Allan S. Blume
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Addendum - IEP Writing Strategies and Suggestions at-a-glance
Parent and/or Student Concerns
Note: In this section the parents, or the student upon reaching age of majority and with decision-making authority, identify their concerns for the upcoming IEP year. There should be no effort to edit concerns. Use of quotation marks or italics could be used to identify the concerns of the parents and/or student.
Possible sentence starter:
[Student Name]’s parents have expressed the following concerns for the coming IEP year:
or
[Student name] has expressed the following concerns for the coming IEP year:
Student Strengths/Key Evaluation Results Summary
Note: In this section it is necessary to summarize the student’s strengths and the formal and informal assessments results. In many cases it might be appropriate to summarize the primary results of the assessments and to refer to the full evaluation by identifying the report from a specific date.
In addition, it is imperative that somewhere within this section the student’s eligibility category(ies) is/are identified. In my practice, I have typically found this as the last element of this section.
Possible Format for Student Strengths/Key Evaluations Summary
Information about Student:
______________ [
Student Name
] is a ____ [
age
] old student who currently attends the
_______________[
Program – if applicable
] in the ____________________ [
School]
in _______________ [
City/Town
].
School History:
S/he has been enrolled at _____________ [
School
] since ______ [
Year
]. Prior to that
s/he attended _____________ [
Name other schools/programs attended
].
NOTE: Once the history statement is created it merely needs to be updated yearly.
Educational Performance:
Identify things such as: why/how does the student do well in school, classroom performance, engagement with peers/adults, attendance, behavior, learning/teaching strategies that work well, etc.
Refer to the student’s progress related to the general education curriculum for that student’s grade level.
Strengths:
Identify things such as: interests, preferences, positive qualities, successes, accomplishments, recognitions, etc.
NOTE: Write about the student from a strength’s perspective and avoid subjective statements.
NOT OK
– Allan can’t read
OK – Allan can read individual letters and sight words.
NOT OK
– Allan is a cute and sweet young man but does not engage with peers when in content instruction settings
OK – Allan engages with peers in non-structured settings yet relies on cues from teacher to engage with peers in structured settings (e.g. content instruction
Summary of Evaluation Results
Summarize the relevant information from the student’s evaluation (not just a listing of scores). Refer to the evaluation results that are related to the disability category (There is, or already should be, a written report, you don’t need to repeat it, but DO refer to it by identifying the date of the report).
It may be possible that copying and pasting the summary section of an assessment report will meet the requirements of this IEP section. Generally, assessment scores should be no more than 3 years old.
State and District Assessments should include test scores, including passing criteria) and must indicate the level at which the student performed (beginning learner, developing learner, proficient learner, distinguished learner). This
section
should also provide a frame of reference for how the
student
is performing in comparison to same age peers. If accommodations were used for the test, these should be
identified
.
Eligibility
The team has determined that ________ [Student Name], qualifies for special education under the category(ies) of______________ (
from the list below).
When another element of eligibility exists, the team might also identify a secondary disability eligibility category or description.
For example:
The team has determined that ________ [Student Name], qualifies for special education under the primary category of ____________and under the secondary category of __________________.
Another option:
The team has found [student name] eligible for special education under the category of [insert eligibility category here]. Past (recent) records (or reports) indicate the presence (diagnosis) of [indicate diagnosis or disability here].
For example:
The team has found [student name] eligible for special education under the category of Health Impairment. Records and reports indicate educational characteristics of
ADHD.
Another example:
The team has found [student name] eligible for special education
under the category of Specific Learning Disability. Records and reports indicate challenges within the areas of: Reading Comprehension, Written Expression and Listening Comprehension.
Primary: ____Autism, ___Developmental Delay (3 – 9 only), ___Intellectual ___Sensory : Hearing, Vision, Deaf-Blind, ___Neurological, ___Emotional ___Communication, ___Physical, ___Specific Learning Disability, ___Health
Secondary: _____________________________
Note: I don’t recommend putting the entire list above in the IEP and then checking off the identified category(ies) for the student rather, it would be appropriate to select from this list and add the identified eligibility to the end of the sentence starter. In addition, it is likely that after the eligibility category is identified the IEP team might also identify the specific element of the eligibility (i.e. health impairment – ADHD, or Specific Learning Disability – reading and writing).
