Comprehensive Guide to Individualized Education Program (IEP)

1. Developed and implemented by the multidisciplinary team (MDT) Individualized Education Program (IEP)

2. IEP Must Include: • Student’s present levels of performance • Measurable annual goals • Special education and related services to be provided to the student • Statement of program modifications or supports • An explanation of the extent, if any, to which studentwill not participate with non-disabled peers

3. IEP Must Include: • Individualized modifications for state or district wide assessments • Projected date for the beginning of services • How progress towards annual goals will be measured • Method to inform parents of their child’s progress toward annual goals • A transition statement

4. Persons Who are Required by law to Attend the IEP Meeting • Representative of the local education agency • School representative other than the teacher • Parents or guardians • Student • Student’s teacher • Others whom the parents or school believe can help develop the IEP

5. Multidisciplinary Team (MDT) Should Include: • Representative of the local education agency • Classroom teacher • Special education teacher • Parents or Caregivers • Evaluation specialist • Student • Professionals from related services

6. Development of IEP • Each student’s strengths and needs are assessed and considered by a team of professionals, the parents, and sometimes the student • Schools use the IEP to guide their provision for services; and parents use it to track whether a student is receiving services and meeting their goals.

7. The IEP • Some school districts provide each teacher with a copy of the full IEP. • Other schools provide only the page that deals with strengths, weaknesses, goals/objectives, and accommodations/modifications • Other schools provide a one page summary of the strengths, weaknesses, goals and accommodations

8. General Ed Teacher’s questions to consider for the IEP process: What are the student’s… • Present level of academic achievement and performance • Assessments given • Strengths • Deficits • Needs • Possible goals • Possible accommodations for instruction and assessment • What accommodations have been successful and unsuccessful • Abilities for statewide assessment

9. General Ed Teacher’s questions to consider for the IEP process: What are the student’s…(cont) • Behavioral challenges • Reinforcers • Interests • Possible transition plan for after school • Needs for placement • Needs for specific related services • Needs for supplementary aides and services • Needs for support for the teacher • Other…

10. Preparation for the IEP meeting • Remember to be prepared • Be an active member of the team

11. Effective Instruction in Elementary Inclusive Classrooms: Teaching Reading, Writing, and Mathematics Teaching Students in Secondary Content Areas Chapters 13 & 14

12. What Are Principles of Effective Instruction? • The most important single factor influencing student learning is an effective teacher. Effective practices to ensure learning are: • Lessons should be carefully planned so students know what is expected of them. • Students should be actively involved in the lesson whenever possible. • Teachers need to know their students well, understand what they know and don’t know, and provide extra instruction in areas where students are struggling.

13. What Are Principles of Effective Instruction? • The Reality of Elementary Classrooms • Teachers juggle to figure out how to distribute their time among students to ensure that they provide effective instruction and address students’ needs. • Instructional services are being reorganized to provide seamless tiers of instruction to better meet students needs as part of RTI models.

14. What Are Principles Of Effective Instruction? • Effective Instruction • Is well organized • Focuses student attention on well-defined, critical information • Provides multiple opportunities to learn material with feedback • Includes follow-up monitoring to ensure that the information is retained over time

15. What Are Principles of Effective Instruction? • Direct Instruction is a “model that uses teacher explanation and modeling combined with student feedback and practice to teach concepts and procedural skills” (Eggen & Kaucha, 2006). • Reading Mastery is an instructional program built on the principles of direct instruction.

16. What Principles And Strategies Support Students Learning to Read? • Tier 2 Instruction is • For students who continue to struggle when provided high quality effective Tier 1 instruction • Provided in small, homogeneous groups • not to take the place of regularly provided reading instruction • additional instruction that is intensive and focused

17. What Principles And Strategies Support Students Learning Mathematics? • Students Who Struggle with Mathematics Have Problems with • Word problems when the demands of reading make it difficulty for them to make adequate progress. • Learning basic math skills because of memory problems. • Math concepts because of a math disability or a cognitive deficit.

18. What Principles And Strategies Support Students Learning Mathematics? • Supporting Students Who Struggle • Instruct students in small groups, or individually, using systematic, explicit instruction • Use fast paced instruction, varied activities, and ensure student engagement • Use concrete, representation and abstract examples of problems in lessons • Encourage students to use self-questioning or think-aloud strategies

19. What Is Cooperative Learning • It is a grouping strategy that uses mixed-ability groups for instruction. Cooperative learning • Is used to improve the achievement of students across a range of content areas • Improves social interactions among students who differ • Improves acceptance of students with disabilities • Improves affective outcomes

20. What Is Cognitive Strategy Instruction? • Can Be As Simple As Having Students • Verbalize their thinking as they work on math problems. • Draw a graphic representation of the steps needed to solve a computation problem. • Learn several steps to follow in solving a word problem. • Helps students control the impulsive often random approach they use in problem solving.

21. Learning Characteristics Typical of Secondary Students with Disabilities • Difficulties understanding incoming information • Poor spelling and handwriting skills • A tendency towards distractibility • Note-taking, studying, and test taking skills fail to develop adequately • Frustration builds, motivation fails, and inappropriate behaviors become evident

22. Models and Approaches for Inclusive Content-Area Instruction • Guided Discovery Learning: designed to teach students to be independent problem solvers, to learn generic steps to scientific inquiry and logical thinking. • Cooperative Learning: characterized by • Positive interdependence • Individual accountability • Cooperative skills

23. Mnemonic Strategies? • These are procedures that enhance memory by forming associations that do not exist naturally in the content. • They are not a specific curricular approach, educational philosophy, or a method of improving comprehension. • They simply help students remember things.

24. Content-Area Reading Strategies • Many students with disabilities lack the reading skills to fully benefit from their subject area textbooks. • Textbooks have been simplified to adjust to student’s lowered reading levels and short attention spans. Still many students fail to succeed. • Teachers assist by including specific activities, adaptations, and modifications.

25. Developing and Supporting Note Taking • Note taking requires coordination of a number of complex skills and cognitive processes. • Students need to recollect what their notes represent about the important content of the lesson. • Students with disabilities do not take notes or rely on others to take notes for them, or to provide them with preexisting products. • Teachers will need to provide accommodations, adaptations, or directly teach note taking.