The

Individualized Educational Plan (IEP)

Philippe Tremblay
Université Libre de
Bruxelles
Tivat, Montenegro
November 2007
What is the general curriculum?

Curriculum that is used with non-

disabled students
Curricular
Curricular Adaptations
Adaptations

Any modification to the regular education

curriculum that accommodates the needs of
individual students
(Giangreco and Putnam, 1991)
 Individual Curriculum Adaptation Plan
Nine Types of Curriculum Adaptations

Quantity Time Level of Support

Adapt the number of Adapt the time allotted Increase the amount
items that the learner for learning, task of personal assistance
is expected to learn or completion, or testing. with a specific
complete. learner(s).
Input Difficulty Output
Adapt the way Adapt the skill level, Adapt how the student
instruction is delivered problem type, or the can respond to
to the learner. rules on how the instruction.
learner may approach
the work.

Participation Substitute
Alternate Goals
Adapt the extent to Adapt the goals or Curriculum
which the learner is outcome expectations Provide different
actively involved in the while using the same instruction and
task. materials. materials to meet the
learner’s individual
goals.
ƒ The assessment of the student is based
on :

ƒ the general syllabus

ƒ the IEP
Individualized Education Plan

ƒ What is an IEP?
ƒ What are the functions of an IEP?
ƒ Who are the partners of an IEP?
ƒ Which are the steps to introduce an IEP?
ƒ What is the content of an IEP?
ƒ Create your own IEP
What is an IEP?

*The IEP is a document developed by a team of person’s from the

student’s attending school system who have a direct relationship to
helping the student with special needs to be able to reach his full
potential.

*It is used to better understand how and what a student needs to

succeed in his education.

*It is there to serve as a road map to address the student’s goals,

progress, and services.

*It is often a legal document that is required for each student

The purpose of the IEP is to:

ƒ Persistently support the student’s personal

learning process
ƒ Positively express the student’s
improvement and development
ƒ Provide positive learning experiences
ƒ Result in successful organisation of
teaching and modes of action
Function of IEP
1. Setting precedence to the person's needs
2. Setting goals, services, programs,
interventions necessary for the disabled
person, his family, his environment in the short
and medium term
3. Definition of responsibilities
4. Making a schedule
5. Safeguarding the rights, interests of the
disabled person and quality of services
Members of the IEP team
Each meeting should include, but is not limited to, the
following participants:
ƒ A representative from the school
ƒ The child's teacher(s)
ƒ Special teacher(s)*
ƒ Other professionals
ƒ One or both of the child's parents or responsible party
ƒ The child, where appropriate.
ƒ Other individuals at the discretion of the parent or
school.
Related Services

zRelated Services shall be provided on

an individualized basis.
Types of Related Services

ƒ Transportation
ƒ Speech-language pathology
ƒ Audiologist services
ƒ Interpreting services
ƒ Psychological services
ƒ Physical therapy
ƒ Occupational therapy
ƒ Recreation, including therapeutic recreation
ƒ Social work services
ƒ School nurse services
ƒ Counseling services, including rehabilitation counseling
Role of Special Educator in Inclusive
Classroom
ƒ Acts as case manager for their students

ƒ Facilitates IEP team meetings and planning sessions

ƒ Determines the curricular adaptations that should be in place on a

daily or weekly basis.

ƒ Documents fulfillment of the IEP throughout the year and is liaison

with therapists

ƒ Develop and participate in planning and support sessions between

disabled and their classmates

ƒ Acts as team player, supporting the classroom teacher

The person “in charge”
ƒ Designated person for the implementation and
coordination of the program

ƒ Assure the viability and feasibility of the program

ƒ Is not "invested with the mission to succeed at all

costs".
Responsibility at the level of actions to be taken,
reminders, appointments, potential purchases…

ƒ Any member of a profession useful to a person

may be “the person in charge”
The General Educator's Role

A general educator must be included if the

student is or may be participating in the regular
education environment. Without the general
education teacher's participation, it would be
harder for the IEP team to take on its new
responsibilities for looking at a student's
progress in the general education curriculum,
standards, and assessments.
The General Educator's Brings knowledge of:

ƒ The general education context.

ƒ How the student with disabilities performs
in a general education context.
ƒ How the student interacts with her peers.
ƒ The pace of the class.
ƒ Other students.
ƒ The dynamics of the class.
ƒ Approaches for teaching the class as a
whole.
Teacher’s Roles

Ordinary teachers Special teacher/others

ƒ Content expert ƒ Strategy expert
ƒ Grades/Evaluates ƒ May play a role in
work grading work
ƒ Ensures progress in ƒ Ensures progress
course towards IEP goals
ƒ Certifies student has ƒ Ensures delivery of
met course accommodations.
requirements.
Pedagogue and psychologist’s role
ƒ Testing & assessment
ƒ Collect information from related services
ƒ Help school team in IEP’s processes
ƒ Create and follow some specific programs (ex. :
behavior)
ƒ Assist (and observe) school team in class
activity
ƒ Remove the barriers of inclusion
ƒ …
Different steps in IEP…
1. Welcome the person (social)
2. Analysis of the needs and expectations of
the disabled person and his family, with
existing resources (forces) and observation
skills
3. Analysis of obstacles:
a) In person (inabilities, emotional aspects)
b) In the environment (family, institution)
4. Establishing goals overall priority
(choices to be made among the identified
needs)
Different steps
5. Preparation of a contract: Skateholders -
disabled person-family
6. Development of the operational objectives
7. Determination of material/human resources
and strategies
8. Setting up the program
9. Evaluation and readjustment
Content of IEP

