistive technology (AT) allows students to participate fully in
instruction guided by the CSOs. The need for AT is determined by:
a)
District Administrator
b)
The IEP team
c)
Parent(s)
d)
Student Assistance Team
e)
The speech language pathologist
In developing each student’s SB-IEP, the IEP Team must consider
whether the child needs assistive technology devices and/or
services. If AT is determined to be warranted by the IEP Team
and stated in a student’s SB-IEP, then the district is responsible
for providing AT devices and services. On a case-by-case basis the
IEP Team must determine the need for AT devices in a student’s
home or in other settings if needed to receive FAPE.
20. The Acuity benchmark monitoring system cannot be used to measure
progress of students with SB-IEPs. FALSE
Acuity is a valuable means of monitoring progress relative to grade
level CSOs. The reporting functions of this assessment tool allow
teachers to readily see and analyze performance at the individual
student level by CSO and even at the level of specific questions.
21. SB-IEP goals based on CSOs can be pursued through activities in
ThinkFinity, Riverdeep, Odyssey, SAS and techSTEPS. TRUE
Teach 21 website enables educators to quickly access grade level 21st
Century Content Standards, Learning Skills and Technology Tools.
The Interactive CSOs allow special educators to search key concepts
and skills and how they spiral throughout the grades. This visual
representation, along with individual student data, allows the IEP
team to examine how instructional expectations begin, develop and
expand from one grade level to the next. This is the basis for
determining the nature and extent of the specially designed
instruction to be provided.
Teach 21 Strategy Bank contains the research-based strategies that
special educators can use to: 1) address the diverse learning needs of
their students in both general and special education classes; 2)
develop conditions for annual goals; and 3) identify the
accommodations, supports and scaffolds needed for their students to
be successful in general education classes despite their
exceptionalities.
22. The SB-IEP for a student taking the APTA contains goals/objectives
based on the Extended Standards. TRUE
For students taking the West Virginia APTA, which is aligned to the
alternate standards, i.e., extended standards; each goal must have at
least two benchmarks/objectives. Benchmarks/objectives must include
a statement of how far the student is expected to progress toward the
annual goal and by what date.
23. The general educator can coordinate the instruction of a student with
a SB- IEP without knowledge of the SB-IEP goals because he or she
usually has had a lot of students with SB-IEPs in the classroom. FALSE
The general educator’s experience and perspective are important to
planning and implementing SB-IEPs but not sufficient. Instruction
for every special education student must be designed and delivered to
provide specific, individualized bridges between present levels of
performance and grade level expectations.
24. Parents must:
a) Be an equal member at the IEP meeting
b) Be provided an opportunity to contribute information
c) Be provided a copy of the SB-IEP at the end of the meeting
d) A & B only
e) None of the above
f) All of the above
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA)
as well as West Virginia’s Policy 2419 require the parents of a student
with an exceptionality to be a member to the student’s IEP team. The
IEP Team, the parent and district personnel operate as equal
participants making joint, informed decisions regarding the student’s
special education services. Additionally, both IDEA and Policy 2419
require that a copy of the SB-IEP must be provided to the parent of
the student.
25. Special education students should not be told how they are
progressing toward achievement of grade level standards and objectives.
FALSE
All students must have feedback about their performance. They need
to frequently see how much they have moved towards their goals,
relative to high expectations, and they need repeated and specific
definition of their targets. Feedback can be used to increase a
student’s investment in his or her own learning.
26. Special education instruction addressing a SB- IEP goal can only be
delivered in a special education classroom. False
The special education classroom is not the only place instruction
addressing a SB-IEP goal can occur. SB-IEP instruction is a shared
responsibility between the special educator and the general educator.
An eligible student must be educated with general education students
in the general education classroom to the maximum extent
appropriate. This requirement is known as the LRE. An appropriate
LRE is one that enables the student to make reasonable gains toward
goals identified in a SB-IEP. The SB-IEP must explain the extent, if
any, to which the student will not participate in the general education
classroom, the general education curriculum, and extracurricular or
other nonacademic activities. Data regarding LRE placements is
collected from the district by the WVDE and becomes public
information.
