Monday, June 4, 2012

Special Learning Series: What's the Plan?

Brought to you by the letters I.E.P!
(Part II of II)

By: Brooke Beverly Conway 

Related Teachers Pay Teachers Storefront: Brooke Beverly

Meet the Team:

Stew Dent (the child with educational needs)

Ida Know (Stew Dent’s mother)

Paige Turner (Teacher)

Justine Thyme (Special education teacher)

Frank Lee Speakin (School Psychologist)

Justin Case (Educational Advocate)

Anita Answer (Team Chairperson)


A summary of last week's post--Does Stew Dent need an IEP?

Justine Thyme: Based on all of the data and testing that has been conducted the team here at Learning Elementary School would like to propose the following measurable annual goals. There are short-term objectives that will be stepping stones in helping Stew Dent attain his annual goals. These are the skills that Stew Dent needs the most help with, and what we will be working on over the course of the year. This IEP will continue with Stew Dent as he enters 4th grade. You will receive progress reports during each report card period to update you on Stew Dent’s progress towards meeting these goals. These progress reports will be include data and assessments collected by both the general and special education teacher. We will meet again in a year to discuss Stew Dent’s current level of performance, and write new goals for his learning needs. 

Justin Case: Ms. Know, please understand that you have the right to ask the team to convene to discuss Stew Dent’s progress at any time. The IEP is a working, flexible, yet legal document that can be amended before your next scheduled review meeting.

Paige Turner: You know you are also welcome to call or e-mail us to discuss Stew Dent. We have been in contact quite a bit during the first trimester, and I would expect that our communication would continue. 

Anita Answer: Looking at the goals, you will see on the top what Stew Dent’s current educational progress is at. This was determined from our formal educational testing and data reported from his teachers. The goals and objectives are listed below. Please notice how the goals are measurable, which means you can count it, you can observe it, and that it is specific. To make our objectives measurable, we look at Stew Dent’s instructional level and what we feel the he can achieve within the IEP period.

Frank Lee Speakin: A goal addresses Stew Dent’s educational and behavioral / social gaps. It describes what he can be expected to accomplish in the next year.

Justine Thyme: According to the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA), it is important for Stew Dent to be educated in the least restrictive environment. He is provided with a free appropriate education (FAPE) in a classroom where it is most appropriate to meet his educational needs. Stew Dent should have the opportunity to be educated with his regular education classmates, and have access to the general education curriculum. We are proposing a full inclusion setting where Stew Dent is outside of the regular education classroom less than 25% of his day. You can see this information in the service delivery grid.

Frank Lee Speakin: He will be working with me once a week for a 30 minute session for a structured social skills role playing group. I will also be taking him once a week for a lunch bunch group to help him with building friendships, and helping him work on his impulsivity when conversing with classmates and unstructured times such as in the cafeteria.  

Justine Thyme: Stew Dent will also be working with me in the resource room one hour a day for specialized instruction in reading. We will be using a reading continuum and conducting benchmark testing to assisting him building oral reading fluency and comprehension at his level. He will also be receiving a specialized spelling approach called Fundations. 

Paige Turner: In addition, while Stew Dent is working in our general education classroom he will be provided with accommodations and modifications. 

Justin Case: Can you please review these accommodations and modifications you will be providing Stew Dent in the classroom? 

Paige Turner: Absolutely, Stew Dent will be provided the following modifications in reading: additional time for reading assignments, small group work, shortened assignments, questions that have multiple choices / fill-in the blank versus open response question, reading tracker, and read along option for our reading anthology in our listening center. For content area subjects such as science, social studies and math, he will also receive the reading support necessary for him to be successful.

Frank Lee Speakin: To best accommodate Stew Dent’s ADHD needs, he will be provided preferential seating in the classroom, clarification of directions, directions broken down into smaller steps, school appropriate fidget toys, breaks in his day to talk an energy walk, monitoring during unstructured daily activities (i.e. recess, lunch) and he will be provided a daily chart to help reinforce positive behavior expectations. 

Anita Answer: Also, we have explained why Stew Dent is removed from the general education setting in the nonparticipation justification section. We see that Stew Dent is often distracted. He requires a quiet, small group setting in which to learn strategies to aid in language comprehension. He will be removed 30 minutes a week for social skills group and one hour a day for specialized instruction in reading and spelling in order to maximize his learning and minimize distractions.

Ida Know: It seems like you are going to do a lot for my son.  

Anita Answer: Under the schedule modification section, we feel that Stew Dent does not require a shorter nor a longer school year. Stew Dent is able to access the regular transportation as students without a disability. We have contacted the bus driver, who will have Stew Dent have an assigned seat in the front of the bus. In addition, he will receive a slip of paper to bring into school to see if he earns a star for his positive behavior support plan chart for being on his best behavior on the bus. 

Justin Case: You are lucky Ms. Know that Learning Elementary School is invested in providing Stew Dent a quality education. What about state testing?  

Justine Thyme: Stew Dent will be given state testing accommodations as well. His test will be administered in a small group setting, be given short periods with frequent breaks, have a familiar test administrator, and we will monitor the placement of his responses in his test and answer booklet. 

Frank Lee Speakin: Under the additional information, we have listed Stew Dent’s attendance record. The state would like to have student’s attendance rates at a minimum of 95%. Stew Dent’s attendance rate is 98%, which is excellent. We have also listed that you are still deciding if medication would be an appropriate choice for your child, and will follow up with your pediatrician again after you see how Stew Dent is performing now that he qualifies for an IEP.  

Anita Answer: We would like to send our draft IEP home with you today to review. Please let us know if you have any questions or concerns. Enclosed are the two required signature pages. Proposed services will not begin until we receive your signed response to the IEP and placement. One page identifies your decision to the IEP and the other page identifies your decision to the placement.  

Justine Thyme: It was a pleasure meeting you today, and discussing Stew Dent. I look forward to working with him.  

Ida Know: Thanks for all your hard work.

Paige Turner: You are welcome. We are happy that Stew Dent is now going to have his educational needs met through the IEP process. 

--The End of a Happy IEP Process--


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