IEP Development & Implementation Road Map to Improved Outcomes for Students with ASD

1. IEP Development & ImplementationRoad Map to Improved Outcomes for Students with ASD

2. INTRODUCTIONS

3. Improving the Journey • Wait for Team Time to Talk • Write / share notes • Cell Phones on Silent • CONTRIBUTE • Everyone has a contribution to make

4. Your Learning Accountability • NOVICE • INTERMEDIATE • ADVANCED

5. History Lesson: IEP Module • Purpose of Tools (POC) • Implementation in the follow up year • Errors in the IEP Process

6. Errors in the IEP Process • PLAAFP • Goals and Objectives not related to ASD • Laundry list of SAS • Standard Time for Service • Placement decisions predetermined • Lack of LRE in the Process

7. Purpose of this Module NOT Compliance Training in IEP Development “Results will no longer take a back seat to compliance.” Eleanor White, Michigan State Director of Special Education

8. Purpose of this Module • IS NOT • Compliance training in IEP development • Cover ALL aspects of IEP development • Address issues related to ALL disabilities • An IEP; Considered Pre-IEP Planning • IS • Focus on PROCESS not FORMS • Consider LRE throughout the process • Address the unique needs of students with ASD • Improve IEP Implementation • “IEP Implementation CONTINUES to be the most frequent state (MDE) complaint…” 2012 OSE Update http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mde/2013_OSE_Update_430438_7.pdf

9. Materials for this Road Trip • 3 years of IEPs for target student (current IEP and 2 years previous) • Progress Reports, Grades, etc. • Most recent MET report • Most recent REED (Review of Existing Evaluation Data) • Curriculum for target student’s grade level: • K-8 GLCEs (http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,4615,7-140-28753_33232---,00.html) • High School Curriculum (http://www.michigan.gov/mde/0,1607,7-140-38924---,00.html) • District / ISD data report for SPP #5: Education Environments: https://www.mischooldata.org/

10. AGENDA • Understanding Special Education • History of Special Education • Vocabulary Lesson • Purpose of the IEP • Ed Benefit Review • Developing the IEP • The PLAAFP • Supplementary Aids / Services / Personnel Supports • Goals and Objectives • S. E. Programs/Services and Ancillary/Related Services • IEP Implementation • Implementation Fidelity • Measuring Progress

11. LRE FAPE Navigating the Acronyms MET REED IDEA BIP FBA ASD

12. COMMON LANGUAGE ACTIVITY • Define / Describe FAPE • Define / Describe LRE • What is the purpose of an IEP? • Describe Special Education

13. OUR DECISIONS HAVE TO ALIGN WITH: • THE LAW • THE RESEARCH • THE DATA

14. WARNING • I heard that…. • I was told…. PRACTICE IS NOT NECESSARILY LAW, POLICY, or RULE

15. History of Education • Horace Mann: • Father of American Education • Common Schools / Teach Common Values • EQUALITY • Compulsory Education • Tax $$$

16. SPECIAL EDUCATION HISTORY • 1954 Brown vs. Board of Education • Schools inherently unequal • “…… human tendencies to prejudge, discriminate against, and stereotype other people by their ethnic, religious, physical, or cultural characteristics…..”

17. Impact of the Brown Decision • Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (underprivileged students) • PARC and MILLS: Exclusion of students with disabilities • Congressional Investigation 1972 of education of children with disabilities • Millions not served • 1975: Congress enacted P.L. 94-142 • Children with disabilities have a RIGHT to education • Ensure ACCESS to education Wright & Wright, 2009

18. IDEA Regulations • Two fundamental requirements: • That the child will receive FAPE • In the least restrictive environment (LRE).