27. Frequent formative assessment of student progress is conducted by
both the general and special educator. TRUE
Both the general and the special educator must frequently obtain
measures of formative assessment. Assessment data will be enriched
and more reliable if it is collected by multiple means and by multiple
personnel.
28. The Teach 21 website is of minimal use to a special educator
preparing a SB-IEP. FALSE
SB-IEPs need to focus on identifying the most critical gaps in a
student’s knowledge and understanding relative to grade level
CSOs. Special Educators can use the Interactive CSO search filters
on the Teach 21 website to help them determine the relative value of
specific skills and concepts exposed by assessment data to be areas
of need. This tool collects and reveals all the grades and subjects in
which key concepts and skills are represented.
29. The use of supplementary aids, services/program accommodations
must be considered prior to removing a student from the general
education environment. True
The IEP Team must consider the student’s needs and the services
available to meet those needs beginning with the consideration of the
general education setting. Removal from the general education
environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the
exceptionality is such that education in general classes and other
settings with general education students cannot be achieved
satisfactorily even with the use of supplementary aids and services.
30. Statements of present level of performance and must document a
comprehensive view of the student’s academic career to date. False
Present levels of performance must be written in non-technical
terms and sufficient enough to provide a starting point for goal
development. They must articulate the gaps between the student’s
grade level expectations (CSOs) and his or her demonstrated
performance.
31. The IEP team considers critical competencies represented within and
across the CSOs in order to give all students access to grade level content
standards. TRUE
IEP teams must know the skills and concepts that are embedded in
critical competencies as they develop up through the grades and
across content areas. For example, process skills like comparing
and contrasting and drawing conclusions inherently have higher
priority and underlie success in more than one CSO. It is this
knowledge that allows IEP teams to prioritize and customize
instruction in ways that can accelerate learning for students with
special needs.
32. Special education typically involves unique or adapted teaching
procedures. TRUE
Specially designed instruction is research based, individualized,
intensive, explicit, purposeful, relentless and urgent. It can include
instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in hospitals
and institutions, as well as in other settings. Speech-language
pathology services, vocational education and travel training are
also examples of specially designed instruction that must be
provided, at no cost to the parents, if they meet the needs of a
student with exceptionality.
33. Tier III of the RTI framework relates directly to the placement
(LRE) decision of an IEP team. FALSE
The intensity of services at Tier III may be provided to a noneligible student during the RTI process. The (LRE) decision is
made for a student who has an IEP and is coded on the IEP. Tiers
are not analogous to LRE.
34. Reevaluations are not as comprehensive as the initial evaluation.
They are conducted to determine:
a)
The student's current educational needs
b)
Continuation of eligibility
c)
The need for any additions or modifications to the program
d)
A& C only
e)
B only
f)
All of the above
An individual multidisciplinary reevaluation is conducted to
determine a student’s educational needs and continued eligibility
for special education and related services. Changes to the
student’s special education and related services are made if they
are needed to enable the student to meet their measurable annual
SB-IEP goals and to participate, to the extent appropriate, in the
general education curriculum. Reevaluation is to be conducted
every three years or more frequently if the parent or teacher
requests or conditions warrant.
36. If a student is in seventh grade but reading on a third grade level,
the IEP team uses third grade CSOs to develop an appropriate SB-IEP.
FALSE
All students are required access, by law, to the CSOs at their
enrolled grade level. The process of developing a SB-IEP allows
regular and special educators to design instruction that provides
explicit, intensive services customized to provide access to gradelevel content.
CONSTRUCTED RESPONSE ITEMS
1. How is the development of a Standards-Based IEP different from the
development of a non-Standards-Based IEP?
2. What professional development would be most useful to you for writing
Standards-Based IEPs?