Individualized Education Plan Formation
Adopted from Education.com
http://www.education.com/reference/article/steps-ndividualized-education-program-IEP/
The IEP (or Individualized Education Plan) is a document which outlines a child’s educational needs due to a disability, and the services they will receive to help them learn in their educational setting. Every member of the team (such as the parents, general education teachers, specialists, special education teachers, administrators, and even doctors) are important members of the team, and everyone's input is important.The individualized program involves seven steps, beginning with pre-referral and ending with evaluation of a youngster's program. These steps are
Step 1: Pre-Referral
The IEP process is initiated through a series of pre-referral interventions. The interventions implemented vary depending on the kind of problem the child is exhibiting. The major purposes of this stage of the IEP process are to
Step 2: Referral
If pre-referral interventions are unsuccessful, a child is referred for special education services. Referrals can come from many different sources. Young children who are at risk of having disabilities because of improper prenatal care, low birth weight, accident or trauma during infancy, or child abuse are referred for special services. Also, those with visible indications of a disability (e.g., a missing arm or leg, facial differences resulting from Down syndrome) or other signals of significant developmental delay (e.g., an 18-month-old not walking independently or a three-year-old not talking) are usually identified early and receive early intervention services during infancy or their preschool years.
Step 3: Identification
The purpose of this step in the IEP process is to determine whether a child has a disability, whether special education is required, and what types of services are needed. Tests are conducted by multidisciplinary teams made up of professionals who have expertise in each area of concern.
Medical history, information about social interactions at school and at home, adaptive behavior in the community, educational performance, and other relevant factors are considered. One result of the evaluation step of the IEP process can be determination that the child does not have a disability. In these instances, the IEP process is discontinued. For those individuals who do have disabilities, this phase of the process results in a baseline of performance that guides the development of the individualized program plan and later will help evaluate the program's effectiveness.
Step 4: Eligibility
The information from the assessment step is used to identify children who actually have a disability and qualify for special education services. For those children, the IEP committee then determines what services are needed so that an appropriate education can be planned for and delivered. The education of those children who do not meet the eligibility requirements remains the responsibility of general educators.
Step 5: Development of the IEP
After thorough completion of the pre-referral, referral, evaluation, and eligibility steps of the IEP process, it is time to develop the IEP for preschoolers. This next step requires that parents and the IEP Team make decisions about appropriate education, services, and placement. The assessment results are used to help make these decisions. It is at this point that the IEP Team begins its work to outline the individualized education needed by the child of concern. Collectively, the team members—including parents—now use the knowledge they have gained to identify resources needed for that child to access the general education curriculum, determine the appropriate goals for that individual, and then turn all of that knowledge into a good educational program for the child.
Step 6: Implementation of the IEP
Once the IEP is developed, the child's services and individualized program begin. The IEP now lays out an appropriate education for the child, the child’s participation in the general education curriculum, the accommodations the child receives both for instruction and for testing, and the array of multidisciplinary services from related service providers that support the child's educational program. For children who are participating in a different curriculum or whose goals differ from those of the general education curriculum, the IEP has specified alternate assessment procedures as well.
Minor adjustments in the child's goals or in the benchmarks that indicate their attainment do not signal a need for a new IEP or another IEP meeting. Services continue. However, major changes in goals, services, or placement do require parents to be notified in writing.
Step 7: Evaluation and Reviews
IEPs are reviewed annually. The purpose of the IEP review meetings is to ensure that the child is meeting their goals and making educational progress. Teachers and specialists take daily data and write quarterly and even weekly progress reports to help the parents see their child’s progress and also to help the specialists see what works and what they should change to help the child learn better.
http://www.education.com/reference/article/steps-ndividualized-education-program-IEP/
The IEP (or Individualized Education Plan) is a document which outlines a child’s educational needs due to a disability, and the services they will receive to help them learn in their educational setting. Every member of the team (such as the parents, general education teachers, specialists, special education teachers, administrators, and even doctors) are important members of the team, and everyone's input is important.The individualized program involves seven steps, beginning with pre-referral and ending with evaluation of a youngster's program. These steps are
- Pre-referral
- Referral
- Identification
- Eligibility
- Development of the IEP
- Implementation of the IEP
- Evaluation and reviews
Step 1: Pre-Referral
The IEP process is initiated through a series of pre-referral interventions. The interventions implemented vary depending on the kind of problem the child is exhibiting. The major purposes of this stage of the IEP process are to
- Document and explain the child's difficulties and challenges
- Test the effectiveness of classroom accommodations and modifications
- Assess the success of at-home or in the classroom interventions
- Monitor the child's progress
Step 2: Referral
If pre-referral interventions are unsuccessful, a child is referred for special education services. Referrals can come from many different sources. Young children who are at risk of having disabilities because of improper prenatal care, low birth weight, accident or trauma during infancy, or child abuse are referred for special services. Also, those with visible indications of a disability (e.g., a missing arm or leg, facial differences resulting from Down syndrome) or other signals of significant developmental delay (e.g., an 18-month-old not walking independently or a three-year-old not talking) are usually identified early and receive early intervention services during infancy or their preschool years.
Step 3: Identification
The purpose of this step in the IEP process is to determine whether a child has a disability, whether special education is required, and what types of services are needed. Tests are conducted by multidisciplinary teams made up of professionals who have expertise in each area of concern.
Medical history, information about social interactions at school and at home, adaptive behavior in the community, educational performance, and other relevant factors are considered. One result of the evaluation step of the IEP process can be determination that the child does not have a disability. In these instances, the IEP process is discontinued. For those individuals who do have disabilities, this phase of the process results in a baseline of performance that guides the development of the individualized program plan and later will help evaluate the program's effectiveness.
Step 4: Eligibility
The information from the assessment step is used to identify children who actually have a disability and qualify for special education services. For those children, the IEP committee then determines what services are needed so that an appropriate education can be planned for and delivered. The education of those children who do not meet the eligibility requirements remains the responsibility of general educators.
Step 5: Development of the IEP
After thorough completion of the pre-referral, referral, evaluation, and eligibility steps of the IEP process, it is time to develop the IEP for preschoolers. This next step requires that parents and the IEP Team make decisions about appropriate education, services, and placement. The assessment results are used to help make these decisions. It is at this point that the IEP Team begins its work to outline the individualized education needed by the child of concern. Collectively, the team members—including parents—now use the knowledge they have gained to identify resources needed for that child to access the general education curriculum, determine the appropriate goals for that individual, and then turn all of that knowledge into a good educational program for the child.
Step 6: Implementation of the IEP
Once the IEP is developed, the child's services and individualized program begin. The IEP now lays out an appropriate education for the child, the child’s participation in the general education curriculum, the accommodations the child receives both for instruction and for testing, and the array of multidisciplinary services from related service providers that support the child's educational program. For children who are participating in a different curriculum or whose goals differ from those of the general education curriculum, the IEP has specified alternate assessment procedures as well.
Minor adjustments in the child's goals or in the benchmarks that indicate their attainment do not signal a need for a new IEP or another IEP meeting. Services continue. However, major changes in goals, services, or placement do require parents to be notified in writing.
Step 7: Evaluation and Reviews
IEPs are reviewed annually. The purpose of the IEP review meetings is to ensure that the child is meeting their goals and making educational progress. Teachers and specialists take daily data and write quarterly and even weekly progress reports to help the parents see their child’s progress and also to help the specialists see what works and what they should change to help the child learn better.