THE RELEVANCE OF I E P
An Individualized Education Program (I E P) is a written statement of the educational program designed to meet the individual needs of a child. It is an agreement between parents and school about what the child needs and what will be done to address the needs. I E P is intended to help children reach educational goals more easily than they otherwise would. Every child who receives special education services must have an IEP .That is why the process of developing this vital document is of great interest and importance to educators , administrators and families alike .Each child’s IEP must contain specific information as listed within IDEA. In US an Individual Education Program commonly referred to as an IEP mandated by IDEA( Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ) . In Canada and U K the document is called an Individual Education Plan .Although the concept of IEP is not new to the Western Countries ,it is still in infantile stage in India.
Key considerations in developing idea include assessing students in all areas related to the known disabilities simultaneously considering ability to access the general curriculum , how the disability affects the students learning , developing goals and objectives that corresponds to the needs of the student and ultimately choosing a placement in the least restrictive environment possible for the student.
THE PURPOSE
The I EP has two general purposes
(1) to set reasonable learning goals for a child
(2) To state the services that the school will provide for the child
to establish measurable annual goals for the child ; to state the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services that the public agency will provide to, or on behalf of the child .
When constructing an appropriate educational program for a child with a disability , the IEP team broadly considers the child’s involvement and participation in three main areas of school life.
(1) The general education curriculum
(2) Extracurricular activities
(3) Non academic activities.
THE IEP TEAM
The team includes the following members .
* The parents of the child
* Not less than one regular education teacher of the child ( If the child is participating in the regular education environment )
* Not less than one special education teacher of the child or where appropriate, not less than one special education provider of the child
* A representative of the public agency which is qualified to provide or supervise the provision of specially-designed instruction to cater to the unique needs of children with disabilities ,is aware of the general education curriculum and has information about the availability of resources of the public agency,
*An individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results,
Other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child including related service personnel as appropriate ( invited at the discretion of the parent or the agency)
*The child with a disability ( When appropriate )
* Parents of the child with a disability
are vital members of the IEP Teams with an expertise to contribute like no one else .
Special Educators on the IEP Team
Special Educators with the knowledge of how to educate children with disabilities are obviously a very important part of a child’s IEP Team.
Regular Educators on the IEP Team
If a child is participating in the regular education environment ( or is going to be participating ) then IDEA requires that at least one regular educator of the child be included on the IEP Team.
A Representative of the School System
The IEP Team must also include a representative of the school system ,who has the authority to commit agency resources .
Someone to Interpret Evaluation Results
Someone on the I EP team who can interpret the child’s evaluation results and discuss what they mean in terms of instruction .
Others with the knowledge or special expertise about the child
Either the parent or the school may invite others to join the team, if they have knowledge or special expertise about the child. This include related service providers.
Student with a disability on the IEP Team
It is evident that the student with a disability will have something to say about his or her own education.
The Contents of an IEP
When the members of a child's IEP team sit down and consider how the child will be involved in and participate in school life, they must be sure that the resulting IEP contains the specific information required by IDEA.
List of What IDEA requires
*A statement of the child's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including how the child's disability affects his or her environment and progress in the general education curriculum
*A statement or measurable annual goals, including academic functional goals .
* A description of how the child's progress towards the meeting the annual goals will be measured, when the periodic progress reports will be provided
* A statement of the special education and related service and supplementary aids and services to be provided to the child on your behalf of the child
*A statement of the program modifications or supports of the school personal that'll be provided to enable the child to advance appropriately towards attaining the annual goals, to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum and to participate in extracurricular and other non academic activities and to be educated and participate with other children with disabilities and non-disabled general children.
* An explanation of the extent , if any, to which the child will not participate with the non-disabled the children in the regular class and in extra-curricular non academic activities .
* A statement of any individual accommodations that are necessary to measure the academic achievement and functional performance of the child on State and District wide assessments .. The projected date for the beginning of the services and modifications and the anticipated frequency, location, duration of the services and modifications.
