Special Education

Individual Education Planning for Students with Special Needs

IMPLEMENTING AND REVIEWING THE IEP

Because the IEP is a working document, it must be linked to the ongoing instructional planning to be effective. The student with special needs should be seen first as a student in the class, and not be defined exclusively by those special needs.

Implementation of the IEP is putting into practice the plans, strategies and supports agreed upon by the team members. This usually includes one or more of the following:

  • modifications to the curriculum
  • adaptations to instruction and/or assessment methods
  • use of adaptive/assistive technologies
  • changes to make the learning environment more accessible
  • provision of support services
  • provision of specialized training (mobility and orientation; sign language instruction, etc.).

Reviewing the IEP

During the development of the IEP, staff involved in the process should decide when and how to monitor the student's progress and the appropriateness of the Plan. The most time efficient manner of handling these reviews may be to tie them in with the regular reporting procedures. This will avoid having to hold separate review and report card meetings and will provide the information required for the report card.

Preparation for the IEP review meetings is much the same as for the initial IEP meeting. The person coordinating the IEP should organize and chair the meeting and all team members should share information on strategies employed and assessment results since the last meeting. At this time the team may decide to carry on with the current plan, to change the goals or adaptations, or to seek help from additional district or community sources.

Questions that may help to guide the review process

  • Is the IEP an accurate reflection of the student's current programming needs?
  • How effective are the strategies and resources selected to support student learning?
  • How much progress has the student made toward achieving the goals and objectives set at IEP meetings?
  • Should new goals be selected and new objectives created to more accurately reflect the student's changing strengths, needs and interests?

Before a transition takes place, the IEP team should review the student's education plan and add written recommendations to the IEP. This review facilitates communication between the student's current teacher(s) and the receiving teacher(s) and helps to ensure continuity of programming for the student. (A sample review form is included in the appendix).

If the short-term objectives and annual goals in the IEP have been met, the following questions should be asked:

  • Is the student now able to follow the regular curriculum without adaptations or modifications?
  • What does the student need to learn next?

If the short-term objectives and the annual goals have not been met, team members should explore the following questions:

  • Was the IEP a supportive and useful document?
  • Were the goals and objectives appropriate? If not, what would be more appropriate for next year?
  • Were the materials, methods and procedures appropriate?
  • Was the assignment of responsibility appropriate?
  • What gains did the student make?
  • What responsibility did the student assume for his or her learning?
  • Did the plan result in increased independence for the student?
  • How did the home reinforce the agreed upon objectives?
  • Who should be involved in the revision of the IEP?

REPORTS FOR STUDENTS WITH SPECIAL NEEDS

Reports for students with special needs should describe progress with respect to all components of the program, including those areas which have been adapted and/or modified. When a student with special needs is expected to achieve or surpass the learning outcomes set out in the provincial curriculum, regular grading and reporting procedures will be followed.

When it is determined that a student with special needs requires substantial course or program modifications, the use of letter grades or percentages to report student progress in the areas modified is not appropriate. Instead, structured written comments must be used to report the level of the student's success in achieving the individual goals and objectives set for the student.

When services are provided by professional staff other than the classroom teacher, (e.g., speech-language pathologist, vision teacher, occupation or physio therapist, district resource teacher) these individuals should provide written information on the student's progress for inclusion with the report of the classroom teacher.

WHAT IS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE IEP AND THE SLP?

The implementation of the Career and Personal Planning (8-12) and the Personal Planning (K-7) curricula, which incorporates aspects of the former Learning for Living Curriculum, offers an excellent opportunity for linking the IEP process to the development of personal and career goals that occurs for all students. Students with special needs will have an IEP, which must be developed as soon as practical after their special needs have been identified, regardless of grade level. Starting in Grade 9, every student within the school system, including those with special needs, is expected to have a formal Student Learning Plan (SLP).

How are they similar?

  • Both SLP and IEP are statements of a student's personal, educational, and career plans.
  • Both reflect and take into account the student's particular aptitudes, strengths and accomplishments.
  • Both are developed with reference to the same kind of focus questions (e.g., What are the goals / aspirations? What steps need be taken to realize those goals / aspirations?).
  • Both are to be reviewed and updated regularly.

How do they differ?

  • The IEP contains information not found in the SLP (e.g., instructional adaptations, adaptations to evaluation procedures, specialist support to be provided).
  • While the SLP will generally be developed by the student with teacher assistance, the IEP is developed by school personnel, in consultation with parents and the student, to provide a program to meet the student's special needs.

Factors that affect the student's participation in the development of the SLP and IEP include: age, level of maturity and ability to deliberate the possibilities and consequences.