Preparing to attend an IEP meeting? Carly from Lipgloss and Crayons shares great questions to ask and tips from an experienced special education teacher!

12 common phrases the IEP Team may use to avoid providing services in IEP meetings. As a parent advocate you need to know what these phrases really mean.

Prepare for an IEP meeting with these 10 tips!

Easy formula for writing IEP Goals! Learn how to identify areas to target and how to write IEP Goals in the SMART format. Examples included!

Present Level of Performance Examples for Writing this IEP Section As you are writing your child's Present Level of Performance (PLOP) statement, have you considered your child's learning strengths? Schools often overlook strengths in favor of disabilities. However, learning strengths are just as important! The Present Level of Performance Examples below…

It is important for parents to understand the difference between IEP vs 504. IEPs have more safeguards in place to ensure schools provide the right support.

As a new teacher concerned with lesson plans, testing, assessment and extracurricular activities another important issue is accommodations for exceptional students. In your classroom you may have a number of students in special education which is “an educational program that is based on and modified by the results of continuous assessment and evaluation and that includes a plan containing specific objectives and an outline of educational services that meets the needs of the exceptional pupil” (Education Act, Section 1). The school principal is required to ensure that an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is developed for each student who has been identified as exceptional by an Identification, Placement and Review Committee (IPRC), within 30 school days of the student’s placement in a special education program. At this point you may be asking your self, “Who is an exceptional child?” Exceptional children differ from the norm (either below or above) to such an extent that they require an individualized program and related services to fully benefit from their education. Thus, “exceptional” is an inclusive term that refers to children with learning and/or behavior issues, children with physical disabilities or sensory impairments and children who are intellectually gifted or have a special talent (Heward, 2006, 10). You may have students in your class that fall in the following categories of exceptionality that require an IEP: • developmental disabilities • learning disabilities • emotional and behavioral disorders • Autism • communication disorders (speech and language disorders) • hearing impairments • visual impairments • physical and health impairments • multiple disabilities • giftedness and special talents What is an Individual Education Plan (IEP)? An IEP is… • A written plan describing the special education program and/or services required by a particular student, based on a thorough assessment of the student’s strengths and needs – that is, the strengths and needs that affect the student’s ability to learn and to demonstrate learning; • a record of the particular accommodations (supports or services that are not provided to the general student population but that are required by individual students with special needs to help them achieve learning expectations and demonstrate learning), needed to help the student achieve his or her learning expectations, given the student’s identified learning strengths and needs; • a working document that identifies alternative expectations, if required, in program areas not represented in the Ontario curriculum; • a record of the specific knowledge and skills to be assessed and evaluated for the purpose of reporting student achievement of modified and/or alternative expectations; • an accountability tool for the student, the student’s parents and everyone who has responsibilities under the plan for helping the student meet the stated goals and learning expectations as the student progresses through the Ontario curriculum. The IEP process involves the following five phases: 1. Gather information • review the student’s record • consult with parents, the student, school staff and other professionals • gather information through observation of the student • consolidate and record information. 2. Set the direction • begin work on the IEP (e.g., record the reason for the IEP, record personal information, list relevant assessment data) • indicate the student’s areas of strength and areas of need on the IEP • establish a collaborative approach – the IEP team. 3. Develop the IEP as it relates to the student’s special education program and services • record decisions about program exemptions, course substitutions and eligibility for a diploma or a certificate • determine accommodations; record subjects or courses with accommodations only • determine teaching strategies and assessment methods • record information about evaluation, reporting and provincial assessments • record information about the IEP development phase (including details of parent/student consultations); secure principal’s approval. 4. Implement the IEP • share the completed IEP with the student, parents, school staff, and other professionals (providing a copy to parents and to the student, if 16 years of age or older) • put the IEP into practice • continuously assess the student’s progress • adjust the IEP as necessary (recording any changes in goals, expectations, accommodations, teaching strategies, and so on) • evaluate the student’s learning and report to parents. 5. Review and update the IEP • update the learning expectations at the beginning of each reporting period • review the IEP regularly and record revisions • plan for the transition from elementary to secondary school, or for a transfer to another school. A list of accommodations the student requires to help him or her learn and demonstrate learning includes the following: Instructional Accommodations: adjustments in teaching strategies required to enable the student to learn and to progress through the curriculum. • buddy/peer tutoring • note-taking assistance, duplicating notes • ability grouping • graphic organizers • manipulatives, concrete/hands-on materials • more frequent breaks Environmental Accommodations: changes or supports in the physical environment of the classroom and/or the school. • alternative work space • strategic seating, proximity to instructor • reduction of audio/visual stimuli • minimizing of background noise, quiet setting • special lighting Assessment Accommodations: adjustments in assessment activities and methods required to enable the student to demonstrate learning. • extended time limits • alternative settings • more frequent breaks • prompts to return student’s attention to task • extra time for processing • reduction in the number of tasks used to assess a concept or skill Sources: “About: Special Education” http://specialed.about.com “The Individual Education Plan (IEP), A Resource Guide” http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/guide/resource/index.html “Individualized Education Program” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Individualized_Education_Program “Special Education” http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/speced.html “Wythe County Special Education: The Special Education Cycle” http://wcps.wythe.k12.va.us/public/speced/pages/sped1.htm

