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Evaluating Your Child’s IEP

Key points for parents when reviewing your

child’s IEP

October 2011 www.matrixparent.org

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Matrix, your PTI…..

….is 1 of over 100 Parent Training & Information Centers (PTI)

nationwide, authorized by the U.S. Department of

Education/Special Education

Each State must have at least one PTI. If you move, find the PTI that can serve you!

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The Building Blocks of an IEP

Build from the bottom up:Placement

Services

Needs Goals

Assessment

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Assess the Assessment!

• All areas of concern are assessed• Multiple measures are used• Validity• Strengths and weaknesses• Connects to education & learning• Scores can be understood• Does it sound like your child

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Assessing Areas of Concern

Do tests and evaluation tools measure what you are

concerned about?Examples:

• Reading single words or paragraphs• Language vocabulary or pragmatics• Memory short term, long term• Functional or academic skills

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Assessments: Include Multiple Measures

• Standardized tests

• Observations: staff & parents

• Work samples

• Interviews: staff, parents, child

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Assessment: Validity

Could anything have influenced the assessment when it was done so scores may not be a valid picture of your child?

• Attention• Emotions • Being tired• On meds, not on meds

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Assessment: Strengths & Weaknesses

Does the assessment help you & the team understand:

• your child’s strengths as well as their weaknesses

• how learning is affected • how functioning at school is

affected

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Assessment: test scores

Understand the different ways scores are reported

• Standard scores• %• Scaled scores• T-scores

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Assessment: the “fit” test

When you read the reports, does it:

• Sound like your child• Feel like it fits• Result in you nodding in

agreement

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If you agree with the assessments…

Are the areas of need in the assessment addressed somewhere in the IEP?

* in a goal * in accommodations or

modifications * in a behavior plan

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BASELINES/Present Levels and Goals

Baselines: • Specific and measurable

statements about performance in skill areas

• Written for each area of need using assessment information

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BASELINES are Present Levels of Performance (PLOPS)

Would a stranger be able to form a picture of what your child is doing?

EXAMPLE for Sammy in 6th grade:

“Sammy is struggling in reading”.

OR…..

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Baselines/PLOPSSpecific and measurable:

“Given a 5th grade text, Sammy can read independently at 75 wpm (10%).” (fluency skill)

“Given a 5th grade text, Sammy can answer 1 out of 5 factual questions.” (reading comprehension)

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Baselines/PLOPS ……GOALS

An annual goal is written for each Baseline that is:

• Specific and measurable• Addresses the same skill as in the

PLOP• Written so a stranger can form a

picture of what the child will be doing

• Is realistic and attainable

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SMART GoalsS…specificM…measurableA…action…describes actions

your child will be doing in a year

R…realistic and relevantT…time limited

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Check the goals Do you understand how the goals will

be measured?

Do you agree the goal is specific enough so you can “see” the skill?

Is the goal the same skill area as the Baseline/PLOP

Are there goals to address priority areas of skill deficits?

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Goals in any area that affect learning: Academics…Reading, writing, math,

memorizing, organizing, test taking, long term projects

Behavior/Emotional…paying attention, not blurting out, physical aggression

Gross/Fine Motor…sitting at a desk, handwriting

More….

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Goals in any area that affect learning:

Communication…social language, speech, receptive language, expressive

Functional/adaptive skills…riding a bus, knowing how to ask for help

Vocational…interviewing, resume

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Accommodations & Modifications

Goals teach to improve a weak skill

Accommodations are changes in the curriculum or environment to “go around” the weak area.

Modifications substantially change the curriculum.

to know the impact of each!

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KEY POINT……IEP Sequence

Placement

Services

Goals

Needs

Assessments

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Service Frequency & Duration

How much time & how often

a service is provided should be based on

what is needed to meet the goals.

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Got behavior? Don’t wait.

Any student whose behavior gets in the way of his/her learning OR gets in the way of the learning of other students MUST have something in the IEP to address the behavior..

REQUIRED: at each annual IEP, this issue must be discussed.

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Services: what is needed for progress

Same time – big differenceHow often can affect progress as

much as duration

Resource Specialist: 5/week at 30 3/week at 100

Speech/Language: 3/week at 35 5/week at 20

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Related Services support progress

A related service is added to support access to the curriculum. Examples:

• Mental health services• Occupational therapy• Transportation• One on one• Speech therapy

speech eligibility criteria for special education is NOT what is needed to get speech as a related service

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Special Factors Annual IEP Discussion required annually about:

• Behavior

• Assistive Technology

• Communication Needs

• Learning English

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Behavior Goals and PlansStarting point: ADD a behavior goal as an area of need

If no improvement:ADD a behavior support plan (BSP)

If behavior is serious or extreme:ADD a functional analysis assessment

(FAA) and behavior intervention plan (BIP) note: Ed Code dictates these criteria

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KEY POINTS: Behavior Plans…

ARE NOT• punitive contracts

• plans on what the student must do and consequences if they don’t do something

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Behavior Plans are Positive…Actions by the school to:

• identify the purpose of the behavior

• Identify a positive behavior that serves the same purpose as the negative behavior KEY POINT

• change the environment

• teach the desired behavior

• Reinforce/reward the positive behavior

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What placement is appropriate?

….to meet student needs and carryout the goals and services

District must discuss & document in the IEP the continuum of options they considered when making their placement offer.

Ask: Why were other options ruled in or out?

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Is IEP effective? Use multiple measures to evaluate.

Charting test scores over time

Charting present levels and goals over time

Other measures: attendance and discipline records, work samples, state grade level standards…

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What is enough progress?General Education students are

assumed to make one years gain in skills after one year of instruction.

If your student is below in skills, one year’s gain will keep your student below in skills

Example:

Starting at 12% in math computation & ending after 1 year at 12%

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Test scores over time

Reading Fluency Woodcock Johnson scores3rd grade: 5%4th grade: 6%5th grade: 5%

Is this enough progress?

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Present Levels over time

As of 2010 Eliza attends 10 minutes out of a 45 minute class period and needs 4 prompts to return to task

As of 2011 Eliza attends 30 minutes out of a 45 minute class with 2 prompts.

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What is enough progress?• More than trivial progress• Enables your student to

access the curriculum• Need to consider student’s

capacity• Special education is not

required to maximize a student’s potential

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Not enough progress?

Call an IEP meeting. Discuss needs & make changes:

• Assessment to understand the lack of progress

• Goals – revise or add new ones• Services – add or change frequency,

duration• Curriculum – other options/methods• Placement

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When you have concernsStart at the lowest level. Know your

procedural safeguards:• Teacher….Special Ed Manager

• IEP Meeting

• Local Mediation is Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR)

• State: Compliance Complaint, Mediation, Due Process

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When you have concerns

Call us at Matrix

One of our jobs is to help parents build skills to resolve issues in a collaborative manner at the

lowest possible level

1-800-578-2592

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RESOURCESMatrix www.matrixparents.orgInformation Packets• IEP Toolkit• Getting Organized• Parent AdvocacyMany other items on our website

WrightsLaw www.wrightslaw.com