KRISTIN HENNESSEY SOUTH SOUND PARENT TO PARENT THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2013 IEPs: The Big Picture… and a bit of the Nitty-Gritty

Disclaimer Presentation should not be interpreted to provide:  Legal advice  Recommendations specific to your child 2

Tonight IEP vs. Evaluation Evaluation/reevaluation data The IEP document Preparing for an IEP meeting Transition and the IEP Collaborating with school districts Disagreements and complaints about IEP services and placement Other, time permitting……….. 3

(Re)Evaluation IEP Process used to gather information about the student to determine eligibility and develop IEP Must be conducted at least once every three years, or before if needed Document developed using information gathered during evaluation Must be developed every year Evaluation vs. IEP 4

Evaluation/revaluation: two main purposes 1. To determine eligibility 2. To inform IEP development, if student is found eligible 5

IEP: two main purposes 1. To identify annual learning goals for the student and identify a means for tracking student progress toward meeting those IEP goals 2. To document a shared understanding of student services and placement 6

Remember/keep in mind… What a district may present at an IEP meeting is a DRAFT IEP There’s no menu of services to choose from More is not better When you hear, “It depends…”, it may be true! Medical professionals cannot prescribe educational services Don’t lose sight of the big picture 7

Evaluation data informs the IEP Information about all areas related to the student’s suspected disability, including, if appropriate, health, vision, hearing, social and emotional status, general intelligence, academic performance, communicative status, and motor abilities. Must utilize a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relevant functional, developmental, and academic information! 8

Step 1 of evaluation process (3 general steps) The IEP team and other qualified professionals, as appropriate, must: 1. Review existing evaluation data on the student, including: (a) Evaluations and information provided by the parents of the student; (b) Current classroom-based, local, or state assessments, and classroom-based observations; and (c) Observations by teachers and related services providers. 9

Step 2 of evaluation process 2. On the basis of that review, and input from the student's parents, identify what additional information, if any, is needed to determine: (a) Eligibility (b) Assuming continued eligibility, what special education and related services the student needs 10

Step 3 of evaluation process (either 3a OR 3b)  3a. If it’s determined that no additional data is needed, the school district must notify the student's parents of: (a) That determination and the reasons for that determination (b) The right of the parents to request an assessment if they believe this is needed OR  3b. If it’s determined that additional data is needed, parent provides written consent to conduct testing 11

Evaluation Report Shall be sufficient in scope to develop an IEP, and at a minimum, must include: Whether the student has a disability that meets the eligibility criteria A discussion of the assessments and review of data that supports the conclusion regarding supporting eligibility determination How the student's disability affects the student's school participation Recommended special education and related services 12

Evaluation Report (continued) Other information, as determined through the evaluation process and parental input, needed to develop an IEP Date and signature of each professional member of the group certifying that the evaluation report represents his or her conclusion. Results of individual assessments or observations Can request Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) if you disagree with the results of the district’s reevaluation. 13

Every student’s IEP should include:  Present levels of academic achievement and functional performance  Effect of the disability on the student’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum  Measurable annual goals  For student taking the WAAS Portfolio, benchmarks or short-term objectives  A description of: 1. How the student’s progress toward meeting his/her annual goals will be measured and 2. When the school district will report on student’s progress toward meeting the annual goals 14

IEP content (continued)  A statement of the special education, related services, and supplementary aids and services to be provided to the student or on behalf of the student  Statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided  An explanation of the extent, if any, to which the student will not participate with nondisabled students in the general education classroom and extracurricular and nonacademic activities (Placement) 15

Specially designed instruction (SDI) 16 WAC A (PART) (3)(c) Specially designed instruction means adapting, as appropriate to the needs of an eligible student, the content, methodology, or delivery of instruction: (i) To address the unique needs of the student that result from the student's disability; and (ii) To ensure access of the student to the general curriculum, so that the student can meet the educational standards within the jurisdiction of the public agency that apply to all students.

Related services 17 WAC A (PART) Related services means transportation and such developmental, corrective, and other supportive services as are required to assist a student eligible for special education to benefit from special education….

Supplementary aids and services 18 WAC A (PART) The term "supplementary aids and services" means aids, services, and other supports that are provided in general education classes or other education-related settings to enable students eligible for special education to be educated with nondisabled students to the maximum extent appropriate in accordance with the least restrictive environment requirements in WAC A through A

Accommodations (IDEA doesn’t define) 19 Accommodations are provided when the student is expected to reach the same level of proficiency as their non-disabled peers. An accommodation allows a student to complete the same assignment or test as other students, but with a change in the timing, formatting, setting, scheduling, response and/or presentation of the material. This accommodation does not alter in any significant way what the test or assignment measures. Examples of accommodations include a student who is blind taking a Braille version of a test or a student taking a test alone in a quiet room.

Modifications (IDEA doesn’t define) 20 Modifications are provided when the student is NOT expected to reach the same level of proficiency as their non-disabled peers. A modification is an adjustment to an assignment or a test that changes the standard or what the test or assignment is supposed to measure. Examples of modifications include a student completing work on part of a standard or a student completing an alternate assignment that is more easily achievable than the standard assignment.

IEP content (continued)  Assessment related information:  Approved accommodations for state and district-wide assessments  If the student must take an alternate assessment instead of a particular regular state or district-wide assessment of student achievement, a statement explaining why: 1. The student cannot participate in the regular assessment; and 2. The particular alternate assessment selected is appropriate for the student. 21

Consideration Of Special Factors Transportation Extended School Year services (ESY) Behavior Aversive interventions? Other factors (medical concerns, other adaptations needed, etc.) 22

More on Special Factors… Consider: The language needs of the student with limited English proficiency For a student a student who is blind or visually impaired, instruction in Braille and the use of Braille unless the IEP team determines (based on information from evaluation) that instruction in Braille or the use of Braille is not appropriate for the student 23

More on Special Factors… (continued) The communication needs of the student, and in the case of a student who is deaf or hard of hearing, consider the student's language and communication needs, opportunities for direct communications with peers and professional personnel in the student's language and communication mode, academic level, and full range of needs, including opportunities for direct instruction in the student's language and communication mode Whether the student needs assistive technology devices and services. 24

IEP content (continued)  The projected date for the beginning of the services and modifications described above, as well as the anticipated frequency, location, and duration of those services and modifications.  For the first IEP to be in effect when the student turns sixteen (younger if determined appropriate by the IEP team), Transition Services (informed by Transition Assessment) 25

IEP content (continued)  Beginning not later than one year before the student reaches the age of eighteen, a statement that the student has been informed of the student’s rights under the IDEA, if any, that will transfer to the student on reaching the age of majority, which is age 18 in Washington. 26

Dispute Resolution Options Resolving Complaints and Disagreements about Special Education Mediation Citizen Complaint Due Process Hearing 27

Suggestions… 28 Know the purpose of the meetings you attend Request a draft IEP to review prior to the IEP meeting Prepare for the IEP meeting Be familiar with the most recent evaluation report and the current IEP Talk as needed at IEP meetings Be clear about next steps Conduct yourself in ways you won’t regret

Check in… 29 IEP vs. Evaluation Evaluation/reevaluation data The IEP document Preparing for an IEP meeting Transition and the IEP Collaborating with school districts Disagreements and complaints about IEP services and placement

Questions? Resources Guidance for Families about Special Education Services (OSPI) OSPI’s Model Forms U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs’ (OSEP’s) IDEA website 30