Vision Statement
Note: All students regardless of age must have a vision statement. For students under the age of 14 the vision statement will likely reflect the vision of the team for the student. For students age 14 and old (younger when appropriate and determined by the team), the vision statement should reflect student voice and should be transcribed word-for- word from the Transition Planning Form (TPF) done in advance of the IEP.
When the student is over the age of 14 the vision statement must reflect vision for post-secondary employment and education/training. When appropriate, the vision statement can also reflect vision for independent living.
Possible sentence starter:
It is the team’s vision for [Student name]: Or
[Student name] has expressed (identified) the following vision for him/herself in the areas of post-secondary employment, education/training and independent living:
General Curriculum Area(s) affected by this student’s disability(ies)
Note: Identify those curriculum areas that are impacted by the student’s disability(ies). To distinguish the PLEP A page from PLEP B it is easier to think about information on this page aligning with established curriculum areas that have published curriculum frameworks. There are seven published curriculum areas in Massachusetts; English Language Arts, History and Social Science, Science and Technology and Mathematics. For the Other Curriculum Areas option there are five additional published curriculum frameworks: Arts, Health, Digital Literacy, Foreign Languages, and Vocational. (For pre-school there are also the Social/Emotional learning standards). When the student’s disability (ies) impacts participation in one or more of the published curriculum areas, identify it here on PLEP A, all other educational need areas or curriculum areas without a published MA framework could be identified on PLEP B.
There has long been confusion regarding what goes on PLEP A and what goes on PLEP B. It is likely that in future iterations of the IEP document these two pages will be merged into one PLEP page entitled Participation Support in the Classroom and Life of the School. Until such time that the two pages are merged the easy way of approaching the difference between the two pages is this: if the student’s disability impacts participation in curriculum areas with a framework, indicate it on PLEP A. If the student’s disability impacts participation in areas that are NOT curriculum based, indicate it on PLEP B.
How does the disability(ies) affect progress in the curriculum area(s)?
Note: In this section identify those skills, abilities or challenges that affect the student’s ability to access the curriculum areas identified in the General Curriculum area (PLEP A) or those Other Educational Areas identified on PLEP B.
What is the difference between PLEP A and B? If the skills identified affect curriculum (ELA, History, Science, Math, Digital Literacy, Vocational, Arts, Health, Foreign Language or for Pre-school – Social/Emotional Curriculum Standards) then it most likely goes on PLEP A. PLEP B can be reserved for those areas that are NOT curriculum based or affected.
Skills often identified in this section:
Reading
(fluency, comprehension, basic skills, vocabulary, phonemic awareness, etc.),
Math
(calculation, problem solving, math reasoning, number sense),
Communication
(written, expressive, receptive, articulation),
Writing
(grammar, spelling, punctuation, written expression, fine motor),
Social
(pragmatic, anger management, social problem-solving, interpersonal, eye contact, body language, peer negotiation, etc.),
Motor
(fine, gross, visual/perceptual),
Executive Function
(attention, organization, planning, initiation, time management, self-advocacy, self-awareness, emotional regulation, task completion),
Academic
(reading, writing, math, language, study skills, etc.)
, Daily Living Skills, Pre-Academic/Classroom readiness
(attending, turn taking, following routines/instruction, transitions, task initiation/completion)
, Play Skills
(communication, gestural, body language independent/solitary play, parallel play, associative play, social play
, Vocational/Transition- related skills
(safety, technical knowledge, employability, career readiness, etc.,)
Behavior
(self- regulation/lack of aggression, coping, self-monitoring, control, on-task, compliance, etc.)
NOTE: If the IEP is for a student of transition age, the TPF must be done prior to the IEP. The disability needs identified on the TPF must be identified in this PLEP statement. You can have more skills here than on the TPF but NOT LESS.
