Individualized Education Program:

A Written Report in Foundations of Special and Inclusive Education

By
Reynald Bassingan

I.Vignette
https://youtu.be/tGYO9XWhI2Y

II. Content

Individualized Education Program

The Individual Education Program Plan (IEP) is a written plan/program developed by the
schools special education team with input from the parents and specifies the student's academic
goals and the method to obtain these goals. The law (IDEA) prescribes that school districts bring
together parents, students, general educators, and special educators to make important
educational decisions with consensus from the team for students with disabilities, and those
decisions will be reflected in the IEP.
The IEP will also identify adaptations that will be provided to help the student succeed in
the general education curriculum. It may also identify modifications, if the child needs to have
the curriculum significantly changed or modified in order to guarantee success and that the
student's educational needs are addressed.
The IEP will focus only on the areas that are affected by the disability (ies). The IEP will
provide a focus for the student’s learning and designate the time for the student to successfully
complete the benchmark objectives on the way to mastering the IEP Goal. The IEP should reflect
as much as possible what the student’s peers are learning, which provides an age-appropriate
approximation of the general education curriculum. The IEP will identify supports and services
the student needs for success.

Elements of the IEP

The IEP must contain the student's present level of educational performance, the results of any
evaluations and tests, special education and related services to be provided, accommodations and
modifications to be provided for the student, supplementary aids and services, annual goals for
the student, including how they will be tracked and measured, an explanation of how the student
will participate in general education classes (the least restrictive environment), and the date the
IEP will go into effect, as well as a transportation plan and extended school year services if
applicable.

IEP Goals

The IEP goals should be developed with the following criteria:

 specific
 realistic
 attainable
 measurable
 challenging

Who Needs an IEP?

A child who has difficulty learning and functioning and has been identified as a special needs
student is the perfect candidate for an IEP.

Kids struggling in school may qualify for support services, allowing them to be taught in a
special way, for reasons such as:

 learning disabilities
 attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
 emotional disorders
 cognitive challenges
 autism
 hearing impairment
 visual impairment
 speech or language impairment
 developmental delay
 physical disabilities

The Referral and Evaluation Process

The referral process generally begins when a teacher, parent, or doctor is concerned that a child
may be having trouble in the classroom, and the teacher notifies the school counselor or
psychologist.

The first step is to gather specific data regarding the student's progress or academic problems.
This may be done through:

 a conference with parents

  a conference with the student
 observation of the student
 analysis of the student's performance (attention, behavior, work completion, tests,
classwork, homework, etc.)

Who's On the Team?

The professionals on the evaluation team can include:

 a psychologist
 a physical therapist
 an occupational therapist
 a speech therapist
 a special educator
 a vision or hearing specialist
 others, depending on the child's specific needs

Signs that a student may have a learning disability include:

 getting poor grades despite significant effort

 needing continual, step-by-step guidance for tasks
 not being able to remember problem-solving steps because he or she does not understand
the tasks or the logic behind them
 having poor memory of spoken or written material
 having difficulty mastering tasks or transferring academic skills to other tasks
 not being able to remember skills and facts over time
 having strong general knowledge, but not being able to read (dyslexia), write
(dysgraphia), or do math (dyscalculia) at that level
 having difficulty with communication and language processing, as well as expressive and
receptive language
 being extremely frustrated with school and homework

How Are Services Delivered?

In most cases, the services outlined in an IEP can be provided in regular education classrooms. In
other cases, IEP services might be delivered in separate resource classrooms or even separate
schools, depending on the students' needs. Some students may have an IEP for one subject area
only, while others may have one for all academic subjects in addition to social skills instruction.

What’s the IEP’s purpose?

The IEP has two general purposes:

 to set reasonable learning goals for a child, and

  to state the services that the school district will provide for the child.

When is the IEP developed?

An IEP meeting must be held within 30 calendar days after it is determined, through a full and
individual evaluation, that a child has one of the disabilities listed in IDEA and needs special
education and related services. A child’s IEP must also be reviewed at least annually thereafter to
determine whether the annual goals are being achieved and must be revised as appropriate.

What’s in an IEP?

Each child’s IEP must contain specific information, as listed within IDEA, our nation’s special
education law. This includes (but is not limited to):

— the child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, describing
how the child is currently doing in school and how the child’s disability affects his or her
involvement and progress in the general curriculum.

— annual goals for the child, meaning what parents and the school team think he or she can
reasonably accomplish in a year.

— the special education and related services to be provided to the child, including supplementary
aids and services (such as a communication device) and changes to the program or supports for
school personnel.

— how much of the school day the child will be educated separately from nondisabled children
or not participate in extracurricular or other nonacademic activities such as lunch or clubs.

— how (and if) the child is to participate in state and district-wide assessments, including what
modifications to tests the child needs.

— when services and modifications will begin, how often they will be provided, where they will
be provided, and how long they will last.

— how school personnel will measure the child’s progress toward the annual goals.

Importance of IEP

1.IEP development is a collaborative process

An IEP is developed by a team consisting of special education teachers, general education

teachers, school district representatives and a child’s parents. When a child reaches the age of 16,
he or she can also participate in the development of the IEP. This opportunity to participate in his
or her own IEP development allows a special needs child to take some ownership of his or her
education as well as gain experience in goal setting, identifying areas for growth and expressing
opinions about learning techniques. IEPs are important in that they bring many different parties
to the table. The goals and modifications are clearly detailed, which makes them understandable
for everyone involved.

2.An IEP focuses on measurable goals

The importance of an IEP includes measurable and specific goals. Goals that are vague or too
broad are difficult to track. Breaking down goals into smaller components allows more
opportunities for a child to reach those goals, which allows the child a sense of accomplishment
confidence. When the IEP team sets goals for working with the special needs child, they will
focus on SMART goals:

Specific
Measurable
Agreed
Realistic
Timed

SMART goals explain in detail what a child will do, provide details about how modification or
technologies will support the child and agree on a realistic time frame for the child to reach the
goals.

3.An IEP is holistic and strength-based

In part, IEPs are important because of their holistic nature. IEPs are concerned with achieving a
clearer understanding of the entire child, including areas of strength. There is sufficient space
within an IEP to describe the child in detail, including likes, dislikes, academic interests, family
structure and extracurricular activities. Additionally, IEPs are unique in that they do not only
focus on academic growth. Social-emotional goals— such as recognizing or regulating emotions,
building empathy skills and building positive relationships with peers— are equally as important
and often accompany academic goals.

4.An IEP is a working document

An IEP is not set in stone. Rather, it is a working document that responds to the challenges a
child experiences as well as the progress that he or she makes in the learning environment. The
IEP team reviews the document on a regular basis and makes changes accommodate progress, or
as goals and learning priorities shift. Because an IEP is not a finalized document, it is necessary
for teachers, family members and the student to maintain a fluid conversation.

While working with special education children, you have a unique opportunity to affect a child’s
quality of life. One of the ways in which you can ensure academic and personal growth in your
students is by creating quality IEPs. It is important to create an IEP that is clear, measurable, and
strength-based in nature. Such IEPs can provide a roadmap for the most effective learning
environment for each child.
III.Evaluation

1-3.Give 3 Goals of IEP

4-5Who’s on the team of IEP? Give atleast 2

6-9.What are the 4 importance of IEP?

10. What is IEP?