19. FAPE:What Does the “Appropriate” Mean? Rowley v. Hendrick Hudson Dist. (USSC 1982) 1. The state has "complied with the procedures set forth in the Act." (ex. procedural safeguards / legal requirements, etc.) 2. The IEP is “reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefits.” ---more than negligible / minimal, but does not require maximizing potential---

20. What is FAPE?IDEA 2004 An educational program that is individualized to a specific child, designed to meet that child's unique needs, provides access to the general curriculum, meets the grade-level standards established by the state, and from which the child receives educational benefit. 20 U.S.C. §1401(9). Ed Benefit = progress over time (IEP goals, curriculum, social, communication, behavior, etc.) To provide FAPE, schools must provide students with an education that prepares the child for further education, employment, and independent living. 20 U.S.C. §1400(c)(5)(A)(i)

21. National Outcome Data: Housing • 2008 Easter Seals Study: • More than 80% of adults with ASD ages 19-30 live at home with their parents • Compared to approximately 50-59% of typical youth ages 19-24 (2011 data) (http://www.census.gov/newsroom/releases/archives/families_households/cb11-183.html) • Adults 19-30 with Autism • With parents or guardian 81% • Independently, with spouse or partner 3% • With other family member/spouse/partner 0% • Supported residence for ppl with special needs 14% • Other 2% • Adults 19-30 with Asperger • With parents or guardian 71% • Independently, with spouse or partner 9% • With other family member/spouse/partner 5% • Supported residence for ppl with special needs 7% • Other 7% Easter Seals, 2008

22. National OUTCOME DATA: Employment • A University of Wisconsin-Madison 2002 study of 405 adolescents and adults with ASD found that only 10% were in competitive employment. • Barnard, et.al. 2001 • As few as 6% of individuals with ASD have fulltime employment • 12% of individuals with Asperger Syndrome are employed despite having average or high than average IQs • 2008 Easter Seals Study (Living with Autism): About 6 in 10 children with ASD aged 16 or older have not looked for work, yet 75% of typical children are already working. • Even compared to individuals with other disabilities, the employment outcomes for individuals with ASD is significantly lower.

27. What predicts post-school employment? • Students who had the highest degree of integration with age-appropriate peers were more likely to engage in post-school employment • IQ, behavior problems, physical disability, and individual demographics did not correlate with integrated employment outcome White, J. & Weiner, J.S. (2004). Influence of least restrictive environment and community based training on integrated employment outcomes for transitioning students with severe disabilities. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 21, 149–156.

29. FAPE in SUMMARY • Compliance with the procedures • Individualized • Meet that child's unique needs (disability area) • Access to the general curriculum (grade-level standards) • Educational benefit (progress in education / goals and objectives) • Prepares the child for further education, employment, and independent living (socialization skill development / independent skills)

30. IDEA Regulations • Two fundamental requirements: • That the child will receive FAPE • In the least restrictive environment (LRE).

31. Defining LRE: Fed Language “To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities…. are educated in the general education classroom with children who are not disabled…” ….and that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from regular education environment occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education  in regular classes with the use of supplementary aides and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily.”

32. Two Primary Reasons Students with ASD are Excluded from General Education Settings

33. The first “where” to consider is… What is SPECIAL EDUCATION?--not a place--set of supports and services To ensure ACCESS & PROGRESS Where the child RECEIVESspecial education services is the placement….

34. Purpose of the IEP Define Special Education necessary to assure FAPE in the LRE: Access to, participation and progress in…. General Education Curriculum

35. OUR DECISIONS HAVE TO ALIGN WITH: • THE LAW • THE RESEARCH • THE DATA

36. Excerpts of the Outcome Data • “The achievement level of students with disabilities does not decrease in general education classrooms.” • Villa, Thousand, Meyers, & Nevin. (1996). Teacher and administrator perceptions of heterogeneous education. Exceptional Children, 63, 29-45. • “Placement in a special education class resulted in lower achievement for students who have lower cognitive ability.” • Kavale & Forness, (1999). Efficacy of special education and related services. Washington, DC: American Association on Mental Retardation.

