Preparing For Next Year’s IEP

GENETIC ALLIANCE BY ROXANNE ROGERS

The Individualized education Plan may seem daunting. IF engaged smartly, IEPs can be more useful than stressful, more empowering than disempowering.

5, 4, 3, 2, 1… School’s out for summer!
When our children go on vacation, the work doesn’t stop. This time of year can be stressful, and even daunting, for parents of children with special needs. On top of a regular work schedule, we are often tasked with managing a number of summer activities. The sun is low and hot, public areas are crowded, and, before we know it, the new school year will be upon us. With the school year comes the responsibility of creating and engaging with an Individualized Education Plan.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, requires all public schools to provide cost-free, individualized education for children with special needs. Individualized Education Plans, or IEPs, are intended to ensure that your child’s school is informed and able to provide all needed resources. Each Individualized Education Plan varies slightly, depending on the student, yet all IEPs share the following basic components.

Each IEP includes a statement of your child’s present level of performance, or PLP; accommodations for standardized tests; annual educational goals; and a plan for how the school will measure your child’s progress towards these goals. IEPs should also include any special education supports and services that you think may be essential to guide your child through the year. While private schools are not obligated to provide IEPs for students with special needs, they are still highly encouraged to do so. IEPs help students, parents, and teachers to establish personal objectives and to monitor progress made.

To lessen the stress of creating an Individualized Education Plan, we have prepared some recommendations to support the process of creating and working with an IEP. Devoting thought and preparation to IEPs ahead of time can ease a trying and often challenging process. And don’t forget to start early. Before you know it, the summer will fade into autumn and the school year will begin again.

1. YOU’RE AN EXPERT ON YOUR OWN CHILD
No one knows your child better than you. You’ve seen your child grow up, learn, and interact with others. You know what they like and dislike, what scares them, and what motivates them. While the PLP is one form of assessment used to write an Individualized Education Plan, your child’s social and emotional abilities, needs, and drives should also be brought to your IEP meetings. Your child’s holistic personality is as crucial as a test score for determining the type of environment and resources to create an ideal classroom environment.

As an attorney and mother of a young woman on the autism spectrum, Jennifer Bollero is actively engaged in the special education community in Illinois. In her article, “8 Steps to Better IEP Meetings: Play Hearts, Not Poker” she discusses her experience with writing Individualized Education Plans for her daughter.

Bollero includes a number of strategies, yet the best advice she gives is to be an advocate. “It is our duty,” Bollero writes,“to lead these people to a fuller understanding of the beauty and ability within our children. To do this, we must become effective advocates.”1

When you meet to begin writing your child’s IEP, you will be sitting in a room with a general education teacher, a special needs teacher, a school district representative, and a school psychologist. With so many participants in the conversation, it is important to make sure that your voice is heard. And if your child is 16 years of age or older, they can also participate in the meeting. Once they are of age, we highly suggest that your child be involved. That way, their perspective can be voiced, and they can contribute to the transitional planning that will ultimately prepare them for life after high school.

2. REVIEW TEST RESULTS BEFORE THE IEP MEETING
To create an Individual Education Plan, your child must first complete an assessment to be given their PLP. Your child’s present level of performance will be determined by the composite of several evaluations. There will be a series of performance-based tests, such as the Woodcock Johnson, Third Edition test or the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test.2 After these are completed, there will also be cognitive and behavioral functioning tests. Through the completion of these evaluations, your child’s unique strengths and areas for improvement can be discovered and addressed at the meeting.

Together, everyone at the IEP meeting will be able to access the results of your child’s PLP. Yet we highly suggest that you review the information beforehand with the person who administered the assessments. While the report should be easy to follow, it will be helpful to have certain sections explained in further detail. Creating an Individual Education Plan will require you to make numerous decisions, so we encourage that you understand the PLP results to the best of your ability.

In some cases, you may not feel that the PLP assessment accurately describes your child’s needs. If this occurs, you may request a follow-up evaluation. According to the Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) under 34 CFR 300.352, “A parent has the right to an independent educational evaluation at public expense if the parent disagrees with an evaluation obtained by the public agency.”3

Acquiring knowledge about this process, and your rights throughout the process, will help to make writing the Individualized Education Plan smooth for you and more effective for your child.

