Writing IEPs to Standards

1. Writing IEPs to Standards Alabama Department of Education Special Education Services July, 2011

2. Reproductions of the slides and/or information from the slides in this PowerPoint related to Writing IEPs to Standards should be credited to: Alabama Department of Education, Special Education Services P.O. Box 302101 Montgomery, AL 36130 speced@alsde.edu 334.242.8114

3. Objectives • Review access to the general education curriculum • Provide an overview of state curriculum guides • Discuss steps in developing standards-based IEPs • Discuss similarities and differences in IEPs based on AL COS Standards and AL Extended Standards

4. Standards-Based Reform Major Elements: Increased Accountability Aligned Assessments Higher Academic Standards

5. Standards-Based Reform in Alabama Higher Academic Standards • Alabama Courses of Study • Alabama Extended Standards Aligned Assessments • Alabama Reading and Math Test (ARMT) • Alabama High School Graduation Exam (ASHGE) • Alabama Alternate Assessment (AAA) Increased Accountability • Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

6. Alabama Courses of Study and Academic Content Standards A course of study is a document that specifies what students should know and be able to do in a particular subject area by the end of each grade level or course.Minimum content for each grade level is delineated in the academic content standards.

7. Alabama’s College and Career Readiness Standards 2013-2014 2012-2013

8. Alabama’s College and Career Readiness Standards Expecting Excellence!

9. Purpose of Standards • Access to the general education curriculum • Access means that all students have opportunities to participate in the knowledge and skills that make up the general education curriculum

10. Access Is Not… Special Education students sitting in a general education classroom doing activities unrelated to the general education curriculum Teachers writing an IEP goal based on content standards but teaching material unrelated to the content standards Teaching the content standards after all other classroom activities have occurred

11. Opportunity to Learn Teachers create opportunities for students to learn grade-level expectations (content standards).

12. Content Standards and Extended Standards IEPs must be based on either content standards or extended standards. Content standards are measured by the ARMT and/or the AHSGE. Extended standards are measured by the AAA.

13. Students Who Are Not Performing at Grade LevelAlabama Curriculum Guides Include objectives that are prerequisite to the standard and/or break the standard down into smaller instructional units Alabama Curriculum Guides

14. Alabama Curriculum Guides To access Alabama Curriculum Guides: www.alex.state.al.us/specialed Click on Curriculum

15. Alabama Curriculum Guides LA 5.2: Use a range of strategies, including drawing conclusions such as opinions about characters based on their actions and summarizing passages, to comprehend fifth-grade literary/recreational materials in a variety of genres. LA5.2.1: Relate character traits from a provided list to characters from a given passage. LA5.2.2: Compare characters in a given passage who have similar character traits. LA5.2.3: Compare characters in a given passage who have contrasting character traits.

16. Alabama Curriculum Guides LA5.2.4: Write a sentence describing characters from a given passage. LA5.2.5: Write sentences retelling key ideas from a given passage. LA5.2.6: Retell a story in a few sentences.

17. Content Standards Legend for IEPs subject grade level content standard objective • Standard R 3. 3 • Use a wide range of strategies, including using context clues and predicting outcomes, to comprehend third-grade literary/recreational materials in a variety of genres. R 3. 3. 2Make and confirm predictions based on information from a story.

18. Developing Standards-Based IEPs The IEP is the cornerstone of access to the general curriculum.

19. Developing Standards-Based IEPs What steps do IEP Teams need to follow to develop effective standards-based IEPs?

20. Step 1: Collect and examine materials for making data-based IEP decisions. • Courses of study and/or curriculum guides • Current assessment data • State assessments • Classroom assessments (curriculum-based) • Eligibility data (if current and related to learning the standards) • Student work samples • Previous year’s IEP • Other information (e.g., grades, discipline referrals, attendance reports)

21. Step 2: Analyze data to develop the student profile. The profile should include general statements regarding: • Strengths • Needs • How the disability affects involvement/progress in the general education curriculum • Assessment/Evaluation • Status of prior IEP goals • Teacher/Parent/Student input • Transition needs (at least by age 16)

22. Student Profile vs. Present Level Similarities • Data-based • Provides a snapshot of the student • Provides a sense of where the student is functioning in regard to specific area • Differences • Profile is overview of where student is functioning in relation to their school experiences • Profile is general picture of the student’s functioning in all areas relevant to the IEP • Present level provides a summary of baseline information that indicates the student’s academic achievement on specific standards or skills.