NOTE: Skills identified in the PLEP statement will influence and likely become the subsequent goal focus areas for the IEP and/or the focus of subsequent objectives or benchmarks.
Possible sentence starters:
[Student name]’s eligibility for special education in
[name the eligibility category here]
affects progress in the Curriculum areas identified above in the following need areas: (e.g. reading, writing, math, communication, social/emotional, social pragmatics, executive function, motor, academic, daily living skills, pre-academic, vocational/pre-vocational, classroom readiness, play, behavior, etc.)
NOTE: Given that the PLEP statement is used to identify the impact the disability it is important to name the eligibility category. Granted, the eligibility category is already identified on the first page of the IEP, but not every district puts the eligibility category in the same place on the IEP. As the writer of the IEP you already know the category therefore I recommend opening every PLEP statement with the student’s name and the identified eligibility category
For additional skills areas that could be broadly interpreted these additional elements could be added as necessary:
As Allan is age X, he is also working on
transition skills
that align with his vision and the transition planning form. Areas of need that impact transition skills are: (i.e.- communication, social emotional, community access, daily living skills, and vocational skills (job seeking and job maintenance).
Areas of need that impact
academic skills
are (i.e.- reading, writing, communication, math).
Areas of need that impact
reading skills
are (i.e. - reading comprehension, decoding, reading fluency, basic reading skills, etc.)
Areas of need that impact
writing skills
are (i.e. – construction, planning, revising, editing, content, narrative, descriptive, expository, persuasive, etc.)
Areas of need that impact
math skills
are (i.e. – computation, reasoning, problem- solving)
Areas of need that impact
motor
skills are (i.e. – fine, gross, visual, etc.)
Areas of need that impact
communication
skills are (i.e. – expressive, receptive, articulation, written, verbal, etc.)
Areas of need that impact
social skills
are (i.e.- communication, empathy, interpersonal, problem-solving, accountability, etc.)
Areas of need that impact play skills are (i.e.- voluntary engagement, interpersonal, self-play, pretend, imaginary, constructive, plan, sequence, following rules, etc.)
Areas of need that impact
vocational/pre-vocational skills
are: (i.e.- job seeking, job maintenance, punctuality, respect for self or others, accepting criticism, hygiene). Areas of need that impact
pre-academic/classroom readiness skills
are: (i.e. – expressive/receptive language, imitation, matching and play skills).
Areas of need that impact
daily living skills
are: (i.e. basic communication skills, hygiene, safety knowledge, emergency preparation, self-preservation, self-advocacy, meal preparation, housework, personal finances, transportation). Areas of need that impact
executive function/study skills
are: (impulse control, emotional control, flexible thinking, working memory, self-monitoring, planning and prioritizing, task initiation, organization). Areas of need that impact
social pragmatic skills
are: (listening, following steps/rules, asking for help, ignoring distractions, turn taking, getting along with others, remaining calm, responsible for behavior, empathy).
Accommodations
Note: Accommodations are those things that generally assist the student in more effectively accessing the curriculum. Accommodations are usually available in the general education setting and can be made available to any number of students. In addition, accommodations do not take a student off grade level, nor do accommodations result in the student with disabilities being removed from a setting with students without disabilities. In some cases, accommodations can sometimes be defined as elements of good teaching or best practice.
Accommodations are typically divided into the four categories of Setting, Presentation, Timing/Scheduling and Response. In most IEPs I find that there are long lists of accommodations in that section of the document. It is not necessary to list every single accommodation possible for a student, but to provide a sense of the types of accommodations that should be used for a student. I recommend categorizing these on the IEP within the categories of Setting, Presentation, Timing and Response and using the sentence starters identified here to assist in the categorization. Even when an accommodation is not necessary, I find it helpful to identify all accommodation areas thereby indicating that all accommodation types were considered but possibly not all are necessary.
Setting – making purposeful determinations for change in the environment for the student.