IEP based on the Curriculum and

includes:
1. A description of the student’s basic readiness, strengths
and special needs, as well as the needs for developing
the teaching and learning environment they necessitate
2. Long and short-term objectives for teaching and learning
3. The amount of annual weekly lessons in subjects that are
in the pupil’s syllabus and a list of those subjects that
deviate from the teaching of the general syllabus
4. The primary objectives and contents of those subjects in
which the pupil has a personalised syllabus
Content

Requires the definition of:

ƒ The objectives and contents of teaching and

rehabilitation
ƒ Teaching methods
ƒ Student welfare services
ƒ Support services
ƒ The monitoring and assessment procedures
Considerations in Developing the IEP

ƒ Assessment of Students needs (identify

strengths and weaknesses)
ƒ Details of disability that are being addressed
ƒ Individualization of IEP
ƒ Classification
ƒ Parental involvement
ƒ Teacher involvement
ƒ Collaboration of what best suites student’s needs

(Wright and Wright, 1998)

Learn about the student’s exceptional
needs by reviewing:
ƒMost recent evaluation(s) such as:
Reading Diagnostic
Exam scores
Psychoeducational report
ƒ Current and/or previous IEP’s
ƒ Skills, needs, and/or behaviors needed to succeed in the least
restrictive environment
ƒ Description of how the disability hinders the student from
learning and/or participating in a setting with non-disabled peers
ƒAcademic strengths
ƒ Grade history
ƒ Anecdotal observation(s)
ƒ Student work products
Gathering information from multiple
sources …

ƒ Current and/or previous teachers

ƒ Psycho-educational professionals
ƒ Parent/Guardian
ƒ Student
The needs, strengths, assessment results, and
any other relevant student information will be
used to write the present level of performance
(PLOP), needs for remediation, annual goals,
and benchmarks/short-term objectives.
Annual Goal

STO/Benchmark

STO/Benchmark

STO/Benchmark

Present Level of Performance

There is a direct relationship between the annual goal and PLOP.

The Present Level of Performance (PLOP) is the starting point of

reference from which the progress of the student will be measured.

The short-term objectives are the intermediate steps between the

PLOP and the annual goal. Break down annual goal into discrete
components
Benchmarks are statements of what the student will learn (do not
include procedures, schedule, or criteria).

The annual goals will be the anticipated result from the service
delivery. They are a plan for linking the gap between where the
student is and where he or she needs to be in relation to the
student’s grade level indicators or projected diploma option.
 Annual Goals

Annual Goals must:

ƒbe measurable
ƒrelate to the student involved, and not be cookie-cutter
ƒinclude criteria for meeting the goal
ƒset high expectations, but be reasonable
ƒShould come from the curriculum
Gens. objectives Spec. objectives Means

Adopt a correct behavior

in classroom
 Measurable Goals

1. Time Frame - Specifies the amount of time in the goal

period
2. Conditions – Circumstances under which target behavior
is to occur
3. Behavior - Clearly identifies the skill or learning to be
observed; reflects an action which can be directly
observed
4. Criterion - Identifies how much, how often, or to what
standards the behavior must occur in order to
demonstrate that the goal has been achieved (Accuracy,
Frequency, Duration, Latency, Rate, Qualitative)
Condition
Questions to ask:
ƒ Under what conditions will the behavior be expected?
ƒ When should the student demonstrate the behavior?
ƒ Where should the behavior be demonstrated?
ƒ With what materials, people, directions?

Behavior
Questions to ask:
ƒ What will the student be able to do?
ƒ What skill or knowledge will the student attain as a result of
instruction?

Criterion
Questions to ask:
ƒ What standards will be used to evaluate student performance?
ƒ How well, how often, how long, how accurately, how quickly, how
soon, how many times, etc.?
 Example
In 4 weeks, while working in the class, John will work alone, in a individual project,
without disturb the rest of the classroom, one time a day for two consecutive weeks.

1. Time Frame – In 4 weeks,

2. Conditions - working on an individual project

3. Behavior – John will work alone without

disturbing the class

4. Criterion – in class with the others, once a

day for 2 consecutive weeks.
 THE STRANGER TEST
(Kaplan 1990)

Are your goals and objectives written so that someone who

didn’t write them (a stranger)
stranger could use them to develop an
appropriate instructional plan?

THE ‘SO WHAT’ TEST

9 The ‘so what’ test embodies validity.

9 Are your goals and objectives written to be
educationally relevant?
Starting up the program
ƒ Writing program and distributed to all
stakeholders, including the beneficiary or his or
her parents (memory and a moral contract)

ƒ Program discussed with the various

stakeholders, so as to be clearly understood and
usable by all

ƒ Designation of the “person in charge” of the

project
Re-evaluation
ƒ After 6 to 12 months: gather information about the changes
and the effects of the program

Requirements:

ƒ The skateholders of the first evaluation must be found

judging the effects in the most objective manner possible.
The quality of the revaluation depends heavily on the
quality objectives and the means used

ƒ Are used to update the IEP (rarely linear!)

Reviewing and Revising IEP
*Reviewed (1-2X) by year.
*Reassess annual goals.
*Revise the IEP to address:

ƒ any lack of expected progress

ƒ results of any reevaluation
ƒ information provided by the parents
ƒ anticipated needs
x
x
Risks of failure of a IEP?

ƒ Resistances to IEP: bureaucratic, "allergy" to

any written document, fear of speakers
themselves to be evaluated on the basis of the
success or failure of IEP, additional work,
speaking unfamiliar with the evaluation systems
coding and expectations of the student
Risks of failure of IEP
ƒ Institutional refusal : IEP seen as an evaluator of the
institution

ƒ Changes in personnel team

ƒ The program itself may have been poorly designed

(goals vague, inappropriate ways, incomprehensible
text…)

ƒ Lack of cooperation on the part of management: the

idea of a PEI is accepted, but the resources do not
follow (no support for coordination and consultation)