1. E FFECTIVE IEP S Presented by: Anne Goins and Patty Williams

2. E FFECTIVE IEP T EAM M EETINGS Let’s Cover Some Basics:  When do I need to have an IEP meeting?  Any time there is discussion of topics related to an IEP/Special Education Services for a child  Ex: Annual review, parent request, updates/changes needed to any part of the IEP, re-evaluation, initial evaluation  Can I make changes to an IEP without a meeting?  NO  Addendum?  Any meeting that is held between annual reviews-an addendum meeting can be held at any time that updates or changes need to be made to a student’s IEP  A”me”ndment?  Oops I made a clerical error on the IEP

3. IEP BASICS CONTINUED Participants Who has to be at the meeting for it to be an official IEP meeting? Required Participants: -Special Education Teacher -General Education Teacher -LEA (administrator or principal designee on a limited basis) *Parents (must receive appropriate prior notice to have opportunity to attend) Other Participants: -other professionals as needed such as school psychologist, liaison, SLP, OT, outside agency reps, etc.

4. IEP I NVITATIONS  Create an invitation in Goalview as soon as a meeting is planned and finalize it  Print a copy of the invitation to be placed in the student’s Mod 2 (official record) and send a copy home via the parent’s preferred communication method  7-10 days notice for a meeting should be provided unless a parent agrees otherwise

5. P ARENT P ARTICIPATION  Can I hold a meeting if:  the parent signs the first invitation stating that they are coming? Yes  the parent does not respond to 2 invitations that provided proper prior notice? Yes  parent contacts me and asks for a reschedule? No-you should work with the parent for a mutually agreed upon time to meet  the parent says they can’t come in person but can participate by phone? Yes 5

6. D RAFT IEP S  A draft of the IEP including (updated) present levels and (updated) proposed goals and objectives should be prepared for each meeting  Appropriate/best practice to provide parent with a copy of the draft if requested prior to the meeting (or even if they don’t request it). This helps meetings move much more quickly.  Project IEP for all to see during meeting and update live as the meeting takes place. If possible finish and finalize providing parent a copy before they leave.

7. E FFECTIVE IEP MEETINGS  Make sure all participants and a draft are prepared  Start on Time  Make Introductions  Create and promote an atmosphere of mutual respect  Stay on task  Selective seating for collaboration  Be sensitive to parents feelings  Pre-meet on difficult cases  Provide evaluation results to everyone to review prior to meeting (yes, parent if they request)

8. C ASE MANAGER RESPONSIBILITIES / GOALS FOR IEP MEETINGS  Schedule meeting and invite parents  Ensure all needed documents are ready for meeting (draft, signature pg, handbook, etc)  Secure/prepare room and technology to facilitate an effective meeting  Collaborate with staff so that all are prepared and know their role and responsibility for the meeting  Facilitate a timely, positive meeting  Finalize IEP and provide to parents within 3 days of the meeting (best to update live and provide at end of meeting)

9. D EVELOPMENT OF EFFECTIVE AND LEGALLY DEFENSIBLE IEP S  What is an IEP?  The term individualized education program or IEP means a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in a meeting, and must include …. (NC 1503-4.1)

10. P RESENT LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE (PLOP) (1) A statement of the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance including-- (i ) How the child’s disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum; or (ii) For preschool children, as appropriate, how the disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities;… NC 1503-4.1 (a)(1)

11. W HAT MAKES THE PLOP SO IMPORTANT ? The present levels of academic achievement and functional performance are the cornerstone of the IEP. It is the source that drives other IEP components, particularly goals and objectives. The PLOP is the statement that links all components of the IEP together.

12. P RESENT LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE (PLOP)  Academic achievement  For school-age students:  child’s performance in academic areas  How does their performance compare to gen ed curriculum expectations?  For preschool-age students-performance compared to age appropriate development levels  Functional Performance  refers to skills or activities that may not be considered academic or related to a child’s academic achievement  often used in the context of routine activities of everyday living  can impact educational achievement

13. PLOP SHOULD BE :  Should be:  Current  Relevant  Objective  Measurable  *Understandable*  Should include:  Strengths of student  Needs of student resulting from disability  Current and data specific information related to current performance  Effects of the disability on involvement and progress in the general education curriculum

14. W HAT TYPES OF DATA MIGHT I REPORT IN THE PLOP?  Data from multiple sources  Data that is current and relevant  Possible data/info. sources(not an exhaustive list)  Formal eval results  Classroom grades and assessments  Curriculum based assessments  Observations and supporting anecdotal records  Work samples  Progress toward goals  Information from parents

15. T HE PLOP SHOULD ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS ?  Where does the child stand in terms of academic and functional performance?  How are they performing compared to grade level expectations or general education curriculum benchmarks?  How does the child’s disability affect his/her involvement and progress in the general education curriculum and toward grade level expectations?

