Educational Administration Artifact Reflection

Artifact Title: Eighth Graders Individualized Education Plan

Date of Experience Completed: February-March 2014
Artifact Description:
My artifact is an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that I designed for an
eighth grade student classified with other health impairment. This student
presented with hearing, vision, and learning impairments. This IEP is written
specific to the students needs and includes: demographic information, team
participants, students present level of performance, special factors, annual
goals, state assessment participation, transition plan, accommodations and
modifications, pull-out services, and determination of participation in special
education.
Wisconsin Administrator Standard Alignment:
This Individualized Education Plan best aligns with Wisconsin Administrator
Standard 1.2 which states: The teacher understands how children
learn/develop, and can provide learning opportunities to support their
intellectual, social, and personal development.
This Individualized Education Plan best aligns with Standard 1.2 because it
demonstrates understanding that a students physical, social, emotional, and
cognitive development influences learning and knows how to address these
factors when making instructional decisions. Evidence of this can be seen on
various pages three through 15. Pages three through five describe the
students present level of physical, social, emotional, and cognitive
development. Pages six through eight include annual goals to address and
challenge instructional decisions. Pages 13 through 15 include placement,
accommodations, and modifications to assist the student in achieving the
annual goals. This IEP also aligns with Standard 1.2 because it demonstrates
appreciation of individual variation within each area of development, shows
respect for diverse talents of all learners, and demonstrates commitment to
help students develop self-confidence and competence. The entire IEP
process is aimed at developing a plan in which the student can be most
successful and build self-confidence. As a student turns 13 years old, they
become an active participant in their IEP. Their voice is heard regarding their
present level of performance, needs, and post-secondary plans. The
students strengths are also disposed as a basis for growth and students
errors are an opportunity for learning are again evident in the present level
of performance on pages three through five. Finally, this IEP artifact aligns
with Standard 1.2 because it demonstrates assessment of individual
performance in order to design instruction that meets the learners current
needs that leads to the next developmental level. Most of the assessment in

an IEP comes from observations, classroom, district-wide, and state

assessments. These assessments are considered while writing pages three
through four (present level). Using that baseline information, annual goals
are developed to address needs. Then, accommodations and modifications
are put in place to allow the student the greatest chance of success.
What I learned about administration/teaching/learning from this
experience:
This Individualized Education Plan was easily one of the most difficult
documents I wrote last school year. There were many team members
involved. We had a language barrier as well as vision and hearing barriers.
The IEP was for a student new to the district, which gave us little to no
information on him. Because of these challenges, I learned three things. It is
extremely important to use people and resources around you, you cannot be
afraid to ask questions, and plan ahead. I mentioned there were many
people involved in this IEP process. I was required to actively communicate
with the parents through our district interpreter. I was also required to get
input from our speech and language pathologist, regular education teachers,
special education teachers and paraprofessionals, and our district
audiologist. A lot of the time I did not know where to begin, what information
to look for, and what should be written into the document. The team
members involved rescued me from my panic to help me develop a well
thought-out written IEP. While collaborating with the team members, I was
sometimes forced to ask dumb questions. Overall, everyone was more
than willing to answer my questions, or better yet, sit down and walk me
through some of the more difficult portions. Most importantly I learned to
plan ahead. This IEP process was a long and tedious one. Had I not begun
the IEP paperwork six to eight weeks in advance, I would not have been
compliant with state law. All of these lessons can be applied to
administration and teaching. In either position, you cannot be afraid to
reach out to your resources and ask the silly, but often important questions.
You also need to plan ahead in these positions, because even the best laid
plans do not always go as intended.
What I learned about myself as a prospective administrator as a
result of this artifact:
As a prospective administrator, this Individualized Education Plan taught me
that I need to stay involved and visible to staff, students, and parents
throughout the district. My visibility within the school should range from
small groups, such as IEP meetings, to large events, such as family fun
nights. I need to, minimally, know the names of all staff members and
students that enter my building daily. With all of the initiatives, evaluations,
and observations required by administrators, it is important that I make time
to get to know the students in my district. I also learned that I need to be

aware of portions of my staff members positions. For example, I need to

know the basics about IEPs, classroom curriculums, sports teams, etc. This
will not only benefit me, but it will also show my community the amount of
dedication I have for our school district.