23. Sample Student Profile Katie is a fifth grade student who is experiencing difficulty achieving grade level academic content standards in all areas. Katie repeated kindergarten and has received supplemental support in reading and math since she was in the second grade. Katie’s scores on achievement tests indicate that she falls in the below-average range in mathematics and reading. Her fourth-grade state assessment results showed math as a relative strength. Katie takes pride in finishing her work and frequently requests more time to complete her assignments. When given an accommodation of additional time, Katie will continue to work until she is told that time is up. As her skills improve, Katie will work to decrease the time it takes for her to complete her assignments. Katie has problems with oral reading fluency and comprehension. She scored in the at risk range on the fifth grade DIBELS Oral Reading Fluency spring benchmark. Katie can read 85-90 words of connected text per minute with 100% accuracy. Her performance is consistent with the expectations for a student at the end of second grade. Katie’s problems with oral reading fluency affect comprehension skills in all academic areas of the general curriculum. She is improving in the areas of reading with expression and in self-correcting when she misses a word. Assessment Evaluation Strengths Needs Impacts performance

24. Sample Student Profile - continued Katie is working on fourth grade academic content standards in math. Results from state and classroom-based assessments (CBAs), indicate that Katie has learned math third-grade content standards with the exception of word problems. Progress monitoring data support the need for additional instruction in solving word problems at the third-and fourth-grade levels. Home and school rating scales reveal significant difficulty in the areas of social interaction and communication skills. Teachers report that Katie is quiet in class and rarely volunteer answers or seeks teacher assistance. She does not often initiate interaction with peers or adults. Katie’s parents state that she does not frequently interact with others in church/community activities, but she likes to play with her younger sister and younger children. Katie loves music and has recently begun to take dance lessons. Her mother hopes that dance will help Katie feel more comfortable with children her age and improve communication skills. Assessment Evaluation Teacher/ Parent/ Student Input

25. Step 3: Use data to summarize the present level. The present level answers the question: What is the student doing now?”

26. Present Level Purposes • To provide a summary of baseline information that indicates the student’s academic achievement • To identify current functional performance • To provide an explanation of how the disability affects the student’s involvement/progress in participating in the general curriculum

27. Present Level Characteristics • Standards centered • Data driven • Understandable • Measureable

28. Present Level Components Strengths Needs How the student’s disability affects performance in the general education curriculum (for preschool children, how the disability affects the child’s participation in age appropriate activities)

29. Present Level Strengths • Student’s response to: • Learning strategies • Accommodations • Interventions • Standards Instruction Ask…What have we learned about this student’s strengths?

30. Present Level Needs Focus on needs that affect 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?

31. Present Level How disability affects performance Consider how the student’s disability affects progress in learning the grade-level content Standards Example: Tasha's limited vocabulary knowledge is affecting her progress in achieving reading standards that include synonyms, antonyms, and multiple-meaning words.

32. 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’ weakness in applying strategies, such as making inferences and making complex predictions, affect his progress in comprehending sixth-grade literary materials.

33. Sample Present Level Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance Results from classroom assessments show that Katie is experiencing difficulty solving math word problems (M 4.6) that involve addition and subtraction of four-digit numbers. She averages one of four word problems correct on weekly grade five classroom assessments. Katie can solve simple word problems involving single-digit numbers (M 3.2.2) and, when given additional time, can solve addition and subtraction problems (with the exception of word problems) involving two and three-digit numbers with and without regrouping (M 4.6.4) Katie’s difficulties with reading passages containing complex sentences and her lack of reading fluency negatively affect her progress in solving word problems within time limits specified for fifth-grade classroom assessments. Standards-Based Includes Assessments Includes Strengths and Weaknesses How Disability Impacts Learning

34. Present Level Remember…The present level of academic achievement and functional performance sets the stage for developing IEP goals!

