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Gauging an IEP's Effectiveness Individualized Education Programs — Making the Most of a Living Document
Meet with IEP team in spring. Check. Sign off on agreed-upon IEP. Check. Enjoy summer, go back to school, see that IEP is in effect. Check. Check. Check. Leave IEP on autopilot—not so fast.
A good IEP, or individualized education plan, is a living document, not an annual permission slip to sign and forget. In fact, it is not uncommon for IEPs to be revised throughout the year as dictated by the child’s unique and evolving needs. Parents must also know their involvement and advocacy throughout the special education process is critical to their child’s performance.
using to assess the child’s performance then see how this data stack up to state standards for the child’s grade level. Kyle Mitchell, special education teacher and board certified behavior analyst at the Applied Behavior Center for Autism, is on the same page. “You gauge progress by the the measurement that was written into the IEP goal. If you write a goal that Johnny will label these six shapes with 80 percent accuracy three out of five times, ask where they are [on that task],” he says. His example speaks not only to the
by being removed from what is expected of all kids. Teachers or the IEP team may modify what is expected or taught of the child, but there still should be a connection back to Indiana standards. In other words if a child is doing more community-based or functional curriculum, schools should connect what that child is doing to statewide standards.
Status Check So when should a parent check in on the progress his or her child is making toward the IEP goals? There is no one answer. The progress each child makes is as individual as the plan and A good IEP, or individualized education will vary; yet, some goals simply need to move faster than others. plan, is a living document, not an annual
Data ARE King Whether the stated goals within the IEP are academic, functional, behavioral or social, a permission slip to sign and forget. child must consistently work toward the written goals and his or her progress is to be reported back to the parent on a regular basis, t ypically ever y nine weeks or per the specificity of goals, but to their possible ambiguity from a school’s standard report card cycle. Ideally the goals written laymen’s perspective. into the IEP are measurable. If not, make that a priority. Repeat: make measurable goals a priority. Measurable So, how does a parent know if a measurable goal is goals based on a child’s present levels of performance worthwhile in the first place? After all, what does it really and written into an IEP add a level of accountability to mean if a goal says the student will label a certain six shapes the plan and provide insight into the effectiveness of the with 80 percent accuracy three out of five times? That is program. Loose goals, however well intentioned, can lead where good working relationships come in. An IEP team should be able to address the value or thought behind the to substandard support. goal and it should tie back to standards set for all kids at Fortunately parents are becoming more sophisticated in the student’s grade level. In other words, parents need to their approach to IEPs and now know that data are the best understand how their child’s goals and subsequently the progress toward the goals stack up to Indiana’s standards way to gauge their child’s progress. for all children. Lesa Paddack, the statewide parent liaison for INSOURCE to the Indiana Department of Education, agrees data are Taking it further, if there is no connection to what a child king for evaluating progress toward IEP goals. Specifically, who is receiving special education is doing back to core she recommends parents find out what tools the school is standards, then it could be said the child is being handicapped 42 INDY’S CHILD * SEPTEMBER 2010
For instance, an academic goal may be given more time than a behavioral goal. “If a student is exhibiting behavior that is escalating, you are not going to wait for nine weeks [to address it]. And a parent has the right to ask to reconvene that case conference when they feel there is a need to do so. If they are not happy, feel the IEP is not working or that it’s not being followed, they can always reconvene,” says Mary Delaney, regional programs specialist for INSOURCE. This is a point all experts stress. Parents can call an IEP meeting whenever they see fit. Legally, parents are as much a part of the IEP team as school personnel. After all, an IEP is not a contract until the parent signs off on it and the state wants that signature. Plus who knows the child better than his or her parent? “Parents can’t assume the schools will take care of their son or daughter,” says Scott Carson, assistant director of INSOURCE. “The insights the parents can bring to that discussion are very important in understanding what that student can or cannot do.”