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PRESENT LEVEL STATEMENT
How is the child currently doing in school? How does the disability affect his or her performance in class?
This type of information is captured in the present level statements in the IEP
Annual Goals
Once a child's needs are identified the I EP Team works to develop appropriate goals to address those needs. Annual goals describe what the child is expected to do or learn within a 12-month. Period.
Short-term Objectives
It involves the breaking down of annual goals into measurable smaller units so that specific strategies can be worked out to meet the objectives in a short period of time.
Bench marks or short-term objectives are required only for children with disabilities who take alternate assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards .
Measuring and Reporting Progress
Each child’s I EP must also contain a description of how his or her progress towards meeting the annual goals will be measured and when it will be reported to parents .
Special Education
The I EP must contain a statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services to be provided to the child or on behalf of the child..
Accomodations and modifications are suggested along with the use of assistive technology.
Accommodations in Assessment
IDEA requires students with disabilities take part in state or district wide assessments .The IEP team must decide if the student needs accommodations in testing or another type of assessment entirely . In this component of the I EP , the team documents how does student will participate .
Service Delivery
Details like When will the child begin to receive services ? Where ? How often ?
How long will a session last ?
Transition Planning
Beginning no later than a student’s 16th birthday ( and younger if appropriate ), the IEP must contain transition related plants designed to help the student prepare for life after secondary school .
Age of Majority
Beginning at least one year before the student reaches the age of majority , the I EP must include a statement that the student has been told about the rights(if any ) that will transfer him to her at the age of majority.
SUMMARY
An I E P is meant to ensure that students receive an appropriate education .It is meant to give the student chance to participate in normal school culture and academics as much as it is possible for the individual student . In this way , the student is able to have specialized assistance only when such a substance is absolutely necessary and otherwise maintains the freedom to interact with and participate in the activities of his or her more general school peers. As more and more children with disabilities are being identified ,it becomes the role of parents , professionals and teachers to assist them in becoming a responsible citizen of society by providing individualized attention to each child.
DOCUMENTATION
The documentation of IEP provided by a trainee to at least two children to support and compensate for their deficits in langauge and maths is an integral part of the CMLD course.This is done by preparing project report of the IEP preapred and executed by the trainee.
- RADHAKRISHNAN C K
GUIDANCE IN REMEDIATION BY MISS JYOTHI
MODEL OF AN IEP RECORD-writing Annual goals/specific goals/ procedure/daily activities/....
Final word:
An “ IEP outlines the supports , strategies and interventions a child might need to access the curriculum.”An I EP tries also to bridge other circumstances like intellectual disability , behavioural issues , giftedness or physical disabilities that can create barriers in learning. What the focus here is on kids with learning disabilities like Dyslexia, Dysgraphia and Dyscalculia .These kids are smart with an average I Q, and have the capability to learn but they simply process information differently .
Issues like NVLD ( Non Verbal Learning Disorder ) can also create deficits in learning in comprehension of what was read or learning concepts in maths, in mental calculations ,in understanding how numbers in column work, in doing math problems that include borrowing or carrying on .But NVLD is not one of the disabilities covered by IDEA. This means that having NVLD does not make her eligible for special education services including IEP. To help the child to be eligible for IEP, the school will have to test her and identify her as having the most similiar disability covered by IDEA which here in the case of the child assessed is Dyscalculia.
The plan follows a template and generally covers a few areas – the child’s strengths and weaknesses , the goals for the term. What accommodations will be made to help the child like extra time on tests or some one to write the math answers , what type of support she will receive on top of what she is getting from the classroom teacher ; such as one-on-one reading with the resource teacher and how her progress will be measured . Just like the kids they serve , no two I E P s are alike .An I EP is a flexible document made for the child which may be revised at the end of the academic year.. Such I E Ps can provide a road map for the most effective learning environment for the child.
- RADHAKRISHNAN CK WITH INPUTS FROM A MODEL GIVEN BY R C GOPAL ,THIRUVANATHAPURAM
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