Developing an Individualized Education ProgramState Non-Public School Conference

November 20, 2008

Evaluation Process Pre-referral/Interventions Referral Domain meeting Evaluation Eligibility Placement

Evaluation Process in a Nutshell

Within 14 days of receiving a request for an evaluation you must: Review relevant sources of data Conduct a meeting with the parent to determine

whether an evaluation should proceed If an evaluation is warranted, determine the domains

and provide the parent with the necessary consent forms

Evaluation Process in a Nutshell

Within 60 school days of receiving consent you must

Complete all evaluations as identified in the domain meeting

Review and consider all other relevant sources of data

Schedule and complete the eligibility conference and the IEP meeting (if eligibility is found)

Eligibility

Team process—qualified professionals and the parent Exclusionary factors—lack of instruction in reading or

math or due to limited English proficiency Can not be due to lack of interventions or modifications

in the general education classroom Adverse effect on educational performance Eligibility determination is based on multiple sources

After Eligibility is Determined

Development of an IEP Determination of placement Implementation of an IEP

What is an Individualized Education Program (IEP)?

An IEP is the legal written description of an appropriate instructional program for a student with special needs.

IEP TEAM MEMBERS

The parents/guardian of the child General education teacher who has specific knowledge of the child and/or

the grade appropriate curriculum Special education teacher Local education administrator or designee knowledgeable about the

resources of the district At the discretion of the parent/guardian or the agency, other individuals who

have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related service personnel, where appropriate

Psychologist, where appropriate School nurse Social worker Whenever appropriate, the child.

Excusal of IEP Team Members

Attendance is not necessary when an IEP team member’s area is not modified or discussed

A team member may be excused from attendance when the parent and the agency consent to the excusal, and

The member submits input in writing to the parent and the team

Components of an IEP

An IEP outlines the following items for each student:

Current Academic and Functional Performance Level Accommodations necessary in class Subject areas impacted by the student's disability Goals and objectives to be achieved during the course of

the IEP (1 year or less) Conceive of each IEP as a “chapter”, rather than the

whole “book” Standardized testing accommodations

More Components of an IEP Connected to Learning Standards Transportation services Schedule modifications Service delivery with necessary personnel Parental or guardian concerns Transition Plan (starting at age 14 ½ years) Behavioral Management Plan (if team determines

necessary)

IEP Development

Gather information Review student records Progress monitoring Consult with the student, parents/guardians, school

staff, and other professionals Gather general education information to include

current grades and teacher report Observe the student Review the student’s current work Conduct further assessments

IEP Development (cont.)

Develop the IEP Identify student strengths and needs Collect assessment data Develop present level of performance Develop goals and short-term objectives Identify resources Establish monitoring cycle to evaluate progress

Present Level of Academic and Functional Performance (PLAFP)

Address how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum as well as other functional domains affecting progress (including educational behavior)

Must consider: Recent evaluations (e.g., KTEA-II Brief) Student strengths Student needs Parent concerns Special factors—behavior, communication, etc…

Examples of PLAFP

Charlie, a 9th grade student, scored at the 8-8 age equivalent (SS 81) on the solving section of the Key Math test administered March 13, 2008. He can compute math problems, but is unable to understand and apply problem solving strategies to story problems.

Examples of PLAFP (cont.)

Billie is a 16-year-old, 10th grader performing at a mid-first grade level. In her daily work she does not consistently begin a sentence with a capital letter and end with punctuation. Her writing score on the KTEA-II Brief, administered March 6, 2008, was (SS) 75.

PLAFP ActivityExamine the following PLAFP, determine why it is ineffective, and rewrite it to make it an effective PLAFP.

• Billie is a 10th grader who has difficulty with reading, written language, and math.

IEP GOALSIEP goals should be SMART! Specific Measurable Action Words Realistic and Relevant Time-limited

Goals must include the direction of the behavior (increase, decrease, maintain), the area of need (reading, math, etc.), and the level of attainment (age level, without adult assistance, etc.)

Example of an IEP Goal

Charlie will increase his ability to accurately solve early 5th grade level word problems requiring him to use familiar mathematical operations. State Learning Standard: 6.B.1 Solve one- and two-step problems with whole numbers using basic operations.