16. PLOP E XAMPLE -R EADING  Patty is performing significantly below grade level in the area of reading. While her decoding skills and ability to read accurately and fluently are within a year of expected levels her ability to retell and answer comprehension questions falls more than 2 grade levels below. This impacts her ability to successfully read and understand material in a meaningful way in all academic areas.  The following DIBELS scores provide specific information about her performance compared to grade level expectations:  ORF (Oral Reading Fluency)-87 words per (wpm) minute read correctly at an accuracy level of 97%. The expectation for this point in third grade is 100 wpm at 97%  Retell-Patty is able to retell only 10 words per minute out of an expected 30 wpm.  TRC (Text Reading Comprehension)-independent level for Patty is Level J and instructional level is Level K. The expectation is Level S. She struggles with both oral and written responses to comprehension questions

17. PLOP NON - EXAMPLE - READING  Patty is a sweet girl who likes to read but has trouble understanding what she reads  Her current average in reading is a 76%

18. P ARENT I NPUT  There should be information in parent input for every meeting. If a parent does not attend a meeting then state that in this section. For ex: Parent did not attend meeting. Two invitations were provided and parent indicated they would attend.  This section includes input provided by the parent during the meeting. Thoughts or comments provided by parent after the meeting are not appropriate to include.  It is important to note in this section how the parent participated if they were not there in person. For ex: Parent participated by phone. 18

19. S PECIAL F ACTORS /ESY

20. S PECIAL F ACTORS One component (required by law) of developing an IEP is the consideration of special factors. Consideration of the following special factors is required:  Assistive Technology  Visual Impairment  Hearing Impairment  Behavior Supports (strategies to address)  Limited English Proficiency

21. NC 1501-2.4 E XTENDED S CHOOL Y EAR S ERVICES (a) General: (1) Each public agency must ensure that extended school year services are available as necessary to provide FAPE. (2) Extended school year services must be provided only if a child's IEP Team determines, on an individual basis, that the services are necessary for the provision of FAPE to the child. (3) In implementing the requirements of this section, a public agency may not: (i) Limit extended school year services to particular categories of disability; or (ii) Unilaterally limit the type, amount, or duration of those services.

22. ESY C ONTINUED … (b) Definition-the term extended school year services means special education and related services that– (1) Are provided to a child with a disability: (i) Beyond the normal school year of the public agency; (ii) In accordance with the child's IEP; and (iii) At no cost to the parents of the child; and What does this actually mean? What types of services or things can be ESY be provided for? How do I determine a need for ESY?

23. ESY C ONTINUED …  3 reasons ESY might be appropriate for a student:  Regression and longer than average recoupment time  Prevention of significant regression  Window of opportunity

24. F INAL T HOUGHTS ON ESY  Must be considered at least once annually  To be determined by the IEP team  Should be based on data and team discussion  Reminder that ESY is only considered regarding IEP goals and objectives  Liaisons are to be consulted for students who may be in need of ESY services

25. G OALS AND OBJECTIVES Now that I know how the student is performing and how their disability is impacting their educational performance, what do I do next?

26. C ONNECTING IEP S TO S TATE /D ISTRICT S TANDARDS M EANS …  Referring to standards to determine expectations at grade level  Conducting an analysis to determine the gap between grade expectations and student’s current skills/knowledge  Using the standards as a guide to determine what is important for the student to learn or be able to do in order to progress in the general curriculum

27. M EASURABLE A NNUAL G OALS The Individualized Education Program must include… A statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals designed to: A. Meet the child’s needs that result from their disability to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum; and B. Meet each of the child’s other educational needs that result from the child’s disability;

28. M EASURABLE A NNUAL G OALS For each area needing specially designed instruction, determine the desired level of achievement or outcome for each goal for a student by considering the following:  Primary concerns stated in the present levels of academic achievement/functional performance.  Skills needed to progress to the next level of performance and/or to work toward expected grade level outcomes  Behavior/skills that will improve with a more intensive level of instruction/modifications.  Amount of time the student has left in school and the age of the student.  Skills needed to achieve transition.

