IEPs

1. IEPs WHAT TO DO? HOW TO DO IT? WHEN TO DO IT?

2. Prior to the IEP Meeting Thirty days prior to the annual IEP date, begin the process. • Have a schedule of some kind that will remind you of IEP due dates and a month before they are due. • On the opening page of the IEP menu there is a student lists selection where you may print a list of all of your students and their annual IEP dates. Collect all pertinent and relative data. Use the services of the providers on the student’s team to interpret and communicate performance levels. • Gather all of the data you have collected over the IEP year and have it available and ready for interpretation. • OTs, PTs, Reg Ed classroom teachers, Speech, all of those that have the ability to help with the process. The IEP team • Emphasize the importance of team

3. Involve the School Psychologist to be sure of a correct interpretation of the data collected from testing and assessments. • The School Psychologist is the person that primarily administers testing and assessments and is trained to interpret data. • She/He will write the intelligence PLAFP of the IEP. Use the data collected to develop and write the students present levels of academic and functional performance. Enter data pertaining to the different areas of the PLAFP. This should be done separately in the (6) following areas and NOT combined into one collective statement.

4. Health/Physical • Vision, hearing, medical diagnosis and over-all health • Social/Emotional • Relationships with peers and adults • Rating scales and other behavior assessment information • General Intelligence (School Psychologist ONLY) • This area is for IQ test scores only • The school psychologist in your area will complete this section • Academic Achievement and Functional Performance • This section is relative to all performances in the educational environment. • This includes – grades, testing results and over-all performance. • Communication • The ability to communicate – speech, language and voice. • Evaluation and assessment information relative to communication performance and skills. The last area is parent concerns and will be addressed at the end of the IEP

5. At least ten days prior to the annual meeting date, send a meeting notification to the parents. • This is at least 10 calendar days and not school days. Make at least three attempts to contact parents for meeting notification and use at least two different methods to make that contact. • Examples might be: Phone call, written notification, e-mail, and personal contact (documented) etc. • Process handbook calls for two attempts and SCKSEC calls for three • On the electronic form document contacts on the back sheet of the forms. In the event that the ten day notice is not possible, make sure that you have the parent’s permission, by having them sign the waiver line on the meeting notification form. • This is not necessary if the meeting notice has been sent 10 days prior.

6. If the student is 13 years of age or older on the day of the IEP meeting, make sure an invitation to the student is made. • This does not mean that a student under 13 years of age cannot participate in the IEP meeting. Use the information gathered to up-date the teacher information page. (make sure the information is correct) • Ryan Cunningham, Ryan Burns and Steve Mead, will go over this in the KIDSS presentations.

7. Parent’s correct address, phone numbers etc. • Add resident guardian’s information and address to the TIP. • If parents have different addresses include both. • Correct IEP date, Comp Eval, Placement Dates, Start and End dates. • Make sure to enter initial evaluation consent date. • Make sure all of these dates are updated to the most current date. • Service providers listed, time allocated, days, minutes etc. • Make sure service providers no longer involved are omitted from the IEP • Services provided by SCKSEC should be listed on the related services page or in the PLAFP. (nurses, audiologist, etc.) • Neighborhood School, Responsible District, Attendance Center • The neighborhood school is the student’s home school. • The responsible district is the district that claims the student on the September head count. • The attendance center is the school or placement the student is attending at the time of the IEP – day school, life skills center or other assignments

8. If the student exits our cooperative, do a TIP with correct exit status and exit date. • This should be done by the primary provider. • Make sure to inform the school psychologist. • Grade placement • This is the grade the student is in on the date of the IEP meeting • Do not project the grade to the next school year. Write the IEP – Make sure the following procedures are met and followed. • Goals (Need at least one measurable goal)

9. Goals: Every IEP must have at least one measurable goal. The goal must reflect areas of need from the “PLAFP” of the IEP. For example: if a student is having a difficult time with his/her multiplication facts then you would want to write a goal to help them learn their facts. The goal must be measurable. It must identify the behavior, criteria, condition, and timeframe. -behavior: the skill or task that will be monitored -criteria: the level to which the behavior must occur -condition: the information that specifies how progress towards the goal will be measured -timeframe: how much time is necessary for the criteria to be met The goal must have a baseline. This is the present level of the behavior before starting the goal. The evaluation section is where you must identify what you are going to use or do to evaluate the student. EXAMPLE: Academic Goal By the end of the current IEP year, given a 3rd grade fluency probe, Garrett will read 90 words correct in one minute with 4 errors or less on three trials. Baseline: Presently, Garrett can read 70 words correct with 5 errors on a 3rd grade probe. Evaluation: daily fluency practice and progress monitoring State Standard: 3rd grade 1.2.2 The student reads fluently. The student reads expressively with appropriate pace, phrasing, intonation, and rhythm of speech.