Executive Functioning IEP Goal Bank including: organization, time management, problem solving, planning, task initiation, self-monitoring, adaptable thinking.

Learn about types of accommodations for special education students in math, reading, writing, homework & tests, and organization. Download a free printable!

Resources, tips, and materials to help you, help children with autism

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special education, behavior, behavior plans, BIPs, writing a behavior plan

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Through the years I have had a few students with selective mutism. When I met my first student with S.M., I thought she was just very shy. For this post, I will call her Sally but that is not her real name. But, after a couple of weeks of school, it was clear that there was more going on that a case of shyness. That is when I asked for a meeting with Sally's parents to get their insight into what was happening. Her parents told me that she would only talk to the people in her immediate family and one neighbor. She wouldn't even speak to her grandparents or cousins. After observations and meetings with her pediatrician, counselor, speech pathologist, she was officially diagnosed as having selective mutism. Luckily, Sally's parents were very open to ideas and happy to try anything that we suggested. Sally's mom would send me something to school on a weekly basis. Sometimes it was a bag of cookies that Sally and her mom had baked together. Other times Sally's mom let her pick out a packet of stickers to donate to our class. Sally's job was to hand the item(s) to me. We set the following goals: 1st: Hand the item to the teacher without mom standing beside her. I said thank you but did not ask her any questions about the item. 2nd: Hand the item to the teacher while looking at the teacher. I said thank you but did not ask her any questions about the item. 3rd: Hand the item to the teacher and say you're welcome. I said thank you but did not ask her any questions about the item. 4th: Hand the item to the teacher while looking at the teacher and say you're welcome. I said thank you but did not ask her any questions about the item. 5th: Hand the item to the teacher while looking at the teacher and say you're welcome. Answer teacher's question with one word. I said thank you and then asked her a question that could be answered with one word - usually a yes/no question. 6th: Hand the item to the teacher while looking at the teacher and say you're welcome. Answer teacher's question with 2 or more words. I said thank you and then asked her a question that required a few more details. Once again, Sally's parents provided extra support to help her build relationships with her classmates. Sally and her mom loved to bake. Usually students only brought treats for their birthday. I gave her mom permission to send in treats more frequently. When Sally passed out the treats to her classmates, she was concentrating on the actual process of passing out, and less about her anxiety about communicating with her classmates. We set goals for this too. 1st: Pass out treats without teacher support. 2nd: Pass out treat and make eye contact with classmates. 3rd: Pass out treat, make eye contact with classmates, and smile when student says thank you. 4th: Pass out treat, make eye contact with classmates, and say you're welcome when classmate says thank you. Sally received weekly support from our school counselor. Our counselor let Sally choose a buddy come with her. She and the buddy played games in the counselor's office. In the beginning, Sally would only smile and shake her head for yes or no. But, over time she slowly began to whisper to the counselor and her buddy. I think it helped that there was only one buddy and they were in a quiet office so she felt more comfortable. By the end of the year, she was able to invite 3 buddies to go with her. As you can imagine she became very popular because she got to pick her buddy(ies). Word quickly spread that if Sally chose you, you got to go play games. Students wanted to sit by her at lunch and invited her to play games with them at recess. There are different reasons why a student may have S.M. Sometimes it is an anxiety issue. Click HERE to read more about this topic. Interested in reading more posts? Click on the pictures below.

Setting SMART goals is a great way to challenge yourself and your family to effectively make healthy lifestyle changes. This article shares how to make your goals SMART to help set you and your family up for success! Download our worksheet below to make your goals SMART-er! Setting a Goal Our Favourite Tip for Family…