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An Individualized Education Program, commonly referred to as an Individual Education Plan, ('''IEP''') is a mandated requirement of the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) of 2004. An IEP is required for any pupil in the public schools who is found to meet the federal or state requirements for Special Education and related services. COMPONENTS OF AN IEP An IEP typically outlines the following items for each student:
The IEP will also include other pertinent information found necessary by the team, such as a health plan or a behavior plan for some students. CREATION OF AN IEP The art of teaching demands many things from teachers because of the importance and the influence that education has on children of all ages. One of the many demands of teaching is that only the most and best effort possible is made to teach students. This is even more critical when a student is handicapped or has a disability. In order to help students who have one or more of these conditions is it empirical to use an individual education program, not only because of the legal consequences that take place if it is not implemented when required, but also because it is the responsibility of teachers to teach all students equally no matter their struggles in life. An IEP is a written description of an appropriate instructional program for a student with special needs. The use of an IEP in the classroom is made up of seven steps to be followed, these are: pre-referral, referral, evaluation, eligibility, development of an IEP, implementation of an IEP, and an annual review. The first step in creating an IEP is pre-referral. A pre-referral intervention is an informal, problem solving process; it can be used to examine the problems that the child is exhibiting and looking for temporary solutions for those problems. A pre-referral intervention helps reduce the chances of over-identifying children for special education; reducing the chances of over-identifying we are also increasing the chances of identifying children for special education that do in fact need it. An IEP is created with the help of a group of people usually made up of parents, students sometimes participate, at least one general education teacher, special education teachers, school counselors, psychologists and all other service providers. Finally, during this meeting it is important that teachers open lines of communication with parents, this not only helps teachers better understand where the student is coming from but also allows teachers to explain their concerns about the student. Opening lines of communication is most important when we take into account that not all parents are accepting of even the suggestion that their child may have a disability. The next step in creating an IEP is referral. In the step of referral the student is officially refereed for special education services, this can only happen if all parties agree that the child exhibits behaviors or disabilities that may inhibit his or her learning experience. Only those with academic performance extensively behind that off their classmates and/or those who express learning, emotional, and behavioral difficulties can be officially referred, otherwise school officials should not refer students to special education programs because of the consequences that this act would have on the student’s future education. After the student is referred for special education services, the step of evaluation takes place. Evaluation helps determine many factors, including: whether a child has a disability, whether special education is required and consequently if the child does have a disability, what types of special or related services are needed. The evaluation the student is subjected to should measure different aspects using a variety of measurement methods to determine if the student has any emotional, learning or any other type of disability that impedes him or her from performing as well, or to the capacity that most of their peers are able to, the IEP team should not, under any circumstances make decisions based solely on a single method of evaluation, furthermore, evaluation should also take place in the native language of the student. Once the results for the evaluations are ready the step of eligibility takes place. It is during the step of eligibility that the IEP team examines the results from the evaluations and decides as a whole whether the child needs special education. Following eligibility, the next step in the process of an IEP is the development of an IEP. The IEP team, using the assessment results decides on appropriate education, services and placement—preferably in the least restrictive environment. A matrice is then drafted containing the student’s present level of performance, indicators about ways the student’s disability influences participation and progress in the general curriculum, a statement of measurable goals; including benchmarks or short-terms objectives, the specific educational services to be provided; including program modifications or supports, an explanation of the extend that the child will not participate in general education, a description of all modifications in statewide or district-wide assessments, the projected date for initiation of the services and the expected duration of those services, the annual statement of transition service needs (beginning at age 14), and a statement of interagency responsibilities to ensure continuity of services when the student leaves school (by age 16), a statement regarding how the student’s progress will be measured and how the parents will be informed in the process, also the least restrictive environment that the student will be placed at. Subsequently, the general education teacher proceeds to implement all educational services, program modifications or supports as indicated by the individual education plan in the step of implementation of the IEP. Lastly, the step of annual review is to occur. The IEP team is responsible for conducting an annual review to ensure that they student is meeting goals and/or making progress on the benchmarks specified for each objective. The annual review is to take place on a yearly basis, however, if the present IEP is not effectively helping the student in the classroom, and immediate revision is to occur, this is something all teachers should have in mind because of the consequences that not doing this would have, not only from a legal point of view but also because if an immediate revision of the IEP is not requested the child will struggle through the rest of the year. Some tips that teachers might find useful when dealing with IEPs include: participating to the extent appropriate in the IEP meeting, communicating with the special education teacher(s), if an IEP is not effective request an IEP meeting to discuss concerns, and maintaining detailed record keeping that is accurate, this will help you as you create or review an IEP. All teachers will at times help create, implement, and revise an IEP as part of their job, since IEPs are an aspect of teaching itself they should be just as knowledgeable and resourceful as they are of the teaching methods they use to impart their classes, even more considering that a student with an IEP needs as much help as she or he can get from their teacher. For teachers, an IEP can make classroom dynamics harder at times, making it seem like it’s too much of a challenge—more so when results are not profound, and they usually are not—for the end result, yet truly the best thing teachers can do is to fully implement the IEP and not give up on the student, therefore, the day the teacher gives up on a student is the day that the student is brutally taken away his or her right to have a free and appropriate education. ACCEPTANCE/AMENDMENTS OF AN IEP An IEP must be accepted and signed by a parent or guardian before any of the outlined services may begin. The IEP is never set in stone; any member of the team may call a meeting at any time to edit the IEP. Many things may be added or subtracted and the parent/guardian must again accept and sign any amendments in order for them to take effect. Parents/guardians need not sign any paper work when it is initially proposed. They have 30 calendar days to take the paper work home for their consideration. REFERENCES Kamens, M. W. (2004). Learning to write IEPs: A personalized, reflective approach for preservice teachers. Intervention in School and Clinic, 40(2), 76-80. Katsiyannis, A., & Maag, J. W. (2001). Educational methodologies: Legal and practical considerations. Preventing School Failure, 46(1), 31-36. Lewis, A. C. (2005). The old, new IDEA. The Education Digest, 70(5), 68-70. Patterson, K. (2005). What classroom teachers need to know about IDEA '97. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 41(2), 62-67. Weishaar, M. K. (2001). The regular educator's role in the individual education plan process. The Clearing House, 75(2), 96-98. Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis. Educational Psychology: Developing Learners (fifth edition). Pearson, Merrill Prentice Hall, 2006. |
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