Presentation – making purposeful determinations for how information is provided to the student
Timing/Scheduling – making purposeful determinations for altering time allocations or the schedule for the student
Response – making purposeful determinations for altering how a student will provide information to the teacher or others
Rather than creating a long list of accommodations, categorize the accommodations by presentation, setting, timing and/or response. In addition, if any of the accommodations are also to be used for MCAS participation identify them as such. The accommodations for MCAS are limited to the ones approved by DESE, whereas the accommodations for ongoing instruction or participation are unlimited.
NOTE: Accommodations identified for a student should be those that the student REQUIRES and not a list of good teaching practices that teachers should be using for all students. In some cases, a good teaching practice will be identified in an accommodation list for a student when it is absolutely necessary for that student to receive that good teaching practice.
Possible accommodations sentence starters:
Student requires the following
Presentation
accommodations: Student requires the following
Setting
accommodations: Student requires the following
Timing
accommodations: Student requires the following
Response
accommodations:
MCAS Accommodations -
http://www.doe.mass.edu/mcas/accessibility/
Universal Accessibility Features (UF1 – UF12)
Designated Accessibility Features (DF1 – DF11) Test Presentation Accommodations (A1 – A8) Test Response Accommodations (A9 – A17) Special Access Accommodations (SA 1 – SA6)
Specially designed instruction
Note: Another term for specially designed instruction is MODIFICATION. What distinguishes a student on an IEP from a student on a 504 plan is the need for modifications and not merely accommodations. Modifications are SIGNIFICANT changes to approach, setting, curriculum and/or assessment and are TYPICALLY designed, recommended, implemented or monitored by a TRAINED, LICENSED OR CREDENTIALED special educator or related service provider. Additionally, the modification is recommended with an individual student in mind as part of the IEP process. Specially designed instruction is divided into three distinct categories of:
Content – this identifies
what
the student will be taught or is expected to learn
Methodology/delivery of instruction – this identifies
how
the student will be taught – the unique strategies, approaches or settings
Performance Criteria – this identifies
how the team will know
, assess or evaluate that the student has learned or made progress
Content
NOTE: Content is driven by the curriculum frameworks therefore the IEP team needs to consider whether the student can be expected to do the grade-level standards, whether the focus of the standards needs to be narrowed or whether the level of the standards needs to be adjusted.
Possible sentence starter for narrowing the focus of the standards:
Student can participate in and demonstrate knowledge of grade-level standards with modification to the essential components of the learning standards which impacts the overall amount of curriculum. Curriculum modified to address key facts/concepts of the learning standards for the following curriculum areas:
o
ELA
o
Math
o
Science
o
History
o
Digital Literacy
o
Health
o
Foreign Language
o
Arts
o
Vocational
o
Social/Emotional (Pre-K – K only)
Possible sentence starter for changing the level of complexity of the standards:
Student requires curriculum modified from grade-level standards for level of complexity to the (
more complex,,
mid-complex,,
less complex) level of entry points of grade-level standards for the following curriculum areas:
o
ELA
o
Math
o
Science
o
History
Possible sentence starter for changing the grade level of the standards
Student requires curriculum modified below grade-level standards. Curriculum modified to below grade-level standards for:
o
ELA (grade/entry-point level ____)
o
Math (grade/entry-point level ____)
o
Science (grade/entry-point level ____)
o
History (grade/entry-point level ____) oDigital Literacy (grade level ____) o
Health (grade level ____)
o
Arts (grade level ____)
o
Foreign Language (grade level ____)
Methodology
NOTE: Methodology identifies individualization of methods or delivery of instruction for the student.
