Parent’s Guide to the IEP

1. Parent’s Guide to the IEP Individual Education Plan for children with Special Needs

2. Welcome ParentsShape of Presentation • What is an IEP? • What is the parent’s role? Student’s role? • How does planning work? • What does reporting look like for a child with an IEP? • What are goals and objectives, adaptations and modifications? • Look at the IEP template. • Questions you may have about the IEP that we did not cover.

3. Commonly asked Questions? • What is an IEP? • Who gets an IEP? • Why does my child need one and what is it for? • What is a case manager? • How do I know if the plans are working? • What if I don’t agree with the goals? • When does an IEP happen? • What if the IEP is not being followed? • Who can I bring to the IEP meeting? • What’s the difference between adapted and modified? • When do I make the choice between adapted and modified program? • Will my child graduate if they have an IEP?

4. An IEP is a collaborative process • When schools and parents share their knowledge, children benefit. A good IEP, developed by the parents and the school working together for the child, affirms the uniqueness of every child and helps the child learn.

5. What is an Individual Education Plan (IEP) ? • An IEP is a support tool designed for students with special needs to ensure they have an educational program that meets their specific needs. • It identifies any additions, changes to the regular program that should be made for each individual child. • Outlines adaptations and /or modifications and the special services that are to be provided for the student. • It is reviewed regularly and updated at least annually

6. Who has an IEP? • Any student with special needs designation that has one or more of the following: • A disability of an intellectual, physical, sensory, emotional or behavioural nature; • A learning disability, or • Exceptional gifts or talents

7. Ever feel like this? • Parents may find it very hard to get involved in service planning due to practical issues such as childcare, time and money, and also because they may feel they will not be listened to anyway and it will be a waste of their time (Ball 1997, page 21).

8. Parent’s role in the IEP • You know more about your child than anyone else. • The school needs this information to tailor its teaching to your child’s way of learning. • A good IEP brings together your knowledge about your child with the school’s knowledge about teaching. • Keep track of the people who support your child in the community and school who by nature of this relationship create the IEP team.

9. What can I do as a parent? • Talk with the teacher and case manager working together to create a plan • Bring up concerns you are uncertain about with the classroom teacher • Bring notes you’ve made about school work, significant events, even hunches about your child’s educational program to refer to at the meeting. • keep a journal at home where you can record questions or notes about school concerns or comments. • Listen carefully at the meeting and use the journal to take notes • Bring someone with you who can provide support for you. • Come with an open mind about the reasons for the actions and responses of others involved with the child at the school.

10. Child’s role in the IEP • Children are not required but are entitled to attend an IEP meeting. • Let the teacher know of your wish to involve your child. • If your child wants to attend, inform them of what to expect and who may be at the meeting. • Review the existing IEP with your child especially areas of strength and learning style • Have your child think about what goals he/she may want to work on at school.

11. What if my child does not want to take part? • If you and your child decide not to participate you can involve your child by asking at home about goals, strategies and outcomes. • You can review the IEP with input from your child at the school with the teacher. • Involving your child helps them to advocate for themselves. • The more comfortable our children are with their abilities or disabilities, the more they will be able to act as their own advocate.

12. Planning • Use the IEP Planning handout provided with questions about your child and how they learn when preparing for an IEP meeting. • Involve others in the school and community who can assist in the planning for your child: case manager (LST or LAT), principal or vice principal, school counselor, district based personnel. • Other individuals who have experience supporting your child.

13. Do I have to attend the IEP meeting? • You can provide information in a number of ways: • Review the previous year’s IEP and provide your thoughts and ideas about what you want to see for your child. • Fill out the IEP Parent interview form and return it to the school. • Have a conversation with the teacher over the phone or by email, using the PRE IEP parent interview form or IEP draft or previous IEP.

14. Education Assistants (EA’s)… • May be assigned by the school district to help the teacher to carry out the responsibilities and expectations set out by the IEP. • May provide direct services to the student ranging from personal care to assisting with instructional programs • May assist in implementing the educational program • Will perform health related procedures for which they must be given child-specific training by qualified health professionals. (nurse, OT/PT)

15. When things go wrong • What do we do when the IEP is not being followed or you are not being consulted? • What happens when our views of child’s needs differ from those of the school? • Emotional responses and reactions are natural when advocating for our children. • Request to set up a meeting ASAP. • Revisit the process that was set up at the IEP meeting • Address the conflict and find a resolution

16. Let’s take a look at the IEP This next section will review the Elements of the IEP in more detail

17. Elements of an IEP • Strengths/special interests • Needs (align with Ministry designation) • Current level of performance: what skills does the student have now? Student can…is able to… • Goals for the term/year aligned with the student’s needs in a Goal or Domain Area

18. Goal or Domain area • Academic, Behaviour, • Communication, Functional Academics, • Health Factors, Independence, • Physical Functioning (Gross or Fine Motor), self determination, • social/emotional functioning, social interaction • or Transition

19. Goals and objectives • Goals and strategies to help your child learn that are different from the expected learning outcomes set out in the provincial curriculum guide for a course, subject and grade • Objectives that are specific, measureable, relevant, and timely. What will the student achieve towards the goal, where, when , or under what conditions & with what criteria for success. Student will... • Follows the SMART rule.

20. What is the S.M.A.R.T. Rule? • The S.M.A.R.T. rule is used to shape the objectives into Specific, Measurable, Action Oriented (what the student will do), Realistic and Relevant (to the student’s needs and diagnosis), and Time-bound objectives.

21. When would IEP goals be modified? • The decision to modify all or some parts of courses or subjects is a significant one and would not happen without… • extensive consultation with the school based team, student services and parents • and not until comprehensive adaptations to instruction and assessment have been implemented.

22. How is the curriculum (PLO) adapted or modified for your child? • Adapted: Students are working on regular course work with changes in the way the prescribed learning outcomes (PLO’s) are taught or assessed. • Modified: Students are working on learning outcomes specifically developed to meet the student’s particular needs and may be different from the PLO’s set out in the provincial curriculum guide.

23. Strategies, Programs, Materials, Resources • ŸThe monitored plan-who will do what, when, how? • ŸHow does this look in the classroom? • ŸFor e.g. CT will…..ST will…..EA will….. • Services and resources that are required to help your child be successful and achieve learning outcomes, either prescribed or individualized

24. Method of Evaluation • Ways to support and track your child’s progress using a list of adapted materials and methods to assess and monitor. • How will you know the objectives are met? • What tools will be used? • Term Updates • Time line for implementation, progress check and final review date

25. Transitions • The IEP outlines a plan to help students move from one setting to another or from one grade to another • Transitions can be challenging for students with special needs from home to Kindergarten; • Elementary to Middle to Secondary; • School to school; • And school to adulthood. • Careful planning can help the child and the families through these transitions.

26. Resources used • Parents Guide to Individual Education Planning BC School Superintendents Association • Individual Education Plans: A Guide for Parentsby Catherine Abraham and Joyce Gram from BC Confederation of Parent Advisory Councils • Supporting Meaningful Consultation with Parents BC Council of Administrators of Special Education

27. Commonly asked Questions? • What is an IEP? • Who gets an IEP? • Why does my child need one and what is it for? • What is a case manager? • How do I know if the plans are working? • What if I don’t agree with the goals? • When does an IEP happen? • What if the IEP is not being followed? • Who can I bring to the IEP meeting? • What’s the difference between adapted and modified? • When do I make the choice between adapted and modified program? • Will my child graduate if they have an IEP?