35. Step 4: Write Annual Goals. Purpose • To describe what a student can reasonably expect to accomplish in one school year • Annual Goals answer the question “What should the student be doing?”

36. Selecting the Content Standards Consider content standards • Look at all grade-level content standards • Discuss intent of standard • Determine which standards are most important for each student (based on progress in the general education curriculum) • Compare standard(s) with student’s areas of needs and the impact of the disability • Use data to determine the areas the student will find difficult without additional supports

37. Annual Goals Annual goals are related to needs resulting from the student’s disability that directly affect involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. • For preschool children, as appropriate, to participate in age-appropriate activities

38. Annual Goals If a large number of needs are identified in the present level, the IEP Team must consider how each need impacts the students’ progress in the general education curriculum. Select the need that has the greatest impact on progress, and develop a goal to address that need.

39. Annual Goals • Academic goals are based on: • Alabama content standards listed in the Alabama COS or • Alabama Extended Standards (for students with significant cognitive disabilities)

40. Annual Goals • Five Components • Who • Time frame • Conditions • Behavior • Criterion

41. Annual Goals Measurable annual goals must include the following: The student …(WHO) Will do what …(BEHAVIOR) To what level or degree…(CRITERION) Under what conditions…(CONDITIONS) In what length of time…(TIMEFRAME)

42. Example of Annual Goal with Five Components Jacob will read 90-110 words of connected text per minute with 100% accuracy at the end of 36 weeks. The student (Jacob) Will do what (read 90-110 words per minute) To what level or degree (100% accuracy) Under what conditions (connected text) In what time frame (end of 36 weeks)

43. Annual Goals Remember…! • The IEP goal is NOT the content standard. • The IEP goal is part of a plan to make the content standard immediate and individualized for the student. • Do not copy the content standard word for word to become an IEP goal.

44. Incorrect Standards-Based IEP Annual Goal 7th Grade Content Standard Apply strategies appropriate to the type of reading material, including setting purposes for reading and making generalizations, to comprehend seventh-grade reading material (LA 7.1). By the end of the ninth grading period, Sami will apply strategies appropriate to the type of reading material, including setting purposes for reading and making generalizations, to comprehend seventh grade reading material with 90% accuracy.

45. Example of Correct IEP Annual Goal Present Level notes that Angela has difficulty making generalizations and answering comprehension questions. IEP Goal By the end of the sixth grading period, Angela will use prior knowledge and life experiences to make generalizations from her personal experience to answer comprehension questions from Grade 7 recreational reading materials (LA. 7.1) with an average of 90% accuracy on classroom assessments.

46. Benchmarks Individualized Education Programs § 300.320 Definition of individualized education program. General. As used in this part, the term individualized education program or IEP means a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in a meeting in accordance with §§ 300.320 through 300.324, and that must include… (ii) For children with disabilities who take alternate assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards, a description of benchmarks or short-term objectives;

47. Benchmarks Measurable Minimum of 2 per goal A logical breakdown of the major components of an annual goal

48. Benchmarks Short-term objectives and benchmarks are steps that measure the child's progress toward the annual goals in the IEP. When written correctly, short-term objectives provide teachers with a roadmap and a clear mechanism to evaluate the child's progress. Wright, P. and Wright, P. (2006). Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy, 2nd Edition. Hartfield, VA: Harbor House Law Press, Inc.

49. Remember… The Present Level has three required components. Student’s strengths Student’s needs How the student’s disability impacts progress in the general education curriculum

50. Remember… Annual IEP goals should have the following five components. Who Time frame Conditions Behavior Criterion