Possible methodology options (not an exhaustive list)
Possible sentence starters:
Student requires the following methodology/delivery of instruction modifications:
(in some cases, it may be necessary to identify whether these are needed for a specific subject area such as ELA, Math, History, Science or whether they are needed for non- academic areas or participation in the life of the school)
o
Individualized instruction (one on one, small group)
o
Co-teaching within the general education classroom
o
Individualized academic support in the form of:
(identify what constitutes academics
support that makes it unique for this student)
o
Small group instruction outside the general education classroom
o
Special education support (small group) within the general ed. Classroom
o
Related Service provision to support student participation in curriculum
(
o
S&L
o
OT
o
PT
o
Counseling
o
Other: ________)
(identify whether,
individual,
small group (2 – 3),
o
group (more than 3))
o
Reduced student-teacher ratio
o
Provision of instructional support personnel (para support)
o
Materials modified to align with identified curriculum modifications
o
Specialized program (
o
Reading
o
Social
o
Behavioral
o
Other: _________)
o
Prompting hierarchy
o
Frequent repetition and review (directions, instruction, comprehension)
o
Instruction/directions provided in multiple forms
o
Rehearsal of skills/tasks, structured transitions, advance notice of transitions
o
Scripts/social stories
o
Behavior plan (contract, use of preferred motivator/reward, reinforcement menu,
etc.)
o
Augmentative communication system, FM system, Picture Exchange System)
o
Cueing (visual, tactile, kinesthetic)
o
Specialized technology (speech to text, switches, etc.)
o
Specially designed organization system
o
Task Analysis
o
Errorless learning strategies
Performance Criteria
NOTE: Performance criteria represents the individualization of assessment, measurement or grading options for the student.
Possible Performance Criteria options (not an exhaustive list)
Possible sentence starters:
Student requires the following Performance Criteria modifications
o
Oral Assessment of content knowledge
o
Quizzes/tests modified to take advantage of student strengths and minimize student’s disabilities
(i.e. emphasizing verbal strengths over reading challenges)
o
Assessment of student knowledge/skills based on identified curriculum modifications
(Modification of Standards-Based Grading System) (
Note: Always use this whenever content has been modified)
o
Quizzes/tests taken in special education classroom or other specialized location, or with specialized personnel
(In some cases this might be viewed as methodology modification, or a setting accommodation)
o
Demonstration of knowledge alternatively: ____________________
o
Assessments based on student work samples
o
Assessments based on student-created projects
o
Portfolio assessment of the breadth of student work
o
Individually tailored rubric or checklist
o
Task Analysis
o
Behavior Checklist or Behavioral Assessment
o
Alternative assessments in place of oral reports (i.e. displays, projects, etc.)
o
Assessments given across multiple short segments
o
Allow outline rather than writing an essay or long writing task
o
Assessment questions reworded for simplified language
o
Pass/No Pass grading option
o
Weighted grading system
(identify the elements of the system for example
projects/products, quizzes, homework, etc., and the percentage weight to each of the elements)
Goal Focus
Note: The skill areas identified in the PLEP statements can easily be used to identify the goal focus areas. Goal Focus areas should identify what the student will do, not what service or curriculum will be provided to the student.
Possible goal focus areas from the PLEP statements:
p
Reading skills (fluency, comprehension, basic reading skills)
p
Math skills (problem solving, calculation
p
Communication skills (written, expressive, receptive, articulation)
p
Social skills (pragmatic, anger management, social problem solving, peer negotiation, etc.)
p
Motor skills (fine motor, gross motor, visual/perceptual, sensory, etc.)
p Executive function skills (attention, organizing and planning, initiating and maintaining tasks, regulating emotions, self-monitoring)
p
Transition skills
p
Vocational/pre-vocational skills
p Academic/pre-academic skills
p
Daily living skills
p
Classroom participation/readiness skills
p
Play skills, imitation
Current Performance Level
Note: The Current Performance Level (CPL) identifies how the student is doing in the Goal Focus Area. The information here is supported by observational or performance data. The CPL should not repeat formal assessment scores from the Student Strengths and Key Evaluation Results but should reflect how the student is performing with the identified skill on an ongoing basis.
The CPL identifies averages of data taken over time. When writing the CPL it is important to inform the reader the time or the number of observations, sessions or samples that the data was taken. Thus, the data identified in the CPL represent averages taken across a set time-period, observations, sessions or samples.