10. Behavior Goals: In 36 weeks, Derrek will improve his ability to follow directions, make transitions, and use verbal communication to express problems or situations which are upsetting him by applying strategies of making appropriate choices when given the opportunity 80% of the time. Baseline: Presently, Derrek can apply strategies and make appropriate choices 65% of the time. Evaluation: teacher observation, data sheets OR In 36 weeks, Emma will complete her work/task with one prompt 90% of the time. Baseline: Presently, Emma can complete her work/task with 4 prompts 70% of the time. Evaluation: teacher observation, data sheets

11. Goals need to be reflect the needs identified in the PLAFP • Goals need to be measurable • Goals need to have a base line identified. • Goals need to have an evaluation process identified • Parent Concerns need to be identified and addressed (UNDER PARENT CONCERNS) - moved to the last entry • This has been moved to the last entry to assure that the parent has an opportunity to express concerns after hearing the IEP proposal in its entirety. • If there are no concerns on the part of the parents, you need to write in that section – No additional concerns expressed by parents. Students taking alternate assessments must have written benchmarks; those taking other assessment may, but do not have to have benchmarks.

12. If the student turns 14 years of age during the IEP year, transition needs to be discussed. • Gail will discuss this in her KIDSS presentation. • Post secondary goals need to be written in the IEP if the student turns 14 years of age during the period of the IEP. • This is a state requirement and is to express student career interest at this point. • State and local assessments need to be considered and accommodations and modifications identified. • Parental rights need to be given at least once a year at the annual IEP meeting or upon request. • You only have to give them once a year but if requested, have a copy ready. • If the parents do not attend the IEP meeting, copies of the IEP document and other documents need to be sent to the parents. • If the parents do not attend the IEP meeting and the proper notification steps have been taken, it is legal to hold the meeting without them present.

13. Mail a DRAFT copy of the IEP to the parents of the student at the same time you send out the 10 day meeting notification. • This allows the parents an opportunity to look it over the IEP and have a good idea of what is going on prior to the meeting as well as to have input in the process.

14. Invite the following people to the IEP meeting  • Parents (if parents are not together both parents must be notified unless parental rights have been severed by the courts.) • Student - if 13 years of age or older • Building Administrator • Or his/her representative if not available. • Someone to interpret data (School Psychologist) • General Education Teacher/s • Teachers directly involved in delivering the IEP to the child should be included. • Special Education Teacher • Other persons (invited by school or parent) Schedule a meeting room with ample space for the meeting and the technology available to make copies of documents.

15. At the Meeting Give the parents a copy of parental rights (at least once a year or upon request) If the parents were not given a 10 day notice, have the parents sign the 10 day waiver prior to convening the meeting. In the event new information is introduced, keep a staffing summary of the meeting and have the team members sign it at the conclusion of the presentation. Introduce all of the members of the IEP Team. Hand out copies of the IEP to the IEP team. Ask for POSITIVEcomments from the team prior to beginning the presentation of the proposed IEP. Go over each component of the IEP and take time to discuss and consider the ideas presented by the team members during the process.

16. Make corrections to the IEP as they are identified during the meeting. • Hand written on the original document to be turned in. Ask for parent concerns and record them on the IEP document at the conclusion of the IEP presentation. Have the parent record the student’s full name, social security number and Medicaid number on the last page of the IEP, and sign. • The insurance number is not needed, only a Medicaid number if applicable. • Explain to parent that if the child is, or ever becomes, Medicaid eligible, SCKSEC is able to access additional funding for student services if this page is signed. • We ask everyone to sign it in case the Medicaid status unexpectedly changes. • This does not in any way affect your child’s Medicaid benefits. • Please read the Medicaid disclaimer printed at the end of the IEP document.

17. At the conclusion of the IEP presentation, have all participants sign and date the signature page to identify they were in attendance. • This is not an agreement statement, only a signature stating you were there. • The signature page may be signed at any time during the IEP meeting. Present the notice of consent for placement to the parents (blue form). • Parents must give their consent for placement. • Only parents may sign the placement form. • The process manual spells out the exceptions to this. It is narrow and not clearly written but there are only a few exceptions. Grandparents, relatives and legal guardians assigned by the courts or educational advocates assigned through Families Together are basically it. Gather all IEPs from the team and shred all but the original. • These papers are confidential documents and need to be treated as such. Make a copy of the original document w/changes for yourself and the parent and give a copy to the parent. • The signed document is the original document and the one that needs to be sent to SCKSEC Gather all signed forms, place them in the IEP documents folder and hand or mail the folder to the school psychologist. • Complete, sign, date and attach the IEP documents check list to the documents folder.

18. After the Meeting Go back into the KIDSS program on the SCKSEC web-site and enter the corrected data on the IEP. If parents do not attend the IEP meeting, copies of the IEP document and other meeting documents need to be sent to the parents. If parents did not attend the meeting, send or take the placement consent form to the parents and obtain their consent by having them sign the form. Implement the IEP and make sure that progress reports are being reported at least as often as regular education reports are given.