The Individual Education Plan (IEP) is one of the most important
provisions of federal and state laws on the education of students with
disabilities. Indeed, it can be described as the heart of the special
education system. The IEP provides both the framework for identifying
individual student needs and the written road map for addressing those
needs.
A panel of experts recently identified a critical need to shift
from the existing procedural evaluation and monitoring approach to an
accountability system that emphasizes the quality of teaching and learning
for students with disabilities.
In the fall of 1997, the National Association of State Directors
of Special Education (NASDSE) convened a conference to explore changes
needed to facilitate use of the IEP to improve individual student learning
and accountability. The panel developed recommendations, grouped by name,
for enhancing the value of the IEP.
Value added user friendly, streamlined:
- Steamline the IEP document itself.
- Make the IEP process more user friendly, e.g. by saving time,
reflecting current appropriateness, respecting stakeholder needs.
- Create a clear common sense, user friendly tool that uses a common
language and is written in holistic terms.
- Identify the value-added component to the general education
curriculum.
- Provide access to technology for the IEP process and product.
- Strategically manage the number of participants present at an IEP
meeting at any given time.
- Make the IEP process more like the IFSP process.
- Level the playing field by including the necessary supports and
services needed to help the student become a full and active participant
in academic and co-curricular activities.
- Design informal ways to modify the IEP after it is established.
- View the IEP as beneficial.
Link to curriculum
- Describe in the IEP the accomodations, including supplemental aids and
services, to be used in general and special education that will be made
available to permit successful education of the student.
- Identify the needs, strategies and measures necessary for providing
access to the general education curriculum.
Whole child vision
- Develop broad-based goals based on the vision for each student so the
IEP communicates expectations that can be measured periodically.
Parent-professional partnership, teaming, training
- Train all IEP participants to be full partners in the IEP process in
both pre-service and ongoing service training.
- Change the focus of the team meeting to one of problem solving to
increase the involvement of all team members.
- Use team building and problem solving training, in-service support
activities to change attitudes and increase awareness.
- Train parents to be full, effective participants in the IEP process.
Accountability, monitoring of results
- Adopt an effective accountability system that focuses on results and
has accomplishments within the year.
- Design and implement an effective monitoring process with trained
monitors who use a non-threatening manner.
- Determine how the student will participate, in the annual
accountability program (regular assessment, with accomodations or
alternate assessment).
- Invite IEP team participants in the development of assessment and
accountability programs.
- Determine how educational results will be reported as a part of the
overall state and local accountability system.
Content of the IEP document
- Focus the IEP on a student's ability, strengths and preferences.
- Specify clearly the role of the general education teacher in the IEP
process for each child.
- Include exit criteria and specific outcomes measures in the IEP.
- Focus the IEP on various transition points to ensure a continuity of
learning.
- Provide and promote a structured feed-back loop between home and
school, and its relationship to the IEP and learning.
- Identify options (with regulatory provisions) for the IEP team to
problem solve creatively about meeting the needs of students with
disabilities and their classmates in the learning environment.
- Address behavior management issues during the IEP process using
behavior specialists, teacher training, interventions and
supports.
- Provide training to teachers and administrators (pre-service and
comprehensive-in-service) on quality IEP processes and
implementation.
- Articulate in the IEP the link between what we know about the
student and what we propose to do to help.
