The physical attributes and learning abilities of some children differ from the norm (either above or below) to such an extent that an individualized program of adapted, specialized education is required to meet their needs. This individualized education
program (IEP) identifies measurable goals and short-term objectives, modifications, and adaptations for instruction, and any services and supplemental aids needed to support a student's education. An IEP must be written for every student in special education.
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Provides concise guidelines for educational planning
Supports placement in a general education classroom
Explains the extent, if any, of placement outside a general
 education classroom
Sets up outcome-oriented goals
 Requires an annual review
 Ensures continuity in an individual student's education
 Serve as a daily lesson plan
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Exclude a student from participation
Monitor the effectiveness of teachers
Act as a report card (although any formal progress report should comment on progress toward IEP goals and benchmarks)
Once a multidisciplinary evaluation team identifies a student who needs special education services, it is their task to create an
Individual Education Plan for that student. Members of the multidisciplinary evaluation team are supposed to be identical to

the members of the IEP team. This duplicity is ordered by IDEA to guarantee an integral link between evaluation data and the educational program and placement decisions.
Members of the IEP team include: :
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The student, when appropriate, especially if age 14 or older
Parent(s)
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The general education teacher
Special education teacher(s)
 An individual who can interpret the evaluation results
 into instructional implications
Related service providers, such as a speech and language specialist, a physical therapist, the school psychologist, the family doctor, and so on
An administrator (often the principle) who can vouch for the availability of resources.
The goals of the IEP team should include the following:
Goal #1 – Develop a common understanding of the student's strengths, interests, and needs.
Goal #2 – Share information and observations of the student's behavior and learning in a variety of settings.
Goal #3 – Understand academic and nonacademic priorities for the individual student.
Goal #4 – Plan measurable long-term goals and benchmarks or short-term objectives specific to the educational benefit of the individual student.
Goal #5 – Develop a plan to initiate services, reach the goals and objectives across curriculum, and assess progress.

According to IDEA, the following seven components make up an
IEP. These components together make up a system that spells out where the child is, where she should be going, how she will get there, how long it will take, how to tell when she has arrived, and what the measure of accountability is:
1.
A statement of the student's present level of
performance, including how the student's disability affects the student's involvement and progress in the general curriculum.
2.
A statement of measurable goals and benchmarks or
short-term objectives related to meeting the student's academic and nonacademic needs that result from the student's disability.
3.
A statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services to be provided to the student, or on behalf of the student, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided so that the student can
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Advance toward appropriate annual goals;
Be involved and progress in the general curriculum and participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities; and
 Be educated and participate with other students with disabilities and with students who do not have disabilities in general education.
4.
An explanation of the extent, if any, to which the student will not participate with nondisabled students in the regular classroom, extracurricular activities, and other nonacademic activities of the general curriculum.
5.
A statement of the individual modifications in the
administration of state or district-wide assessments of student achievement so that the student can participate in these assessments or an explanation of why the student cannot participate in any state- or district-wide assessment, or in any specific part of that assessment.

6.
A statement that indicates the anticipated frequency, location, and duration of any services and when
program modifications will begin.
7.
A statement of how the student's progress toward the
annual goals will be measured and how the student's parents will be informed about the student's progress, including if that progress will enable the student to achieve the goals by the end of the year. http://specialed.about.com/od/iep/
About.com offers a list of web links related to writing IEPs. http://www.iepengine.com/
Individual Education Plan Engine provides computerized services that teachers can, for a nominal fee, use to create IEPs. http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html
The U.S. Department of Education provides this guide to the
Individualized Education Program. http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.index.htm
Wrightslaw’s page on IEPs contains links to articles, books, and free publications.
One of your students, John, has the use of a communications board. He does very well in class with it, and it has opened up a new world for him. It is mounted on his powered wheelchair. He only lives a couple of blocks from the school, so he insists on going home under his own power so he can spend more time with his friends. The problem is that the combination of playing with his friends on the way to and from school and the poor condition of the sidewalks is tearing the equipment up and is costing the school district dearly in maintenance costs for the board and the backup board that is loaned to him during maintenance is beginning to suffer the same fate. At this rate, he soon will have no communications board at all. How do we solve this dilemma? Look at the options below and consider how to come up with an alternative solution.

