StandardsDriven IEPS Connecting to the General Curriculum

1
Connecting IEPs to State Standards
seeing the whole
Developed and Facilitated by Carol B. Massanari,
Ph.D.
2
There is no right or wrong or absolute answer,
necessarily. There is ONLY doing ones best and
being open and willing to continuously improve.
3
Why connect IEPs to standards?

• NCLB, AYP, high stakes accountability,
  performance goals and indicators.
• IDEA access to the general curriculum.
• Promotes a single system of education
  inclusion, common language.
• Encourages greater consistency across schools and
  districts.
• Its best for kids assumes more not less.
• Also see handouts from Access Center training.

4
IDEA Silent on Standards but . .

• meet the child's needs . . .and to enable the
  child to be involved in and make progress in the
  general education curriculum. . .
• P.L. 108-446, Sec. 614(d)(1)(A)(II)(aa)

5
General Curriculum Defined by State Content
Standards

• The same curriculum as for nondisabled students
  34 CFR 300.347(a)(1)(i).
• Determined by SEA, LEA, or school that student
  attends, as appropriate under State law.
• What students are expected to learn and how they
  are expected to learn it. (Ron Brandt 1993,
  Overview/The Curriculum Connection. Educational
  Leadership, vol. 50, no. 8).

6
What does it mean to enable the child to be
involved in and make progress in the general
education curriculum?
NOT!!!!! Francis will use a variety of algebraic
concepts and methods to solve equations and
inequalities. Annual goals are NOT the same as
standards. (More to come later.)
7
A Word About State StandardsTerminology can
differ from state to state.

• South Dakota
• Goal
• Indicator
• Content Standard
• Performance Standards
• Advanced/Advancing
• Proficient/Applying
• Basic/Developing
• Below Basic/Introducing

• Another State
• Content Standard
• Benchmark
• Performance Standards
• Advanced/Level IV
• Proficient/Level III
• Basic/Level II
• Below Basic/Level I

8
Some Thoughts Concerning the Use of Standards to
Design IEPS

• Standards should be used as levels of attainment,
  with many different levels in each area of
  competence.
• Standards should not be tied to age levels or
  time. While they set common expectations,
  students may reach them at different times.
• Within limits, there should be choice to decide
  appropriateness (challenging yet attainable).
• Standards must be supported by instructional
  processes.

Adapted from Linking IEPs to State Learning
Standards by Linda Miller and Lauren Hoffman
9
IEP Process

• How do you go about developing the IEP?
• If you were to create a graphic or flow chart,
  what would it look like?
• What are the BIG chunks or steps involved?

10
IEP Process In Simplest Form
Present Levels of Performance
Annual Goals
Objectives
11
IEP Process Fully Articulated
Present Levels of Academic Achievement and
Functional Performance
Vision or Desired Outcome
General Curriculum Considerations
Implementation
Discussion and Identification of Needs
Goals
Program Development
12
It truly can be said that nothing happens until
there is vision. . . Vision paints the picture of
what we want to create.

• Peter Senge

13
Vision Desired Outcome

• What are the familys/students dreams/goals for
  the future?
• What does the family/student see the student
  doing three to five years from now?

14
IEP Process Fully Articulated
Vision or Desired Outcome
General Curriculum Considerations
15
What are the expectations of the general
curriculum relative to the students age or grade?

• What do the state/district standards expect?
• What is expected within the regular classroom?
• What instructional strategies or approaches have
  been or are being used in the general classroom?
• What results have been documented for this
  student?
• What extracurricular activities or events are
  part of school life?

16
IEP Process Fully Articulated
Vision or Desired Outcome
Present Levels of Academic Achievement and
Functional Performance
General Curriculum Considerations


17
PLAAFPs

• a statement of the childs present levels of
  academic achievement and functional performance,
  including
• (aa) how the childs disability affects the
  childs involvement and progress in the general
  education curriculum
• (bb) for preschool children, as appropriate, how
  the disability affects the childs participation
  in appropriate activities and
• (cc) for children with disabilities who take
  alternate assessments aligned to alternate
  standards, a description of benchmarks or
  short-term objectives.
• P.L. 108-446 20 USC 1414 Sec. 614
  ((d)(1)(A)(i)(I)

18
SD PLOP Expectations

• Reflect information gained from the functional
  assessment
• Address the following
• student strengths
• student weaknesses
• areas/skills to be addressed
• parent input
• how the students disability affects the
  students involvement and progress in the general
  curriculum
• Linked to the eventual goals and objectives

