Students with IEPs and the One-to-One Aide

1. Students with IEPs and the One-to-One Aide Office of Special Programs West Virginia Department of Education Professional Development Workshop February 2013

2. 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

3. 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

4. However . . . for some students, individual support is critical for their educational progress!

5. 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).

6. 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

7. 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

8. 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

9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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

16. Documenting the Service on the IEP

17. Success will occur when the student can function independently~

18. Contact Information West Virginia Department of Education Office of Special Programs 304.558.2696 Lorraine Ciambotti Elswick lciambot@access.k12.wv.us