29. A NNUAL GOALS SHOULD BE …  Objective  Measurable  Observable  Relevant  Reasonable

30. M AJOR C OMPONENTS OF M EASURABLE A NNUAL G OALS  Any important givens/conditions (when, with what, where)…as applicable  An observable learner performance (what the learner will be doing, an action)  Baseline/current achievement and target/expected achievement  A skill/domain area (academic, behavioral, functional)  Supported by short-term objectives

31. S HORT -T ERM O BJECTIVES Short term objectives (also called IEP objectives) are: measurable, intermediate steps between the present levels of educational performance of a child with a disability and the annual goals that are established for the child, and developed based on a logical breakdown of the major components of the annual goals; and can serve as milestones for measuring progress toward meeting the goals.

32. O THER TIPS FOR STRONG ANNUAL GOALS / OBJECTIVES  We encourage not writing goals directly to the NHCO probes but rather to student specific needs and skill deficits  Ensure that you have a strong plan for measuring progress that includes specific methods of data collection  Rely on present levels to determine areas of need for specially designed instruction which will guide your goal and objective development

33. M ONITORING /R EPORTING P ROGRESS T OWARD G OALS  Completion of IEP progress reports is required at least once each nine weeks and should coincide with report cards  IEP progress reports may be required on a more frequent timeframe if determined by the IEP team  When reporting progress, you should include information in addition to percentages and a selection from the dropdown (notes)  Be prepared to explain/show data supporting reported progress  Progress report to be updated and provided to parents at annual review and a copy put in Mod 2 with annual review IEP

34. Transition o Assess Interests, Preferences, Strengths and Needs by age 14 o Add Post Secondary Goals and Transition Activities by age 16 o If FR-OCS (Occupational) has been chosen as Course of Study, then document work hours here o At age 16 advise student of Transfer of Rights at age 18

35. Cessation o List date IEP Services were discontinued o Choose Exit Reason from drop-down menu, i.e. moved or dropped out o If we consider cessation/exit from services, must reevaluate as part of this process o Doesn’t mean have to design formal testing but must work through re-eval process and consider design

36. Evaluation Initial / Formal Evaluation and Reevaluation

37. Initial Evaluation o Consideration vs Determination (when 90 day timeline starts) o All required IEP meeting participants must attend an eval design meeting, plus school psychologist o Refer to NC Policies for required screenings/evals o Use Formal Eval Design grid form (paper/pencil design used for Initials) o For OT/PT concerns, write “Observation/ screening and/or assessment if warranted” o Get Parent Consent / Give handbook of rights o Out of state transfers count as Initials

38. I NITIAL E VALUATION ( CONT ’ D ) o Enter dates only into Goalview Folder 8 (Leave for 1 year) o Upload Eval Design grid and Parent Consent form into Goalview o Transfer info from Design grid to Evaluations section of PLOP as bulleted list o After meeting, email design grid to all persons who will evaluate o All evaluators must note in bulleted list when they have completed their part(s)

39. I NITIAL E VALUATION ( CONT ’ D ) o As case manager use bulleted list to help you monitor 90 day timeline o Notify data manager to flag student for EC in PowerSchool o 90 day timeline is in calendar days o Must complete the eval and hold the meeting to review results/determine disability/propose IEP (if eligible) all within the 90 days o If go past 90 days, must provide compensatory ed o File Transportation Evaluations in Mod 2

40. Parent Request for Evaluation o 90 day timeline begins on the date we receive the written request o Schedule a formal evaluation design meeting as soon as possible o Involve your school psychologist and liaison o If parent shares a private evaluation, ask their intent in doing so

41. Reevaluation o Required every 3 years after initial placement o For Developmentally Delayed students, required before they turn 8 or enter 3 rd grade o Required before adding/deleting a related service, and before IEP cessation o If using existing data only, summarize it in Evaluations section of Present Levels o If gathering additional data, use Goalview to design eval and get written parent consent o Use bulleted list steps for reevals also o List new reeval dates in Goalview Folder 3