This activity contains 3 questions.
To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.
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Margaret is a bright fifth-grade student with cerebral palsy, the most prevalent physical disability in school-age children.
Margaret’s umbilical cord was wrapped around her neck for some time while Margaret’s mother was in labor. At first, she seemed to be progressing well, but when Margaret was a baby her parents, Johnathan and Christie, noticed that Margaret seemed to be having difficulty with her motor abilities. She did not crawl around the same age as her older brother Michael had. When
Margaret was two years old she was diagnosed wth cerebral palsy and started receiving special education services after her family and professionals developed an Individual Family Service
Plan.
Margaret’s cerebral palsy is of the hypotonic, double hemiplegic type. This means that Margaret’s impairments primarily involve her arms. She has weak upper body muscles and experiences moments of spasticity. When Margaret entered her public school

system an IEP was developed for her. Margaret receives occupational therapy and adapted physical education services.
Margaret’s cerebral palsy has not affected her intelligence at all.
In fact, Christie, an English professor, taught Margaret to read by age three. Now, as a fifth-grade student, Margaret has a tenthgrade reading level and is expressing interest in someday becoming an author herself. Margaret’s disability, however, makes it hard for her to manually write; it is very tiring for her to use a pen or a pencil. Margaret can type on a computer, but this also takes a long time for her to do and wears her out. She told her mom, “My brain can go much faster than my hands can.”
Margaret is also interested in computers and technology. One afternoon, while surfing the Internet, she came across a company that sells digital text-to-speech converters, Dragon
Systems ( http://www.speechtechnology.com/dragon/ ). The next day she asked her teacher, Ms. Sims, if the school could purchase the software for her. Ms. Sims told Margaret that purchasing the technology was not in the school’s budget, and that it would be unfair to make her responsible for learning and managing the equipment. “What if it breaks? I have too much to do as it is with 38 students in this class. I don’t have time to be a technowizard!”
Margaret came home that evening and told her mom about what had happened. Christie responded by ordering the software off the internet. It was the end of the semester at her college and she felt she did not have time to force the issue of technology at the school.
After you've read the case, answer the following questions
This activity contains 3 questions.

To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.
To create paragraphs in your essay response, type <p> at the beginning of the paragraph, and </p> at the end.

The strategies associated with high tech are a bit more sophisticated and should be addressed on a case-by-case basis.
The weblinks below will assist you in that process: http://www.ldonline.org/ld_indepth/self_esteem/helplessness.ht
ml
LD Online site that discusses learned helplessness and ways to prevent and handle students who demonstrate its characteristics. http://www.mdtap.org/tt/1996.09
The Maryland Technology Assistance Program provides curriculum ideas that incorporate assistive technology. http://www.landmarkcollege.org/institute/assistive_technology/r eading_strategies.html
This site provides suggestions on how to best use text reading assistive technology devices in your classroom. http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/learning/student s/disabilities/practice/strategies/atstrategies.html
This site offers a list of articles on support strategies for students u
Technology in the classroom can serve the needs of all students:
 The use of software such as speech activated writing programs can assist all students, not just the one with writing problems.
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Spell check in word processing is a tool that can also be used for all students, not just the one with spelling problems.

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The use of assistive technology can be a modification of seating, or moving books or equipment to make it more accessible. This often just requires common sense and not
 a high cost or high tech solution.
Organizational programs to assist students in scheduling and tracking their activities can do much to assist a child in self-management.
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A good fit or positioning can do much to eliminate or minimize fatigue, thus allowing a student to concentrate on tasks for longer periods of time.
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Low-tech devices such as book holders and page turners can do much to assist a student in concentrating on the task at hand instead of the physical activity associated with reading.
 Highlighting can make the important content stand out for
 students.
Smooth writing pens and cushioned grips on pens and pencils can make the task of writing easier and enable students to write for longer periods of time without fatigue.
All of the above mentioned strategies are low cost and generic. sing assistive technology.
http://www.netac.rit.edu/publication/tipsheet/AVequip.html
Methods and suggestions for using AT for students with hearing impairments. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&d b=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=98116190
Methods for using assistive technology so that all students can participate in cooperative learning opportunities. http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech086.shtml
Examples of how assistive technology can be used in the classroom.

http://www.tash.org/resolutions/res02faccom.htm
TASH resolution on Facilitated Communication http://wps.prenhall.com/wps/media/objects/2357/2414567/Volu me_medialib/Featured_Teacher/Chap12/aac.pdf
A PDF on Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Programs
MANAGEMENT PROBLEM: LOW FRUSTRATION TOLERANCE
TEACHER'S CONCERN: How can teachers successfully challenge their students but still remain within the limits of their frustration range?
WORKABLE OPTIONS:
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Provide many different opportunities for students to cope with gradual doses of mild frustration and increased difficulty.
2.
Plan activities that ensure more success than failure for students (e.g., independent projects of their own choosing).
3.
Respond to the student's frustration by reducing or changing performance demands (e.g., reinforce partially correct responses, shorten assignments, etc.).
4.
Organize complex tasks into separate parts, and then present the material in a logical sequential order for completion.
5.
Make every effort to give positive feedback to students who have successfully completed their assignments.

6.
Personalize academic instruction for those students who need additional help in alleviating some of their frustrations.
7.
Try to anticipate when the student will become frustrated, and then change the activity accordingly.
8.
Allow the student to work at his/her own pace.
9.
Help the student to develop a positive self-image.
10.
Refer the student to the appropriate school personnel if the problem persists.