The IEP Process from Assessment to Implementation

Assessment steps

1. Review historical information.
2. Establish current level of performance in academic, social, and emotional/behavioral areas of development.
3. Include interviews of parents, teachers, significant others and the student; observations, formal and informal testing and school and agency records reviews.
4. If a teacher is identifying a specific behavior on a referral that they feel qualifies the child for emotionally disturbed (ED), then assessment of that specific behavior should be done.

Assessment

1. Frequency: How often does the behavior occur?
2. Chronicity: How long has this behavior been occurring?
3. Duration: How long does the episode of behavior last?
4. Intensity: To what degree does the behavior interfere with the ongoing development of the child?
5. Circumstances: Did the circumstances contribute to the problem or explain the behavior as a realistic outcome?
6. Appropriateness: Is the behavior reasonable for the situation?
7. Peer comparison: Does the behavior compare with the maturity or social level of the class?
8. Manageability: Is the behavior easily managed or is it difficult to handle?
9. Resistance to change: Is the behavior responding to change attempts by the teacher or is it resistant to change by the teacher?

Interviews

Teacher interviews. Information from teachers (all teachers the child has, like art, music, homeroom, etc.) can be gained from cumulative records, classroom reports, and specific teacher interviews.

Student interviews. Direct questioning of the student can add much to assessment. Student interviews can be formal or informal. Often the students are more straightforward and open about the issues than the adults. Some evaluators ask kids about their birthdates: draw a line on paper, starting point birth, and mark points and ask questions about points along the line, identify the points as being when in kindergarten, etc.

Parent interviews. Parent information is required as part of the IEP team process. The home is usually the best setting for the interview, or another non-school setting.

Achenbach: a standardized test that many evaluators like

Child Behavior Checklist-Parent form

Teacher Report Form-teacher form

Youth self-report-student form

Uses a Likert scale, have the three reports done, then score. There’re two large band scales: internalizing disorders and externalizing disorders. Within internalizing, there are some narrow bands like anxiety-depressed. Externalizing narrow bands like delinquent or aggressive behavior.

Social Skills Rating System: another standardized test

Forms: parent, child, and teacher

Social skills: cooperation, assertive, responsibility, self-control.

Reports fewer average or more social skills than peer and gives a standard score and a percentile rank.

REFERRAL

• Any person who reasonably believes that a child is a child with a disability may refer the child.
• Referrals must be in writing.
• The parent must be informed prior to referral.

Creating an IEP Team

The local educational agency (i.e. school district) appoints the IEP team.

Required members:

· Parents

• At least one regular education teacher
• At least one special education teacher
• A LEA representative-a person who commits the districts resources
• An individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluations
• The child, whenever appropriate

IEP Team Duties

• Evaluate the child
• Develop, review, and revise the IEP
• Determine special education placement

Evaluation

• What information doe we have?
• What information can the parent provide?
• Do we need any other information?
• How should we get additional information?

Evaluation activities

• Review existing data
• Existing evaluation data
• Information provided by the parents
• Previous interventions and their effects
• Current classroom based information
• Observations and interviews
• Conduct tests, assessments, and other evaluation materials if needed
• Complete an evaluation report

Determine if additional data needed

If no additional data are needed, the LEA notifies the parent of the finding and the reasons for it. If yes, additional data needed, identify what data are needed and qualifications of evaluators. Parents are notified of each evaluation procedure, test, or evaluation material.

Reevaluation

Conducted at parent or teacher request or when conditions warrant, but at least once every three years.

Evaluation IEP team determines

• Whether the child has, or continues to have, an impairment
• Present levels of performance and educational needs of the child
• Whether the child needs special education and related services

The IEP Team: may not conclude a child is a child with a disability based solely on the fact that the child has received insufficient instruction in reading or math or that the child has limited English proficiency.

Evaluation participant summary of findings-Each IEP team participant who administers tests or other evaluation materials, submits a summary of findings to assist with program planning.

If no disability: IF the IEP team determines the child is not a child with a disability, identifies the child's educational needs and any services that may benefit the child. For example services that the school system has for at-risk kids, or Title I reading.

Definition: A child with a disability means a child with MR, HI, S&I, VI, ED, OI, Autism, TBI, OHI, or LD; and who by reason thereof, needs special education and related services.

Special education

Specially designed instruction for students provided by special education staff.

Supplementary aids and services, aids services and other supports provided in regular education settings without direct teaching by special education staff.

Program modifications and supports for staff, consultation between regular and special education teachers, staff training specific to individual students, and team planning to design adaptations.

IEP Programming

Annual document completed for every student in special education. Regular education and special education are two parts of a complete education program.

The IEP team shall consider:

• The strengths of the student
• Concerns of the student's parents
• Results of most recent evaluations
• Special factors

IEP Content Special Factors

• Behavior
• Limited English proficiency
• Braille
• Communication needs
• Assistive Technology

Supplementary Aids and Services

• Team meeting time
• Staff development
• Teacher aides
• Curriculum adaptations
• Modified materials
• Adapted equipment
• Classroom accommodations
• Resource room instruction
• Preferential seating
• Itinerant instruction
• Adjustments in homework
• Adjustments in workload
• Adaptive P.E.
• Interpreter for hearing impairment
• Resource support
• In-class therapy
• Peer supports
• Peer mediation
• Peer tutoring
• Technology
• Assistive devices
• Direct instruction
• Consultation
• Functional behavioral assessment
• Behavior management plans

Procedural safeguards

• Examine records
• Participate in meetings
• Independent evaluation
• Surrogate parent: must always deal with legal guardian
• Age of Majority: when child becomes 18, they are legally responsible.

Mediation

If parent disagrees with parents, then state provides mediation if both parties consent to help resolve the issues-although mediation is not required before going to a due process hearing. If mediation doesn't work, parents can go to a due process hearing, which can be appealed if doesn't turn out how they want. Parents can't get attorney fees unless jury decides.

Role of the ED Teacher

• Support students in their regular education program (direct/consultation)
• Provide replacement curriculum and instruction for students
• Teach direct instruction of pro-social skills
• School case-manager (responsible for paperwork)
• Liaison with home
• Liaison with community agencies

Support in Regular Education

• Co-planning
• Development of accommodations/modifications
• Team teaching (large group)
• 1:1 Instruction in regular education setting
• Small group instruction
• Consultation to regular education teachers
• Resource services (partial removal)

Placement must be

• Determined at least annually
• Based on child's IEP
• As close as possible to the child's home. Unless required by the IEP, the child must be educated in the school that he or she would attend if non-disabled.

Inclusion

A philosophy meaning that a child should be educated in the LRE, in the home school district. For some students with ED, the regular education classroom is the MOST restrictive environment. Some ED kids do better in a self-contained environment.

A full continuum of placement options and services should be considered for each student by a team that includes all stakeholders and is specified in the IEP.

Service Delivery

Self-contained complete-student in special ed classroom the whole day

Self-contained modified-a special ed class stays intact, but moves to a different teacher

Self-contained integrated-part special ed, part regular ed (inclusive programs and classrooms when disabled and nondisabled students are totally integrated

Resource room-where a child is in regular ed most of the day but receives special instruction in smaller groups or one-on-one

Itinerant Program Type-a special teacher goes into the regular ed classroom to work with the teacher and identified students

Homebound Instructional Program-a special teacher goes to the student’s home