Another Example of an IEP Goal

Billie will write complete sentences using correct punctuation and capitalization without prompts 80% of the time. State Learning Standard: 3.A Use correct grammar, spelling, punctuation, capitalization and structure.

Non-Examples of IEP Goals

IEP goals are not attitude statements.“Johnny should have a better attitude.”“Mary should never pinch.”

IEP goals are not states of being. “Beth will appreciate classical music.”“Eric will understand the workings of a

gasoline engine.”

IEP Goals Activity

Write a goal for the PLAFP that you wrote in the last activity.

IEPs Aligned to the State Standards Each goal should be linked to an Illinois

Learning Standard.

http://www.isbe.net/ils/Default.htm

Short-Term Objectives

Logical breakdown of the major components of the goal

Specifies the behavior to be performed and the conditions under which the child will perform the behavior

Indicators of progress Limit 2-4 per goal

Example of Objectives Annual Goal: Charlie will increase his ability

to accurately solve grade level word problems requiring him to use familiar mathematical operations.

Short-Term Objectives:1. Charlie will discriminate relevant from irrelevant

information within the text of a word problem with 80% accuracy.

2. Charlie will select the appropriate operation for a given word problem with 80% accuracy.

3. Charlie will compute accurate responses to word problems with 80% accuracy.

Short-Term Objectives Activity

Write 3-4 short-term objectives for the goals that you wrote in the previous activity.

Post-Secondary Transition

Required IEP component for every student aged 14 ½ or older

Based on appropriate assessment of student strengths, preferences and interests

Involvement of parents and other family members in developing data is a PLUS

Post-Secondary Transition

Student involvement in the development is ESSENTIAL

Goals and objectives must connected to what the student is doing and what the student may need to do in the future

Must be designated and must include services designed to prepare the student for post-graduation life

Continuum of Services

General Education Classroom with no supplementary aids and services

General Education Classroom with supplementary aids and services*

Resource Room (special class)

Self-Contained Room (special class)

Separate Day School (special school)

Residential Program (special school)

Home/Hospital Program

A range of individualized services and programs within

the educational setting based on a child’s individual needs

* A child with a disability should not be removed from education in age-appropriate general education classrooms solely because of needed modifications in the general curriculum.

Determination of Placement

Team decision, including parents/guardian Consistent with the child’s IEP Least restrictive environment To the maximum extent appropriate, permit

the child to participate in nonacademic and extracurricular activities

Reviewed at least annually

LRE Determination To the maximum extent appropriate, shall be

educated with nondisabled peers Satisfactory achievement can not be obtained in the

general education classroom without modifications and accommodations due to the severity of the disability

Close as possible to child’s home Educated in the school he or she would attend if not

disabled Consider harmful effect of placement on the child or

on the quality of services Shall not be based solely on the need for

modifications to the general curriculum

Delegation of Rights (PA 95-372)

Acknowledgement of the fact that when a student turns 18 years of age, all rights enjoyed by the parent SHALL transfer to the student

Transfer shall not occur under two circumstances: Adjudication of legal “incompetence” by a court of law; or Execution of a delegation of rights form by the student

Notification at age 17

In addition to the general notice of transfer at age 17, districts must now provide notice also of the right of the student to delegate rights

Districts must also provide a copy of the delegation of rights form as found on the ISBE website or a form substantially similar to the suggested form contained in the statute

Delegation of Rights

Must be in writing Must be signed by both the student and the person to

whom the rights are delegated In the case of a student with a disability whose

disability precludes signing a form, other means such as an audio or video record may be used

Must last for no more than one calendar year May be revoked at any time by the student

Resources Illinois State Board of Education

www.isbe.net/spec-ed/ Federal Register August 14, 2006 23 Illinois Administrative Code Part 226

April 28. 2003 LD Online www.ldonline.org Wrights Law www.fetaweb.com Online Accommodations Bibliography

http://cehd.umn.edu/nceo/AccomStudies

ISBE Contact Information

Julie Evans: jevans@isbe.net Andrew Eulass: aeulass@isbe.net

Phone number: 217-782-5589