Why is this Cake Still on Fire?

1. Why is this Cake Still on Fire? Tracy Sinclair & Mindy Lingo The University of Oklahoma

3. Time to be a kid again! Imagine your are a small child.

4. Birthday Party!!! • You keep hearing your parents plan your upcoming birthday party. • You are so excited and know its getting closer because the planning gets more and more detailed. • THE PARTY COMES AND GOES and you were NEVER invited. Maybe they just forgot to invite me

5. The Next Year… • You again hear all about your upcoming birthday party. • There is a new theme this year and you are so excited. • You hear about all the different jobs their the important people in their life will do at the party…. • This year is going to BE BIGGER AND BETTER. • YET AGAIN, YOU’RE NOT INVITED Maybe it just is not that important after all

6. The Following Year… • ANOTHER YEAR • MORE PLANNING • NO INVITE You decide birthday parties just are not that important

7. Several Years Later • You’re a teenager and your birthday is coming up…BIG DEAL. • BUT now you get an invite to your party. • You’re surprised, confused, and scared to go to YOUR OWN PARTY. • You talk with your parents and ask, “WHY NOW?” You’re old enough to help with everything a birthday party involves: choosing a theme, invitations, and the various jobs people will have to help make it a wonderful party.

8. BUT… • Why am I just now being invited, if it is such a big deal? I was always capable of helping choose a theme, with invitations, and the deciding the various jobs people will have to help make it a wonderful party.

9. Now Imagine • This the scenario again but it is an IEP meeting.

10. It’s All About Me! The Self-Directed IEP

11. Goals for Today Importance of student involvement in the IEP meeting Impact increased student involvement can have Strategies to increase student involvement Self-Directed IEP program and process

13. What Does the Law Say? PL 94-142 - “...when appropriate” IDEA - “required” starting at minimum age of 16 (most states)

14. Attendance vs. Participation Attendance • Passive • Seat at the table • No input provided, or superficial answers given • Talking “about” students Participation • Active • Member of the team • Input is sought • Talking “with” students

15. Who Talks at Teacher Led IEP Meetings Martin, Van Dycke, Greene, et al., (2006)

16. Comparison of Teacher Led & Student Led IEPs Martin et al., (2006)

17. Importance of Active Student Involvement Research shows by promoting self-determination in adolescents with disabilities, the more likely their productive adult outcomes (i.e., employment, independent living, quality of life, and life satisfaction) will increase (Wehmeyer & Schwartz, 1997). Many students with disabilities cannot learn the skills and behaviors associated with self-determination on their own, they still have a desire to master the skills and this is only possible through guidance of teachers (Campbell-Whatley, 2008).

18. Importance of Active Student Involvement • Schools with the most promising transition practices improved students’ self-determination by including the of use: • (a) curriculum designed specifically for self-determination, • (b) teaching and coaching methods to enhance student participation in the IEP process, and • (c) non-instructional practices to enhance students’ choices and decision making skills (Karvonen, Test, Wood, Browder, & Algozzine, 2004).

19. Impact of Active Student Involvement While students lead their IEP meetings, they demonstrate self-determination skills like goal setting, planning, self-evaluation, mediation, public speaking, self-advocacy, and mediation skills (Martin et al., 2006). Students are more likely to take ownership of the educational planning when they are actively involved in the process (Fiedler & Danneker, 2007).

20. Impact of Active Student Involvement Students are gaining important life skills and demonstrating self-determination when they lead their IEP meetings through goal setting, planning, self-evaluation, mediation, public speaking, self-advocacy, and mediation skills (Martin et al., 2006). Student-led IEP meetings provide opportunities for students to learn and participate in important social skills (Torgeson, Miner, & Shen, 2004).

