Evaluating Your Child’s IEP

Evaluating Your Child’s IEP Key points for parents when reviewing your child’s IEP October 2011 www.matrixparent.org

Matrix, your PTI….. ….is 1 of over 100 Parent Training & Information Centers (PTI) nationwide, authorized by the U.S. Department of Education/Special Education Each State must have at least one PTI. If you move, find the PTI that can serve you!

The Building Blocks of an IEP Build from the bottom up: Placement Services Needs Goals Assessment

Assess the Assessment! • All areas of concern are assessed • Multiple measures are used • Validity • Strengths and weaknesses • Connects to education & learning • Scores can be understood • Does it sound like your child

Assessing Areas of Concern Do tests and evaluation tools measure what you are concerned about? Examples: • Reading single words or paragraphs • Language vocabulary or pragmatics • Memory short term, long term • Functional or academic skills

Assessments: Include Multiple Measures • Standardized tests • Observations: staff & parents • Work samples • Interviews: staff, parents, child

Assessment: Validity Could anything have influenced the assessment when it was done so scores may not be a valid picture of your child? • Attention • Emotions • Being tired • On meds, not on meds

Assessment: Strengths & Weaknesses Does the assessment help you & the team understand: • your child’s strengths as well as their weaknesses • how learning is affected • how functioning at school is affected

Assessment: test scores Understand the different ways scores are reported • Standard scores • % • Scaled scores • T-scores

Assessment: the “fit” test When you read the reports, does it: • Sound like your child • Feel like it fits • Result in you nodding in agreement

If you agree with the assessments… Are the areas of need in the assessment addressed somewhere in the IEP? * in a goal * in accommodations or modifications * in a behavior plan

BASELINES/Present Levels and Goals Baselines: • Specific and measurable statements about performance in skill areas • Written for each area of need using assessment information

BASELINES are Present Levels of Performance (PLOPS) Would a stranger be able to form a picture of what your child is doing? EXAMPLE for Sammy in 6th grade: “Sammy is struggling in reading”. OR…..

Baselines/PLOPS Specific and measurable: “Given a 5th grade text, Sammy can read independently at 75 wpm (10%).” (fluency skill) “Given a 5th grade text, Sammy can answer 1 out of 5 factual questions.” (reading comprehension)

Baselines/PLOPS ……GOALS An annual goal is written for each Baseline that is: • Specific and measurable • Addresses the same skill as in the PLOP • Written so a stranger can form a picture of what the child will be doing • Is realistic and attainable

SMART Goals • S…specific • M…measurable • A…action…describes actions your child will be doing in a year • R…realistic and relevant • T…time limited

Check the goals • Do you understand how the goals will be measured? • Do you agree the goal is specific enough so you can “see” the skill? • Is the goal the same skill area as the Baseline/PLOP • Are there goals to address priority areas of skill deficits?

Goals in any area that affect learning: • Academics…Reading, writing, math, memorizing, organizing, test taking, long term projects • Behavior/Emotional…paying attention, not blurting out, physical aggression • Gross/Fine Motor…sitting at a desk, handwriting More….

Goals in any area that affect learning: • Communication…social language, speech, receptive language, expressive • Functional/adaptive skills…riding a bus, knowing how to ask for help • Vocational…interviewing, resume

Accommodations & Modifications Goals teach to improve a weak skill Accommodations are changes in the curriculum or environment to “go around” the weak area. Modifications substantially change the curriculum. to know the impact of each! KEY!

KEY POINT……IEP Sequence Placement Services Goals Needs Assessments

Service Frequency & Duration How much time & how often a service is provided should be based on what is needed to meet the goals.

Got behavior? Don’t wait. Any student whose behavior gets in the way of his/her learning OR gets in the way of the learning of other students MUST have something in the IEP to address the behavior.. REQUIRED: at each annual IEP, this issue must be discussed.

Services: what is needed for progress Same time – big difference How often can affect progress as much as duration Resource Specialist: 5/week at 30 3/week at 100 Speech/Language: 3/week at 35 5/week at 20

Related Services support progress A related service is added to support access to the curriculum. Examples: • Mental health services • Occupational therapy • Transportation • One on one • Speech therapy speech eligibility criteria for special education is NOT what is needed to get speech as a related service KEY:

Special Factors Annual IEP Discussion required annually about: • Behavior • Assistive Technology • Communication Needs • Learning English

Behavior Goals and Plans Starting point: ADD a behavior goal as an area of need If no improvement: ADD a behavior support plan (BSP) If behavior is serious or extreme: ADD a functional analysis assessment (FAA) and behavior intervention plan (BIP) note: Ed Code dictates these criteria

KEY POINTS: Behavior Plans… ARE NOT • punitive contracts • plans on what the student must do and consequences if they don’t do something

Behavior Plans are Positive …Actions by the school to: • identify the purpose of the behavior • Identify a positive behavior that serves the same purpose as the negative behavior KEY POINT • change the environment • teach the desired behavior • Reinforce/reward the positive behavior

What placement is appropriate? ….to meet student needs and carryout the goals and services District must discuss & document in the IEP the continuum of options they considered when making their placement offer. Ask: Why were other options ruled in or out?

Is IEP effective? Use multiple measures to evaluate. Charting test scores over time Charting present levels and goals over time Other measures: attendance and discipline records, work samples, state grade level standards…

What is enough progress? General Education students are assumed to make one years gain in skills after one year of instruction. If your student is below in skills, one year’s gain will keep your student below in skills Example: Starting at 12% in math computation & ending after 1 year at 12%

Test scores over time Reading Fluency Woodcock Johnson scores 3rd grade: 5% 4th grade: 6% 5th grade: 5% Is this enough progress?

Present Levels over time As of 2010 Eliza attends 10 minutes out of a 45 minute class period and needs 4 prompts to return to task As of 2011 Eliza attends 30 minutes out of a 45 minute class with 2 prompts.

What is enough progress? • More than trivial progress • Enables your student to access the curriculum • Need to consider student’s capacity • Special education is not required to maximize a student’s potential

Not enough progress? Call an IEP meeting. Discuss needs & make changes: • Assessment to understand the lack of progress • Goals – revise or add new ones • Services – add or change frequency, duration • Curriculum – other options/methods • Placement

When you have concerns Start at the lowest level. Know your procedural safeguards: • Teacher….Special Ed Manager • IEP Meeting • Local Mediation is Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) • State: Compliance Complaint, Mediation, Due Process

When you have concerns Call us at Matrix One of our jobs is to help parents build skills to resolve issues in a collaborative manner at the lowest possible level 1-800-578-2592

RESOURCES Matrix www.matrixparents.org Information Packets • IEP Toolkit • Getting Organized • Parent Advocacy Many other items on our website WrightsLaw www.wrightslaw.com

Evaluating Your Child’s IEP