Students with IEPs and the
One-to-One Aide
Office of Special Programs
West Virginia Department of Education
Professional Development Workshop
February 2013
Today’s Reality
 Increasing numbers of students with high-intensity
needs (i.e., students with autism spectrum disorders,
emotional/behavioral disorders, and multiple
disabilities)
 Increasing responsibilities of general education
teachers with little or no support in the general
education environment
 Districts hiring aides in lieu of professional staff
 Limited resources available to serve students in
general education classrooms
 Lack of availability of the continuum of service delivery
options
 Parent requests for 1:1 aides
Who Needs What?
 Some students need individual assistance for all
or part of the day for academic, behavioral,
social-emotional or physical support
 General education teachers need support and
assistance to implement specially designed
instruction for some students
 Parents need to be assured their children are
safe in the school environment and are making
progress toward IEP goals and objectives
 All students need to become independent
learners
However . . .
for some students, individual support is
critical for their educational progress!
Entitlements to
Students with Disabilities
Each student’s IEP must describe the special education and
related services, supplementary aids and services, and
program modifications or supports for school personnel
that will be provided to or on behalf of the student to
enable the student to:
– advance appropriately toward attaining the annual goals;
– be involved in and make progress in the general education
curriculum;
– have an equitable opportunity to participate in extracurricular
and other nonacademic activities; and
– be educated and participate with other students with and
without disabilities in the least restrictive environment (LRE).
Legal Requirements
 Students with IEPs are entitled to all services that are required
for access to the general education curriculum and to receive
educational benefit
 IEP Teams must consider current data and document the
student’s relevant academic, behavioral, developmental, or
functional needs in the present levels of performance
 IEP Teams must consider the supplementary aids, services and
supports required to meet the student’s identified needs prior to
removing a student from the general education environment
 The district must determine and provide the staff required to
implement the services designated on the IEP
Aides should never be assigned to students based
on a particular category of exceptionality
Benefits of One-to-One
Support Personnel
 May assist in the provision of special education and
related services under the supervision of a qualified
teacher or a related service provider
 May provide supervision for small group instruction
 May implement positive behavior interventions,
supports and strategies
 May facilitate social interaction between peers with
and without disabilities
Effects on Student Independence
Aides maintain too close proximity with student
• physical contact
• sitting immediately next to student
• accompanying students everywhere
Such proximity of aides can be detrimental
• students learns to rely on the aide
• minimizes the frequency and types of peer
interactions
• decreases student’s opportunity to become an
independent learner
Giangreco, Edelman, Luiselli, & McFarland, 1997; Marks, Shrader & Levine, 1999
Effects on the Teacher’s Role
 Experienced, skilled teachers defer important curricular,
instructional and management decisions to the aide
 Curriculum modification and adaptation may be left up to
the aide
 The aide may be viewed as the “expert” in understanding
the student’s needs
 Responsibility for the student’s educational progress
transfers to the aide
Marks, Shrader, & Levine, 1999; Giangreco, Broer, & Edelman, 2001
Effects on Students’
Social/Emotional Development
 Aides may separate the student from his/her
classmates
 Hovering aides interfere with natural peer supports
 Aide’s interaction with the student may interfere
with the general education students’ attention and
concentration
 Students may feel a loss of privacy
Giangreco, Edelman, Luiselli, & McFarland, 1999
Effects on Student
Academic Performance
 Aides may do too much for the student
 Aides are often unfamiliar with student’s IEP
 Aides perceive their jobs as helping the student to not
be a “problem” for the teacher
 Aides may have little or no planning time with the
teacher
 Aides often lack the training and expertise to make the
necessary curricular modifications or provide the
specially designed instruction
 Aides may lack skills required to fade prompts
Marks, Shrader, & Levine, 1999
Effects on the
Parent/Teacher Relationship
 Parent may approach the aide for ongoing information
 Parent may rely on the aide to make educational
suggestions and decisions
 Teacher may rely on the aide to communicate with the
parent, sometimes in writing or by phone
 Aide may view his/her job as dependent on parent
support
 Parent may communicate with the aide rather than the
teacher
Giangreco, Edelman, Luiselli, & McFarland, 1997; Marks, Shrader & Levine, 1999
Responsibilities of the
IEP Team
 Convene an IEP Team to consider a parent’s request for a 1:1
Aide
 Review student’s current IEP and behavior intervention plan
(BIP)
 Ensure the implementation of the instructional/behavioral
strategies with fidelity prior to considering if additional
assistance is needed
 Focus on the needs of the student to develop independence
 First consider supplementary aids and supports in the general
education environment
 Provide prior written notice (PWN) of the team’s final decisions
Responsibilities of the District
 Design and implement a consistent process or set of procedures
to determine student need for one-to-one assistance and
support
 Utilize current data related to progress toward goals and BIP to
make decisions
 Secure parent permission and conduct additional evaluations,
including observations and interviews, if needed
 Review existing services and supports, student’s successes and
difficulties & skills needed to increase independence.
 Consider alternatives to 1:1 aide support (e.g., peers, other
personnel within the building, changes to student or teacher
schedule, etc.)
 Provide appropriate training, support and supervision
Plan to Fade
One-on-One Support
 Set student goals toward independence
 Train all staff on consistent implementation of student’s
IEP and data collection
 Prioritize data collection and consistently review
student progress
 Train and involve peers to provide natural supports
 Start fading assistance as soon as independence
increases
 Communicate frequently with parents
Documenting the Service on the IEP
Section A:
Supplementary Aids,
Services/Program
Modifications
Location of
Services
Extent/
Frequency
Initiation
Date
Duration
Direct Adult
Supervision
(Medicaid Eligible)
All school
environments
Daily
October 26, October
2012
2013
Continuous One to
One Supervision
(Medicaid Eligible)
All school
environments
Daily
October 26, October
2012
2013
Adult Supervision
(Non-Medicaid)
Cafeteria,
recess,
transition to
classes
Daily for
behavioral
support
October 26, October
2012
2013
Success will occur when the student
can function independently~
Contact Information
West Virginia Department of Education
Office of Special Programs
304.558.2696
Lorraine Ciambotti Elswick
lciambot@access.k12.wv.us