21. How to Get Students Involved Start Small Deliver Invites PowerPoints One Pagers Videos Posters Use curriculum designed to teach skills

22. How to Facilitate & Teach Involvement in IEP Meetings Training other Teachers: School wide training on SD-IEP Lunch & Learns PLC Time Professional Development Teaching Students: Resource/Lab Setting Mini-lessons SD-IEP Bootcamp Leadership Retreat for all students withdisabilities

23. Self-Directed IEP The Self-Directed IEP is one of six instructional packages available in the ChoiceMaker Self-Determination Transition Curriculum

24. Self-Directed IEP Instructional Tools 1. Self-Directed IEP in Action video (7 minutes). A captioned video used to introduce the self-directed IEP to students, parents, teachers, and administrators by demonstrating use of lessons and students opinions. 2. Self-Directed IEP video (17 minutes). This video, available in both a captioned or uncaptioned version, demonstrates a self-directed IEP. 3. Teacher’s Manual. Provides detailed instruction on implementing Self-Directed IEP. 4. Student Workbook. This consumable workbook provides students an opportunity to apply each step of the Self-Directed IEP to their own meeting. Students complete a script which summarizes all the steps to take with them to their own IEP meetings.

25. Self-Directed IEP Instructional Tools

26. Lessons Structure for Self-Directed IEP • Cumulative Review • Lesson Preview • Vocabulary Instruction • Video / Example • Sample Situations • Workbook / Written Notes • Evaluation • Relate to Personal Experience

27. 11 Steps of the Self-Directed IEP State Purpose of Meeting Introduce Team Review Past Goals Ask for Feedback State School & Transition Goals Ask Questions If Don’t Understand Deal with Differences in Opinion State Support Needs Summarize Goals Close Meeting Work on Goals All Year

28. Adapting the Self-Directed IEP Script • After students learn the 11 steps of the SD-IEP, the “script” that the student creates can take many forms. • Teachers can provide a general outline as a reminder of what the student should talk about • Students can work with the teacher to develop a script • Students may want to use IEP as a guide and fully write out a script • Scripts can be scaled up or down depending on the student’s: • Needs Wants • Ability Level Comfort level Most importantly...flexibility and developing a script with the student is critical to ownership of the meeting!

29. Various Levels of Self-Directed IEP Scripts

30. Various Levels of Self-Directed IEP Scripts

31. Various Levels of Self-Directed IEP Scripts

32. Ideas for What to do After Self-Directed IEP Allow students to give their accommodations to all interested parties Students keep an accommodations sheets in folder Have students involved in documentation of goal progress Encourage students to keep IEP an evolving document throughout the school year and give case-manager updates on what is working and what does not.

33. Student & Teacher Feedback on Student Involvement in IEP

34. Other Curriculum to Support Self-Directed IEP Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment Website http://www.ou.edu/education/centers-and-partnerships/zarrow.html ME! Lessons for Self-Awareness & Self-Advocacy ME! Bell Ringers Student-Directed Transition Planning IEP Team Training Modules Whose Future is it Anyway?

35. References Campbell-Whatley, G. D. (2008). Teaching students about their disability: Increasing self-determination skills and self-concept. International Journal of Special Education, 23(2), 136-144. Fiedler, C. R., & Danneker, J. E. (2007). Self-advocacy instruction: Bridging the research-to-practice gap. Focus on Exceptional Children, 39(8), 1-20. Karvonen, M., Test, D. W., Wood, W. M., Browder, D., & Algozzine, B. (2004). Putting self-determination into practice. Exceptional Children, 71, 23–41. Martin, J. E., Van Dycke, J. L., Christensen W. R., Greene B. A., Gardner J. E., & Lovett D. L. (2006). Increasing student participation in IEP meetings: Establishing the Self-Directed IEP as an evidenced-based practice. Exceptional Children, 72(3), 299-316. Martin, J. E., Van Dycke, J. L., Greene, B. A., Gardner, J., Christensen, W., Woods, L.L., & Lovett, D. L. (2006). Direct Observation of Teacher-Directed IEP Meetings: Establishing the Need for Student IEP Meeting Instruction. Exceptional Children, 72, 187-200. Torgerson, C. W., Miner, C. A., & Shen, H. (2004). Developing student competence in self-directed IEPs. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 38,42-47. Wehmeyer, M., & Swartz, M. (1997). Self-determination and positive adult outcomes: A follow-up study of youth with mental retardation. Exceptional Children, 63, 245-255.