19
Present Levels of Academic Achievement and
Functional Performance

• Statements of students performance
• Social/Behavior
• Academic and Nonacademic
• Curriculum Based
• Statewide/District-wide Assessments
• Response to Intervention Data
• Standardized Tests (if needed)
• Strengths
• Concerns or Challenges
• Benchmarks or objectives mastered

20
Problem Solving Process
Define the Problem Describe using objective,
measurable terms What is the problem?
Problem Analysis Collect information from
multiple sources and settings What seems to be
causing the problem?
Evaluate Review data Is it working?
Implement Plan Design, Implement and Monitor
ProgressWhat can we do to help?
Eric Neesen (IA), 2005
21
Consider the Whole Child

• Academic
• Recreation Leisure
• Community Participation
• Home/Independent Living
• Jobs and Job Training

• Post Secondary Education
• Other Educational Areas
• health consideration
• communication
• motor
• social or emotional
• assistive devices

22
Writing PLAAFP Statements

• Accurately describe performance in areas
  affected, including academic and non-academic.
• There should be a direct relationship between
  evaluation/assessment information and PLAAFP
  statements.
• Use objective terms that are measurable, to the
  extent possible.
• Where scores are used, ensure they are
  self-explanatory or an explanation is included.

23
PLAAFP Phrase Examples

• Specific Verb Phrases
• greets peer appropriately
• can count to 25
• speaks in one to two word sentences
• writes answers to double-digit addition
• can name five careers and five jobs associated
  with each

• Vague Verb Phrases
• is friendly
• received a math score of 90
• cant talk well
• knows his letters
• knows different careers
• talks excessively
• is a loner

24
When writing PLAAFP statements, consider . . .

• What CAN the student do?
• in school
• at home
• What accommodations have helped the student in
  the past?
• What is the students performance level on state
  assessments? in the classroom?

25
When writing PLAAFP statements, consider . . .

• Which areas are most critical to achieving the
  vision? (It might not be possible to include
  everything.)
• Which areas are most critical to the students
  involvement in the general curriculum?
• What functional skills are essential to
  supporting success in the general curriculum?
• What data is available to describe this student
  in relation to these questions?

26
IEP Process Fully Articulated
Present Levels of Academic Achievement and
Functional Performance
Vision or Desired Outcome
General Curriculum Considerations
Discussion and Identification of Needs
Goals
27
Discussion Identification of Need

• Given the vision or desired outcomes, what we
  know about the expectations of the general
  curriculum (and specifically the standards), and
  the PLAAFP, what will keep this student from
  being able to accomplish the vision or desired
  outcomes?

• Think of this step as Part II of the PLAAFP
• Part I Description of what the student CAN do
  (in the context of what is expected).
• Part II Conversation to identify the gaps
  between skills/knowledge essential to the
  vision/desired outcome and what the student can
  do (in the context of what is expected).

28
Identifying Instructional Needs

• What are the expectations of the general
  curriculum?
• How does this compare with the description of Ss
  current academic and functional performance?
• How do the two compare? What are the
  similarities, approximations, differences, and
  gaps?
• What will it take for S to access and be
  successful in the general curriculum? Or what
  does this tell us about the most critical
  instructional needs for S?

29
Considering the needs

• What would you add to the PLAAFP worksheet to
  ensure it is clear how the childs disability
  affects the childs involvement and progress in
  the general education curriculum?
• What would you add that would ensure there is a
  clear indication of areas of need?
• Which areas of need will require specialized
  instruction and thus indicate a need for goals?
• In your small group, add this information to the
  PLAAFP section of your worksheet (10 minutes)

30
Measurable annual goals are statements that
describe what a student reasonably can be
expected to accomplish within a twelve month
period in the students special education program.
31
Identifying Goals General Considerations

• Review area(s) of instructional need.
• Determine where the need fits within the
  standards and the general classroom expectations.
• Consider the difference between actual
  performance and benchmarks (indicators) for
  grade.
• Identify the critical academic or functional
  skills the student will need to learn in order to
  demonstrate proficient or applying
  performance.
• Which of these are essential to meeting the
  desired vision/outcome?

32
Identifying Goals General Considerations

• Which are challenging yet attainable?
• Which are essential to students ability to
  participate in the general curriculum
  (priorities)?
• Where might alternate content standards be
  considered? Or where might modifications be
  needed, e.g., choosing a different performance
  standard?
• Consider whether or not the need might be met
  using an accommodation or by teaching a
  compensatory (functional) skill.
• Identify what you realistically can expect within
  one year, focusing on challenging, yet attainable
  outcomes.

