Individual Education Plan

Special Education

Software Integration in our Schools

Individual Education Plan

Individual Education Plan Stakeholders:
	Student
	Parents
	Classroom Teachers
	Learning Resource Teacher
	Administration (support)
	Special Education Consultant (support)

Page 1 (IEP)

An IEP is an Individual Education Plan that is a written plan of action for a student that requires modification of a regular school program. To make this effective we then must ensure that we have all the correct and most up to date information, one of the best places to do this is to look at the student’s OSR. With my limited experience to Special Education I was not familiar with some of the use of verbs and vocabulary that needs to be used on a consistent basis, so at times I found myself asking several questions before we could proceed to complete Part 1 the ‘Student Profile’.

During this initial process we talked a lot about the strengths of the student and the concerns of the parents for enhancing the educational performance of the student. When selecting the strengths and areas of need we talked about a list of criteria that makes a student successful in his/her education. Most of these are addressed on the Learning Skills section of the Relational Report Card, but some were more in dept and pertained more to the learning difficulties a student may have. For example: language skills, comprehensive skills, increase in vocabulary needed, and communication skills, all of which were going to be addressed in Math and English. Therefore involving those teachers in the IEP process is essential to the overall classroom programming for that particular student and the classroom management as a whole. I also noted that when looking at the strengths of the student it was important to recognize a particular hobby or area of interest of the student, this would provide an avenue to develop the skills needed and help to motivate the student if needed.

Page 2 (IEP)

One area that was stressed as crucial was the results of the initial or most recent evaluation or subsequent reviews of the student’s progress on IEP’s. Before we could proceed to complete Part 2 Current Assessment Data and Levels of Achievement we referred to the book, ‘Special Education in Ontario’. Being new to Special Education I am still not familiar with most of the terminology and procedures. Therefore my mentor and I spent a great deal of time going over some of the procedures regarding the different tests that are available to students and parents.

Page 3a, 3b, and 3c (IEP)

When developing the strategies of the IEP to implement, we looked very carefully at the student’s strengths and weaknesses. We then separated them into areas of the curriculum so we could determine the best alternative program, accommodations or modifications. This was the most time consuming part to the IEP. We had to make sure the words and phrases used were written with verbs and that the strategy being used was clear for the classroom teacher. In stating this, my mentor did say that once you become familiar with the process and find similarities among students you would find that creating the body of the IEP would be easier.

During the process I asked in regards to behavior issues and parental support and how much of a factor do they play. My mentor stated that behavior that impeded learning or that of others needs to be addressed with appropriate strategies, positive behavioral intervention and supports to address behavior. I learned that a separate IEP does not have to be created separately for this it can be integrated into one. Though, in our case there was parent support and the student showed cooperative behavior we discussed cases where behavior issues developed as a result of implementing an IEP. It was also noted that each school should have a plan in place for any students with this difficulty. (A Plan of Action and Resources Available.)

Overall the areas addressed to complete the IEP were; program; teaching strategies and accommodations; human resources and assessment strategies. It was important to note that at this time allocation of responsibilities were given and specific criteria was recognized for improvement. Most importantly it is very import to have data (student examples) to assess and review for an alternative program if needed in the future.

We discussed the process of implementing the IEP with all involved and putting it into practice. It was made very clear to me that making sure you have adequate student observation and classroom teacher input throughout the process was needed to ensure that the IEP program was effective for the student.

Page 4 (IEP)

The last piece of documentation deals with the Transition, timelines for reviewing, responsibilities and actions. Included with these should be methods to establish interim progress checks toward the attainment of measurable annual goal, we all know how boards are data driven and expect to see measurable data wherever possible. In addition, if the student is age 14 or younger, a statement needs to address the transition service needs of the student (i.e., adaptation of the content, or delivery of instruction). This will ensure that the next steps for the students will be meet by another special education department, school, and/or board.

In conclusion, I found creating an IEP very valuable; it offered me a unique view into the overall process and how important it is to treat each IEP on an individual basis even though some may seem the same. All students learn differently and it is especially important with our students who need accommodations and modifications that all factors are considered. Therefore it is very important to have proper procedures in place for updating-revisiting the information (IEP) to ensure it is meeting the needs of the student.