IEP Tips, phrases, definitions, key words...
The GOALS drive the IEP...Do the goals have these outcomes in mind...
- To further education
- Teach skills for future employment
- Teach skills for Independent living
Getting ready for an IEP meeting
- Discuss what types of goals that are being considered with team members in advance of any meeting planning. It can be via email, phone or in person meeting. Please follow up every conversation with a written letter or email. All correspondence with an individual team member should be shared with others on the team via a follow up email. They may have some great ideas to add or will be thankful for learning a new technique that will help your child. You need everyone on the team on the same page.
- Yes, you need to gather contact information from each member on the team in order to keep everyone on the same page. Understand these people should be spending as much of their time as possible working with students not spent buried under voicemail or email messages, so please keep messages short and to the point.
- Review where your child is at currently both at home and at school. Goals need to be set slightly higher then where they are currently at.
- Where do you want your child to be, say by the end of the school year? What do you invision your child will be able to do in 2 years, 5 years, 10 years etc? These are important to share with your team members as well and feel free to adjust them every now and then.
- You need a system to store all information regarding your child's education in one place. A binder or accordion folder or file box...something portable that you can bring with to meetings. should include tabs for at least the following; your questions, list of things you want your child to accomplish in the near future and the distant future, All IEP's past and present, Documentation of all correspondence with team members-yes print off emails and file here, make notations of verbal conversations-date and time, Any medical documentation that you are using to get certain services within the school district (keep in mind it is your right not to share all your child's medical information just those that you feel are important in the reaching of goals and to keep your child safe at school), you may also want to include copies of the federal and state laws regarding education and transportation with items highlighted that may be beneficial to you. http://www.specialparentsforspecialkids.com/education.html
- Consider including your child in the IEP process. You know your child best and every child has different abilities. Some children will benefit from being involved. It can help them understand why things are being done a certain way, that people are trying to help and can help them down the road when transitioning out of the school system talks begin.
In the IEP
- When they read the goal to you do you know exactly what they intend to do. Does the goal state what they are going to do to reach that goal. Ask them. If they explain things to you that are not in writing on the IEP for that goal...it needs to be added.
- Are their benchmarks in place to measure progress?
- What systems are in place for tracking?
- Remember teachers are leaders and have an authority position. Don't ever tell them they are not doing something right. Say something like "This is the outcome I am looking for what are we doing to get there"...just an example...
- Accommodations VS Modification
- Accommodations: how information is delivered, how a student shows work, visual cues, preferential seating, giving info for homework ahead of time...in other words same work from the student is expected
- Modification: content is different (5th grader doing 2nd grade work), using a calculator on a math test, less is expected of the student compared to their peers,
Positive Behavior Intervention Supports
Communicating with your IEP team
Illinois Alternate Assesment IAA
The Illinois Alternate Assessment (IAA) is the yardstick the state uses to measure the learning of students with the most significant cognitive disabilities. Students take the IAA if participation in the state's regular assessments — the Illinois Standards Achievement Test (ISAT) or the Prairie State Achievement Examination (PSAE) — is not appropriate, even with accommodations.
The IAA is a performance-based assessment that uses on demand tasks, which are aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards. The IAA is based on alternate achievement standards in reading, mathematics, science and writing at the grades corresponding to ISAT and PSAE.
The IAA is a performance-based assessment that uses on demand tasks, which are aligned to the Illinois Learning Standards. The IAA is based on alternate achievement standards in reading, mathematics, science and writing at the grades corresponding to ISAT and PSAE.