3. WORK TOWARDS MEASUREABLE OBJECTIVES AND GOALS
An effective Individualized Education Plan is a SMART Individualized Education Plan. All IEPs should be S (Specific), M (Measurable), A (Use Action Words), R (Realistic and Relevant), and T (Time-limited).4 Objectives should meet your child’s academic, developmental, and functional needs, be shaped by the general curriculum of their current grade level, and be crafted with an understanding of their personality and abilities. Once these objectives are established, your child’s progress can be evaluated on a regular basis.

As you draft the IEP, try to reflect on your child’s PLP results, meanwhile understanding that PLP results do not define your child. At the bottom of the assessment report, there should be a section for recommendations. These should be drawn from their previous performance, from their cognitive tests and from their behavioral tests. While you need not follow all of these recommendations, they can help you to decide which goals are most appropriate for your child.

The best way to guarantee relevant, measurable goals is to break down each goal into a few short-term steps. Ask yourself: What short-term steps will allow your child to accomplish each overarching goal?5 Remember that these goals should be crafted with your child’s needs as the ultimate priority. After all, an Individualized Education Plan is specific to the individual. The purpose of an Individualized Education Plan is to ensure and display your child’s personal growth and success.

CONCLUSION
The Individualized Education Plan may seem daunting. If engaged SMARTly, IEPs can be more useful than stressful, more empowering than disempowering. At each step of the process, there are ways in which you can be an advocate for your child and their education. From planning to the classroom, you should be strong, comfortable, and able to speak up on behalf of your child’s needs and goals.

After the IEP is written, be sure to check in with your child’s teachers on a regular basis. That way, you will be aware of your child’s progress towards the goals you have laid out. Checking in every few months will allow you to monitor your child’s progress and be aware of any emergent difficulties. And if you keep paper records of the requests or questions that arise, you can refer back to the documents as your child progresses through the school year.

Though the fall semester may seem far away, we all know that the months pass by quickly. The sooner you begin to think about your child’s IEP, the sooner you can relax, enjoy the summer months, and soak up some Vitamin D. •

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Roxanne Rogers is a sophomore at Pepperdine University majoring in Psychology and Pre-Dental. She has spent the last year studying in Washington, DC, and is a spring intern at Genetic Alliance.


A SMART APPROACH : INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATION PLAN RESOURCES

ADVOCATES FOR JUSTICE & EDUCATION
www.aje-dc.org/training
Advocates for Justice and Education (AJE) works to educate parents, youth, and the community about laws  governing special education and related services. AJE provides online workshops and trainings about a variety of topics, including preparing for an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting, advocating for your child, and understanding the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

WRIGHTSLAW
www.wrightslaw.com/advoc/articles/
Wrightslaw provides parents, educators, advocates, and attorneys with information about education law and advocacy for children with disabilities. Their article “Your Child’s IEP: Practical and Legal Guidance for Parents” answers questions about IEPs.

PARENT EDUCATIONAL ADVOCACY TRAINING CENTER
www.peatc.org/peatc.cgim?template=parent_resources.support
The Parent Educational Advocacy Training Center (PEATC) works with families, schools, and communities to improve educational opportunities for children with disabilities. PEATC provides numerous educational resources for parents, and has compiled a list of parent support groups in Virginia for a variety of conditions.


References
1. Bollero, Jennifer. “8 Step to Better IEP Meetings: Play Hearts, Not Poker.” Wright slaw. 15 May 2013. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
2. “The Individualized Education Program Process in Special Education.” Special Education Guide. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
3. “34 CFR 300.502 – Independent Educational Evaluation.” LII /Legal Information Institute. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.
4. Chapter 12: SMART IEPS. Wrights law. PDF.
5. “Examples and Tips of Making IEP Annual Goals Measurable.” Cesa 7. 29 Nov. 1999. Web. 14 Apr. 2016.

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