42. Disability Eligibility Determination and Need for Specially Designed Instruction

43. Disability Determination o Is the student eligible? o Primary disability only - no 2nd or 3 rd o Summarize evaluation results from PLEP o Reference disability definition from Policies http://ec.ncpublicschools.gov/policies/nc-policies- governing-services-for-children-with- disabilities/policies-children-disabilities.pdf http://ec.ncpublicschools.gov/policies/nc-policies- governing-services-for-children-with- disabilities/policies-children-disabilities.pdf

44. Is Special Ed Needed? o Does the student require Specially Designed Instruction? o Give Reason for Conclusion, whether Yes or No o If No, skip to Procedural Safeguards o If the student does not require an IEP, consider whether a 504 or MTSS Plan is needed

45. Course of Study o Grade-level Standards in elementary/middle usually lead to Future Ready Core in high school o Modified Standards require persistent academic disabilities (2 or more years behind) and usually lead to Occupational Course of Study o Extended Standards require significant cognitive disabilities and lead to a certificate, not a diploma

46. Special Education and Related Services o Services grid no longer has to list Reevaluation or Accommodations o Para support as Sp Ed in Gen Ed only for direct service/generalization prescribed/supervised routinely by Sp Ed teacher (not shadowing/redirecting) o Service Delivery Location can no longer say “School wide” or “General Ed and Special Ed classrooms” o OT, PT, Speech, Transportation (Transp Eval to Liaison) o When preparing for an Annual Review or Addendum, do not change or remove Disability, Services, Accommodations, Testing Participation or LRE until the meeting. No drafting ahead of these sections.

47. Accommodations o Accessibility and Instruction are the most commonly used sections. o Cannot say “as needed.” Describe when. o Note a BIP and a modified day here. o List test accommodations to document routine use. o No Read Aloud unless 2 or more years below/ in replacement program/in IAS/OCS (no ELA) o Beyond best teaching practices

48. Testing Participation o EXTEND2 is gone. IAS/OCS students take regular EOG/EOC’s with accommodations. o Extend1 is still available for students on the Extensions. o Goalview has many more specific assessments listed in the Testing Participation dropdown menu now. o List District Wide Assessments to cover any new local assessments. o Be specific. Describe when needed.

49. LRE/Participation (Least Restrictive Environment) o Provide pull-out support only when push-in doesn’t work o Exhaust all resources at the district school o Change to Maximum Service must involve Liaison/Specialist. Maximum Service typically means Separate level. o Change to Modified Day or Home/Hospital must also involve Liaison/Specialist. These are last resorts that must be reviewed every 30 days in an IEP Addendum meeting. Time not in school is counted as removal minutes. Home Hospital is full removal-1950 min (elem), 2100 min (middle/high) Modified Day-time out of school is removal as well as any time in school that is provided in the special education setting

50. LRE/P ARTICIPATION ( CONT ’ D ) (L EAST R ESTRICTIVE E NVIRONMENT ) o K students who are still 5 must keep a PreK LRE until they turn 6 o With transitions/semesters etc you may sometimes need more than one LRE line o In Rationale for Removal break up the minutes by subject/goal area o Ex: total of 600 min: 60 min per day for math, 90 min per day for ELA, etc.

51. Procedural Safeguards Prior Written Notice

52. Options Chosen o List options considered and chosen; explain why o Include any IEP sections where major discussion occurred o Example: The IEP team decided to add 30 minutes daily of reading instruction in the resource room to Jane’s IEP, since the push-in support provided during the fall semester has not resulted in adequate gains in her basic reading skills, according to progress monitoring data.

53. Options Rejected o List options considered and rejected; explain why o Include parent proposals o Describe other relevant factors, if any o Example: The IEP team considered the parent’s suggestion that John receive Extended School Year services in math but rejected this option, since quarterly progress reports indicate that he has mastered his computation goals and is making steady progress with word problems, showing no regression.

54. Consent and Notes o Written parent consent is ONLY required for: o Initial service proposal for special education (First IEP) o Initial service proposal in North Carolina (Out-of-state transfers) o Proposal to conduct a reevaluation (Gather additional data) o Leave Notes section blank; use separate Notes page to list any important information that isn’t appropriate to document within the IEP.