Possible sentence starters:
Beginning of the CPL for a student whose IEP is continuing and for a student who you have existing knowledge and data:
From
observations (meetings, sessions)
conducted across the past
(time frame)
it has been
determined (observed, documented)
that on average (student name)
Beginning of the CPL for a student who is new to the district or building and for whom you might have limited knowledge or information:
From information found in the most recent progress report and from direct observations of Allan over the past x weeks since he started in our district (or in this building within the district), it has been documented that...
Beginning of the CPL for a student just entering the IEP process who has just been found eligible for special education and who has gone through the pre-referral process and the formal evaluation process:
From informal observations documented during the Instructional Support Process (# of weeks), and from formal assessments and observations that occurred during the 30 school working days as part of the evaluation process, it has been observed and documented that on average, Allan...
Beginning of a CPL for a student just entering the IEP process when parents have requested to go to directly to formal evaluation:
From formal assessments and observations that occurred during the 30 school working days as part of the evaluation process, it has been observed and documented that on average, Allan...
Beginning of a CPL for a pre-school student where the educator has very limited information on which to base the IEP:
From information provided from Early Intervention and from two one hour (time frames and number of observations will vary) observations of Allan it has been documented and observed that...
Goal
Note: Goals represent the big picture and identify the overarching intent for the goal focus area. IDEA states that goals must be measurable (the word observable is implied as nothing can be measurable without first being observable), yet IDEA does not state HOW a goal must be measurable.
The goal can be either closed-ended or open-ended. A closed-ended goal often resembles the objectives or benchmarks to follow. Closed-ended observable measurable goals usually follow the SMART (Specific, Measurable, Action-Word, Realistic, Time-Limited) format. Open ended goals observable and measurable goals do not follow the SMART format but are nonetheless observable and measurable. Regardless of the format of the goal, the key is to assure that it is observable and measurable.
Close ended goal format:
For a SMART goal, follow the following format: S – Who, why, when, where
M – How many, How much,
A – The observable skill that can be observed
R – How it is realistic and relevant to the student T – When it will be accomplished
Open-ended goal format:
[Student name]
will use
[goal focus]
skill such as [identify here selected details from the
[
CPL]
to demonstrate ability beyond the current performance level and as measured by the following objectives/benchmarks.
Objectives/Benchmarks
Note: Whether you elect to write objectives or benchmarks they will ALWAYS be written in the SMART format. The number of objectives or benchmarks are dependent upon the number of details and the data found in the CPL (i.e. If there are 4 distinct details in the CPL and data to support those details, there will be 4 objectives or benchmarks).
Objectives always contain five parts:
Condition – what needs to be in place for the skill to occur Student name
Skill – the observable skill that the student is intended to do
Criterion – how the skill will be measured
Mastery – when the skill will be attained, or the time-period over which observational data will be gathered.
Benchmarks contain all the parts of an objective yet contain one additional element: time. The time element of the benchmark can be written to identify that benchmark is intended to be met by a specific date (i.e. by the end of November, by the end of the first quarter, etc.).
For consistency within districts I recommend that benchmarks or objectives follow the same format: Begin with Time (if writing benchmarks), followed by Condition (begin with condition if writing objectives), Student Name, Skill, Criterion and finally Mastery.
Benchmark example: (this could also be an objective merely by starting with the condition) By the end of the 1
st
quarter (time) and after being provided with a teacher-selected
reading passage (condition), Student (Student name) will answer (skill) at least 3 “wh” questions (condition), in 8 out of 10 measured occasions across two consecutive weeks. (mastery)
©AllanSBlume
Home
BlumeMethod
The New IEP and Upcoming Workshops
About Allan
Educational Assessment/Summary
Questions I have been asked
IEP Writing Strategies
Accommodations
Modifications/Specially Designed Instruction
Service Delivery
Resources Created or Located
District Curriculum Accommodation Plan
Grading Students with Disabilities
Instructional Strategies
Transition Planning
Professional Experience
School Districts
Testimonials