33
Goals/Objectives Not Exactly Standards/Indicators

• IEP Goals
• IEP goals are annual.
• IEP goals point to skills that ultimately lead to
  application of a standard/indicator.
• Program development specifies the steps it will
  take the set of skills needed or learning
  process for the student to attain the goal.
• Indicators can be used to think about possible
  goals, if individualized to the student.

• Standards/Indicators
• Standards (SD goals) are broad, general
  descriptions of what we want students to do.
• Benchmarks/Indicators are the primary skills
  needed to demonstrate a standard (SD goal).
• Standards and benchmarks should inform the IEP,
  but are not the same as the IEP goals
  objectives.

34
Which components of the state standards
(indicators and content standards) should drive
IEP goals?

• RRT . . .
• Is it relevant to this student?
• Is it reasonable or attainable?
• Is there enough time?

35
Writing Goal Statements

• Focus on what you want the student to do versus
  the process for getting there.
• Use behavioral terminology.
• Add the measure.

36
Choosing A Measure

• What are the performance standards used in the
  general classroom?
• What are the performance standards used in the
  state standards?
• What has been the rate of growth for this student
  in the past?
• What will it take for this student to be able to
  be successful in the general classroom? What is
  the actual deficit between current skill and
  desired skill?
• What will it take to have confidence that the
  skill is at a mastery level?

37
Writing IEP Goals - Considerations

• You might . . .
• Organize by essential components of instruction
  (e.g, for reading this includes phonemic
  awareness, phonics, vocabulary development,
  reading fluency, and reading comprehension for
  math this includes understanding, computing,
  applying, reasoning, and engaging) or by a more
  general intended outcome.

• Regardless . .
• Ultimately goals must be broken down into
  instructional steps.
• Discuss and determine how progress will be
  monitored regularly and how/how often it will be
  reported to parent/family.

38
Some References

• http//www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_iep.htm
  l
• http//www.cast.org/publications/ncac/ncac_lowinc_
  section7.html
• http//www.cesa7.k12.wi.us/sped/issues-IEPissues/w
  ritingiep/GoalsMeasurable.html
• http//www.schwablearning.org/articles.asp?r296f
  search
• http//ici.umn.edu/products/impact/161/over6.html
• Writing Measurable IEP Goals and Objectives by
  Barbara D. Bateman and Cynthia M. Herr

39
The Whole IEP Process Another View

• What is the desired outcome for this student?
• Three to four years from now
• Students desired post-school outcome

What are the skills and knowledge essential to
meeting the desired outcome?

• What are the expectations of the general
  curriculum relative to the students age/grade?
• Content
• Expectations for learning and demonstration of
  learning
• Extracurricular activities or events available

40

• How do skills and knowledge essential to meeting
  the desired outcome compare with the general
  curriculum, including content and expectations
  for learning?
• Where are the similarities/connections?
• Where are the differences?
• Where within the general curriculum, including
  extracurricular, are the opportunities for
  learning the needed skills and knowledge?

• What are the students present levels academic
  achievement and functional performance?
• What skills and knowledge does the student
  already possess?
• What other strengths does the student present?
• What are the areas of challenge?
• What accommodations, modifications, or other
  supports have proven beneficial for this student?

41

• Given all the information we have discussed thus
  far, what do we think are reasonable goals for
  this year?
• What are the program implications for each goal?
• What instructional accommodations are needed?
• What modifications to the general curriculum are
  needed?
• How will progress be reported and how often?

• Given the information we have discussed thus far,
  how will the student participate in state and
  district-wide assessments?
• With peers as given
• With peers and with accommodations
• Alternate assessment

42
And finally comes placement or services needed to
meet goals. . .

• Given the goals and instructional needs we
  discussed, what specialized instruction and
  supports or services are needed?
• Regular classroom with supports
• Special education
• Related services
• Other supports or services

43
Question to Ponder

• If my focus is directed toward what is needed in
  order to facilitate this students access to the
  general curriculum so she can be successful in
  setting and reaching her desired vision, how
  might that shift how I see myself as a special
  education teacher?
•  

44
Food for thought . . .

• Good talk about good teaching can take many forms
  and involve many conversation partnersand it can
  transform teaching and learning.
• Palmer J. Parker
• Wouldnt the same hold true for IEP development?