Reading and Interpreting IEPs - Understanding Individual Student Goals

Overview

In this mini-workshop, we will examine what it means to read and interpret the goals listed in an IEP as a general education teacher. General education teachers are crucial to the successful implementation of any IEP, especially in an inclusion setting, so it’s important to know how to take the language in the document and apply it to your own classroom. By the end of this power-up and application activity, you will be able to interpret measurable annual goals and support students towards achieving those goals.

Essential Questions:

• How are IEP goals structured?

• How do IEP goals relate to the curriculum?

• How can you support progress monitoring of goals?

Learning Outcomes

Interpret and apply measurable annual goals in the general education classroom to support student progress.

Power-Up Instructions

1. Review the learning outcome and consider how improving your ability to interpret and apply measurable annual goals will advance learning in the classroom.

2. Download the slide deck for review and notetaking - PDF Slide Deck

3. Watch this Video on Reading and Interpreting IEPs (18 minutes)

4. Complete the Practice Activity to reflect on what you have learned.

5. Complete the Application Activity

Application Activity

Application Activity (30-60 mins):

1. Choose a student you work with who has an IEP. Identify one of their annual goals that is applicable to a content area that you teach.

2. Break down the goal and develop a plan to incorporate the goal into your teaching. Include concrete steps and at least one way to measure progress.

3. Discuss the goal and your plan with the student’s special education case manager. After discussing with at least one member of the IEP team, respond to the following prompts (in writing or video):

   • Was your interpretation of the goal accurate, according to the special educator?

   • How could you adjust your plan to better support the student?

   • What was the feedback you received from the team member with whom you discussed your work?

4. Submit the plan you created (with any identifying information redacted) and your responses to the prompts, as evidence of having achieved the learning objective.

References

References: Stetson & Associates, Inc. (2011) Frequently asked questions about inclusive education.

Recommended Resources:

Special Education Resources for General Educators (SERGE)