1. THE IEP PROCESS REBECCA ROTONDO, M.ED. NORRISTOWN AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT 1

2. WHAT IS AN IEP?  Mandated by IDEA  Individualized  Legal document  Product of a team collaboration  Meaurable 2

3. THE IEP TEAM  Parents  Special educators  General educators  Related service providers (occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, vision/hearing)  Student (when appropriate)  Behavior Specialist  Other individuals, at the discretion of the parent or the agency, who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate  LEA (local education agency representative)  Principal, special education supervisor, other administrator (basically anyone that has the power to make an administrative decision or find the answer at least) 3

4. THE EVALUATION/IEP PROCESS 4

5. THE REEVALUATION/IEP PROCESS 5

6. ROLE OF GENERAL EDUCATORS IN IEP Provide information about how the included student performs academically, behaviorally, and socially in the general education setting Identify types and amounts of support students may need in their classroom (SAS) Regular education classroom teachers are an integral member of the IEP team for the included student For students not yet included, special area teachers are extremely important IEP team members

7.  Share responsibility  Collaborate & Plan  Notice the strengths & needs  Be positive  Accept responsibility  Monitor progress diligently WE’RE ALL IN THIS TOGETHER!

8. Present Education levels (strengths and needs) Specially Designed Instruction Supplemental Aids and Services Testing Accommodations (state and local) Goals and Objectives Related Services Behavior plans/protocols Medical Information Maintain Confidentiality HOW TO EFFECTIVELY COMMUNICATE IMPORTANT COMPONENTS OF AN IEP

9. GOALS AT A GLANCE Goals at Glance: Elijah K. GOALS (based on IEP written 1/09) Elijah has no goals for this IEP. Elijah receives Speech 1x week, 30 minute session Motivators and Reinforcement Schedule: Reinformcents include the computer, edibles, stickers, praise, and toys. Strengths: oral reading fluency, spelling, word attack skills, word ID, following directions, willingness to learn and cooperate, sense of humor Specially Designed Instruction: preferential seating, allow wait time to organize thoughts and respond to question, extended time for test and assignments when determined appropriate by regular/special education teacher, advance notice of change in schedule or routine, social skills instruction, student’s teacher will use multi-modality teaching including modeling,explicit instruction, rephrasing, visual cues, graphic organizers, repetition, study guides, chunking of material, wait time, memory strategies. Behavior: In the past when Elijah gets upset it is best to quickly address the situation. Have him repeat key phrases to help him use his words to express what is wrong and how he feels. Strategies that work well with him also include social stories, specific rules and consequences, having him write how he feels, and a daily schedule.

10. GOALS AT A GLANCE 10

11. TESTING ACCOMMODATIONS/TEST FEATURES What Are Accommodations?  practices and procedures that ensure that educators, as well as students and parents, have a valid measure of what students with disabilities know and can do.  applied to classroom instruction.  Accommodations do not reduce expectations for learning.  Accommodations provided to a student during state assessments must also be provided during classroom instruction, classroom assessments, and district assessments. 11

12. WHAT ARE TEST FEATURES?  options are available for all students  can also be an accommodation if the student has demonstrated a need in order to participate in the test, and it is documented on the IEP or in the student’s record.  For example, any student may request the read aloud of a word, phrase, or test item on the math/algebra and science/biology tests. Since this is allowable for all students, it is considered to be a test feature. However, the read aloud of these allowable test parts is considered an accommodation when identified as a need in order for the student to participate in the assessment. Therefore, it should be documented on the IEP.  Another example is the use of highlighting. In the online assessment, a highlighter is available for use by any student and is considered a test feature. 12

13. DESCRIPTION OF ACCOMMODATIONS CATEGORIES  Presentation Accommodations—Allow students to access print information in alternate ways. These alternate modes of access are auditory, multi-sensory, tactile, and visual.  Response Accommodations—Allow students to complete activities, assignments, and assessments in different ways or to solve or organize problems using some type of assistive device or organizer.  Setting Accommodations—Change the location in which a test or assignment is given or the conditions of the assessment setting.  Timing/Scheduling Accommodations—Increase the allowable length of time to complete an assessment or assignment and perhaps change the way the time is organized. 13

14. WHO IS INVOLVED IN ACCOMMODATIONS DECISIONS?  The IEP Team must make assessment and accommodation decisions for students based on individual need.  The same decision-making procedures apply for the Student Support Team for 504 Plans and ESL Plans.  Accommodations selected may not invalidate the state assessment and must be documented in IEPs, 504 plans, and ESL Plans. 14

15. IEP TEAM CONSIDERATIONS FOR INSTRUCTIONAL ACCOMMODATIONS  attempt to level the playing field so that students with disabilities can participate in the general education curriculum  Student characteristics: Reduction of the effects of a disability or language barrier.  Instructional tasks expected of students to demonstrate grade-level content in state standards: Assignments and class tests.  Consistency with standards-based IEP for classroom instruction and assessments: Fidelity to accommodations and achievement standards noted in IEP. **Be careful: More doesn’t always mean better! 15

16. ACCOMMODATIONS AND UNIVERSAL DESIGN  intended to improve access to learning and assessments for all students  important to the development and review of assessments in order to remove barriers that bar students with disabilities from showing what they know  gain a more accurate understanding of what students know and can do  should be applied from the beginning of test development through the implementation of assessments  may reduce the need for accommodations and alternate assessments  cannot eliminate the need for accommodations and alternate assessments. 16

17. DOCUMENTATION  IEP  504 plan  Non-IEP student file (test features) 17

18. THE DECISION MAKING PROCESS  Student characteristics (e.g., disabilities, language proficiency, accommodations used in classroom instruction/assessments to access and perform in academic standards and state tests).  Individual test characteristics (i.e., knowledge about what tasks are required on state assessments and ways to remove physical and other barriers to students’ ability to perform those tasks).  State accommodations policies for the assessment or for part of an assessment and consequence of decisions. 18

19. http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/testi ng_accommodations___security/7448 19