In special education IEP Is a common term. What does this acronym stand for and what is all included in an IEP? Here’s the scoop.
IEP Special Education Definition
The acronym “IEP” simply stands for “Individualized Education Plan.”
So what is an IEP in special education?
Basically, it is a plan that is agreed upon by the school district and the student’s guardian(s). This plan details how education is going to be made accessible to the student as the child. The child has already been identified as having a disability that impedes their learning or progress in school. This child would therefore receive special education services and the IEP details out what those services are.
What Is The Main Difference Between An IEP And A 504
There are always a lot of questions surrounding this question.
So what is the difference between special education and 504 plans? In the simplest terms, a 504 plan is made to give accommodations so that the student can access the general education curriculum. An individualized education plan is designed for students who are identified with a disability. Additionally, they need accommodations as well as specific instruction and goals in certain deficit areas.
If you are looking for more in-depth information about a special education iep vs 504 plan, check out this post all about the topic.
Special Education IEP Process
The special education IEP process can be difficult to understand. There are two main areas: evaluation (or re-evaluation) and writing the actual IEP.
Evaluation for Need
An evaluation happens when a child is being looked at to see if they have a discrepancy between their abilities and their peers’ abilities. This can be in different areas – academic, health, regulation, etc.
During an evaluation, the team decided what assessments and information needs to be gathered and considered. Then, they have a meeting. Here they discuss everything and see if the child meets the criteria. If a child does meet the criteria, then an IEP is made and put into place.
Evaluations happen every 3 years if a child does receive special education services. This gives the team an opportunity to look at areas of growth. They also see if the child still needs special education services. This is often called a “re-evaluation.” Sometimes staff will want to do additional testing at this time.
Yearly Special Education IEP Meeting
The IEP meeting is an important gathering that happens once a year.
During this time, the guardian(s) and teachers meet to discuss the student’s current levels. Both academic and functional skills should be part of that conversation.
Additionally, conversation about the student’s goals takes place. How did the student do with their goal(s)? Did they meet them? If not, what could have been a barrier to that? And how will this goal be addressed in the next IEP?
Other areas that are discussed are goals and modifications. Both of these areas are super important so they have their own sections. Keep reading for more information on them.
The meeting is usually run by the special education teacher. They are responsible for making sure everything is covered and that the meeting stays on track. Responsible for running an upcoming IEP meeting? Check out this post for the ultimate guide on how to run an IEP meeting here.
And if running a meeting effectively sounds like a daunting task, check out these special education IEP meeting agenda formats. Select the form that works best for the specific meeting and either print it off or use the template in Google Docs to edit it to your needs. Not only is there an agenda, but also a few other things that every special education teacher IEP meeting needs. These extra forms include reminder notes to give out when the meeting is scheduled, teacher input forms (both printable and digital), and a to-do list to make sure everything gets done. Find this amazing resource here.
Special Education IEP Goal Writing
Goals are one of the most important parts of the individualized education plan.
This section takes the student’s area of struggle and makes a specific plan direction. The goal(s) are all focused around the disability area. The target is to make special education IEP goals that will close the gap between where the student is at and where they are expected to be or the current level of their peers.
Many times they are written around Common Core standards. When this happens, the focus area is looked at a grade level or more below where the student’s actual grade. Here you’ll find the functioning level of the student. Then a goal is made to increase skills in this area to improve the child’s abilities. This will help to close the grade level gap.
Once the child gets into the upper grades, it is important for special education transition IEP goals to be present. The whole point of them is to get the student to begin the transition from school into the workforce. These goals can range from doing broad research on different career areas of specific things such as doing on-site time.
What Are IEP Modifications
Modifications are changes made to the grade-level curriculum so the student has access to it.
They can revolve around learning needs, sensory needs, or regulation needs.
Let’s look at an example if a student is below grade level in reading. It may be written that text is read to that student. This way their understanding of the concept that is being taught isn’t infringed upon by their ability to (or not to) read the text in the book or on the worksheet. This same student may also get assessments read to them. By doing so, the student’s understanding of the concepts being asked about is being assessed, rather than how well they can read the questions on the test.
In the area of regulation, a student may have an accommodation of flexible seating. This would allow the student to have frequent movement throughout the day. This would help to regulate their body so their brain can stay on track with learning.
Modifications are ultimately designed around students’ needs and what they will need to accomplish their IEP goals.
Behavior Plan
If the student struggles with regulation or displaying expected behaviors, the last part of the IEP is to include a behavior plan.
The first step in this process is to do a functional behavioral assessment (FBA). This will help to get to the ‘why’ of the behavior. It will also help you to see if the behavior is taking place at certain times during the day. This could be either the actual time of day or during a certain task. An FBA will also help you collect data on how often the behavior is happening (great for baseline data!).
After doing an FBA, you can look at making a plan around this data to change the behavior. A behavior intervention plan is what this is known as. In many cases, this written information is also included in the IEP. These things usually show in the functional performance, as a goal(s) in the IEP, and as accommodations/modifications.
If all this sounds confusing, check out this free guide to writing a behavior plan. Here you will get delivered straight to your inbox an easy to follow 5 step process to writing a behavior plan that will actually change unwanted behavior. Plus, you’ll get a few different forms to assist you in collecting data. Just tell me where to send it to.
Looking For More Information On Special Education IEP Things?
Find information on the special education IEP timeline on kidslegal.org here.
For more information on common core standards and special education iep goals, check out this post by Education Week.
Happy Teaching!
