Arts Academy in the Woods

IEP Guidelines

ContentsPresent Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance..................2Annual Goals...........................................................................................................2Measuring Your Child’s Progress.............................................................................2Services and Supports.............................................................................................2

Special Education.................................................................................................3Related Services..................................................................................................3Supplementary Aids and Services........................................................................1Accommodations and Modifications for Your Child...............................................1Program Modifications or Supports for School Staff.............................................2

Participation with Children without Disabilities.......................................................2Modifications to State or District-Wide Assessments...............................................2Location and Duration of Services...........................................................................2Reporting Your Child’s Progress..............................................................................3Transition Services..................................................................................................3Age of Majority........................................................................................................3

An Individual Education Plan will include information about all of the following.

Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional PerformanceA well-written present levels will describe:

your child’s strengths and weaknesses; what helps your child learn; what limits or interferes with your child’s learning; objective data from current evaluations of your child; and how your child’s disability affects his or her ability to be involved and

progress in the general education curriculum.

Annual GoalsA well-written goal should (a) be positive, and (b) describe a skill that can be seen and measured. It answers the questions:

Who?. . . will achieve? What?. . . skill or behavior? How?. . . in what manner or at what level? Where?. . . in what setting or under what conditions? When?. . . by what time? an ending date?”

Measuring Your Child’s ProgressThe IEP team must decide:

how your child’s progress will be measured; and when periodic reports on your child’s progress will be provided to you.

Services and SupportsUnder IDEA, there are a variety of services and supports available (31) that your child may need as part of his or her free appropriate public education. These services and supports include:

Special education; Related services; Supplementary aids and services; Accommodations and modifications; and Program modifications or supports for school staff.

All of these services and supports are designed to help your child: reach his or her annual goals; be involved and make progress in the general education curriculum;

participate in extracurricular activities (such as after school clubs or sports) or other nonacademic activities (such as recreation activities, athletics, or employment); and

be educated and participate with children without disabilities in these kinds of activities.

Special EducationSpecial education is instruction that is specially designed to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. Special education for any student can consist of:

an individualized curriculum that is different from that of same-age peers who do not have disabilities (for example, teaching a blind student to read and write using Braille);

the same (general education) curriculum that’s used for peers without disabilities, with adaptations or modifications made for the student (discussed in more detail in a moment); and

a combination of these elements.

Related Services Assistive Technology Audiology Counseling Services Early Identification Interpreting Services Medical Services Occupational Therapy Orientation and Mobility

Services Parent Counseling/Training Physical Therapy Psychological Services Recreation Rehabilitation Counseling School Health Services and

School Nurse Services Social Work Services in Schools Speech-Language Pathology Transportation

Supplementary Aids and ServicesSome examples of these additional services and supports are:

adapted equipment—such as a pencil grip, special seat, or cut-out cup for drinking;

a one-on-one aide; assistive technology—such as a computer, special software, or a

communication system; training for staff, the student, and/or parents; adapted materials—such as books on tape, large print, or highlighted

notes; peer tutors; and collaboration/consultation among staff, parents, and/or other professionals

(such as an occupational therapist, a behavior specialist, or a mobility specialist).

Accommodations and Modifications for Your ChildModifications or accommodations are most often made in the following areas:

Scheduling. For example,o giving the student extra time to complete assignments or testso breaking up testing over several days

Setting. For example,o working in a small groupo working one-on-one with the teacher

Materials. For example,o providing audiotaped lectures or bookso giving copies of teacher’s lecture noteso using large print books, Braille, or books on CD (digital text)

Instruction. For example,o reducing the difficulty of assignmentso reducing the reading levelo using a student/peer tutor

Student Response. For example,o allowing answers to be given orally or dictatedo using a word processor for written worko using sign language, a communication device, Braille, or native

language if it is not English.

Program Modifications or Supports for School Staff Supports are also available for those who work with your child, to help them

help your child:o achieve his or her annual goals;o be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum;o participate in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities; ando be educated and participate with children who do not have disabilities.An example of one such support might be to arrange for key personnel involved with a given child to receive training related to that child’s needs.

Participation with Children without Disabilities If your child is going to be removed from the general education class for any

part of the school day, the IEP team must include an explanation in the IEP.

Modifications to State or District-Wide Assessments Testing accommodations are commonly made in the same areas as the

instructional modifications discussed earlier: scheduling, setting, materials, and student response.

If so, your child’s IEP must include a statement of: why your child cannot participate in the regular assessment; and why the particular alternate assessment to be used is appropriate for your

child.

Location and Duration of ServicesEach of the services your child needs is written down in the IEP. The IEP must also include:

how often your child will receive the service(s) (number of times per day or week);

how long each session will last (number of minutes); where services will be provided (in the general education classroom or

another setting such as a resource room); and when services will begin and end (starting and ending dates).

Reporting Your Child’s Progress You must be kept informed of your child’s progress on IEP goals and the

IEP team will decide when periodic reports will be provided to you and include this information in the IEP. A “periodic report” might be issued quarterly, for example, when the school system issues report cards.

Transition Services As your child gets older and nears age 16, the IEP team—including your

child—will consider many questions about his or her future after high school. This is called transition planning. The transition plan must then be updated every year and specify:

o measurable postsecondary goals for your child related to training, education, employment, and (where appropriate) independent living skills; and

o the transition services needed (including what your child will study) to help your child reach those goals.

Age of MajorityWhen people use the term age of majority, they are generally referring to when a young person reaches the age where one is considered to be an adult. In Michigan, this usually happens at 18.Beginning at least one year before your child reaches the age of majority, you and your child will receive written notice from the school telling you of the upcoming transfer of rights (if any).