37. Excerpts of the Outcome DataCited from: Eason, A.I. and Whitbread, K. (2006) IEP and Inclusion Tips for Parents and Teachers. IEP Resources • “Students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms show academic gains in a number of areas, including improved performance on standardized tests, mastery of IEP goals, grades, on-task behavior, and motivation to learn.” (National Center for Education Restructuring and Inclusion, 1995) • “Moreover, placement in inclusive classrooms does not interfere with the academic performance of students without disabilities with respect to the amount of allocated time and engaged instructional time, the rate of interruption to planned activities and student achievement on test scores and report card grades.” (York, Vandercook, MacDonald, Heise-Neff and Caughey, 1992)

38. Excerpts of the Outcome DataCited from: Eason, A.I. and Whitbread, K. (2006) IEP and Inclusion Tips for Parents and Teachers. IEP Resources • “Although separate classes, with lower student to teacher ratios, controlled environments, and specially trained staff would seem to offer benefits to a child with a disability, research fails to demonstrate the effectiveness of such programs.” (Lipsky, 1997; Sailor, 2003)

39. Excerpts of the Outcome DataCited from: Eason, A.I. and Whitbread, K. (2006) IEP and Inclusion Tips for Parents and Teachers. IEP Resources • “There is mounting evidence that, other than a smaller class size, “there is little that is special about the special education system,” and that the negative effects of separating children with disabilities from their peers far outweigh any benefit to smaller classes.” (Audette & Algozzine, 1997)

40. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS Understanding Federal Law U.S. Code (U.S.C.) 50 Titles Title 20: Education 78 Chapters Chapter 33: IDEA — IV Subchapters Subchapter I: General Provisions 82 Sections -- denoted as § § 1400: Findings / Purpose “…the implementation of this chapter (33 : IDEA) has been impeded by low expectations, and an insufficient focus on applying replicable research on proven methods of teaching and learning for children with disabilities.”

41. CONGRESSIONAL FINDINGS • “Almost 30 years of research and experience has demonstrated that the education of children with disabilities can be made more effective by— • having high expectations for such children and ensuring their access to the general education curriculum in the regular classroom, to the maximum extent possible, in order to— • (i) meet developmental goals and, to the maximum extent possible, the challenging expectations that have been established for all children; and • (ii) be prepared to lead productive and independent adult lives, to the maximum extent possible; “

42. GETTING BACK TO THE INTENTION OF THE LAW • One Curriculum: • General Education WITH Special Education Support (instead of vs.) • NCLB (2002) • IDEA Revisions (2004) • Increased Accountability • Improved Outcomes • Research Based Instruction • 80/80 Statement OSEP

43. Continuum of Services MI CIMS Thresholds for Restriction SPP Indicator 5: Educational Environments 2012-13 Targets General Education Classroom <40% Target 11.9% General Education Classroom 80%+ Target 63% General Education Classroom 40-79% Target 20.3% Separate Facility Target 4.8% << Less More >> Restrictive

44. District Data Report

45. YOUR DATA

46. Why do we continue to perpetuate a segregated culture? DISCUSSION

47. Incremental Steps YOUR ACCOUNTABILITY Your Behavior Expresses Your Belief System

48. Your Behavior Expresses your Belief System…DO YOU…… • Send a folder of “alternative” work with the student to the general education class? • Have “token” LRE time? • Attend specials only? • Have all the special education students eat at one lunch table? • Have a different recess? • Use of activities that are inappropriate for the age of the student (ex. Calendar / Clifford).

49. Your Behavior Expresses your Belief System. DO YOU... • Talk about students with ASD in front of them? • Use disability-first language? • Use “high functioning” and “low functioning” to describe students? • Talk about students based on their eligibility category rather than their name? (The Autistics) • Blame the STUDENT? • Not motivated; Not ready; Unemployable; OTHERS? • Adopt a “protective” attitude? • DIGNITY OF RISK!! • Talk about the student’s lack of perceived competency rather than their contributions? • LEAST DANGEROUS ASSUMPTION

50. Self Evaluation. . . Beliefs and Behaviors that PREVENT Integrated Opportunities