AT Supports and Services in the IEP

The IEP Team

The IEP team is composed of individuals who are knowledgeable about the student's strengths, needs, and preferences. Membership in the IEP team is outlined in IDEA. A legal guardian, general education teacher, special education teacher, and an administrative representative must be present at every IEP meeting. When the student turns 16 (14 in several states), he or she must provide input and/or participate in the IEP meeting to the maximum extent possible. Because the IEP document is individualized for each student, the membership of the team is contingent on the student's needs.

Needed:

• Legal Guardian

• Gen. ED Teacher

• SPED Teacher

• Administrator

• The Child (16 & up)

Additional:

• Audiologist

• Physician

• Computer Spec.

• Rehab Engineer

• Counselor

• Occupational Therapist

• Social Worker

• Early Interventionist

• Speech Lang. Pathologist

• Vocational Counselor

• Instructional Assistant

• Teacher of Hearing Impaired

• Nurse

• Teacher of Visually Impaired

• Physical Therapist

PLAAPF: The Foundation of the IEP

The PLAAFP is a description of the student's strengths and needs, families' concerns about their child's education plan, and the child's current performance in several domains. The PLAAFP sections are the foundation of the IEP. Thus, decisions made regarding goals, services, accommodations, and AT are derived from the information found in these sections.

Below, you will see examples of the PLAAFP section where low-tech AT is mentioned and highlighted in yellow. Please note that the PLAAFP section of the IEP varies in appearance from state to state. Nevertheless, there are commonalities. The PLAAFP should define the student's area of abilities and challenges as related to his or her disability, how the disability affects progress in the general education curriculum, and the interventions, strategies, modifications, accommodations, and AT that will enable the student to access the curriculum. Please refer to your state's department of education for guidance on specific requirements of each section of the IEP.

Write objectives and goals that incorporate AT

When developing annual goals, benchmarks, and objectives, the IEP team should determine whether or not the student requires AT to accomplish the tasks. First, the goals should be developed and then the need for AT should be investigated. Typically, the use of AT should not be a stand-alone goal. Furthermore, goals and objectives should be written based upon the findings of an AT assessment or ongoing progress monitoring.

A measurable IEP goal and objective / benchmark (GO/B) has the following characteristics. The GO/B...

1. Reveals what to do to measure whether the GO/B has been accomplished;

2. Yields the same conclusion if measured by several people;

3. Allows a calculation of how much progress it represents; and

4. Can be measured without additional information.

Example #1: Goal - Sara - Language Arts

Goal 1: While using a slant board and raised-line paper, Sara will be able to write all 26 letters in both upper- and lowercase form while staying within the lines on 3/4" wide-lined paper with 100% accuracy by the end of the school year.

Objective 1: While using a slant board and raised-line paper, Sara will be able to write 22 of 26 letters in both upper- and lowercase form while staying within the lines on 1" wide-lined paper with 80% accuracy by the end of the first grading period.

Objective 2: While using a slant board and raised-line paper, Sara will be able to write all 26 letters in both upper- and lowercase form while staying within the lines on 3/4" wide-lined paper with 80% accuracy by the end of the third grading period.

Example #2: Goal - James - Communication

Goal 1: When asked a question by a staff member or a peer, James will use his picture communication system to respond to the question with no more than one nonverbal prompt 100% of the time by the end of the school year.

Objective 1: When asked a question by a staff member or a peer, James will use his picture communication system to respond to the question with no more than one nonverbal and two verbal prompts 100% of the time by the end of the first grading period.

Objective 2: When asked a question by a staff member or a peer, James will use his picture communication system to respond to the question with no more than one nonverbal and one verbal prompt 100% of the time by the end of the third grading period.

Develop questions that help guide the AT implementation process

After the team has identified the student's strengths and abilities, the tasks that need to be accomplished, the environments the student will be in, and selected AT solutions, it is time to create a plan for implementing the AT. Because AT should be used to help the student achieve goals and objectives outlined in the IEP, the implementation plan must take into consideration the stated goals and objectives. Specifically, the implementation plan outlines the team members' roles and responsibilities and creates a structure for monitoring use of the AT. As such, the plan answers the questions of when, where, who, what, and how long with regard to AT implementation, data collection, and goal achievement. By answering these questions, the team is able to create a daily plan for implementation of the AT. Questions the team should consider prior to AT implementation are listed below.

During what times of the student's day will the AT be used?

Will the AT be used across multiple environments?

Who is responsible for the initial setup of the AT equipment?

Will the AT go home with the student?

Who will be working with the student when he or she is using the AT? Do these people need training to use the AT?

Who is responsible for teaching the student, staff, and family to use the AT?

Who is responsible for ongoing integration of the AT with the curriculum?

Who is responsible for the upkeep/maintenance of the AT?

How will the team know if the AT is effective?

Progress monitoring and recognize ways to monitor AT effectiveness

After the implementation plan has been put into place, data are collected to determine the effectiveness of the selected AT tool or service. To justify continued use of the AT, a member of the team must collect data for the purpose of tracking the effectiveness of the student's performance, interactions, or ability to access the curriculum. Such data collection is accomplished through progress monitoring. Progress monitoring data collection occurs over time and is not a one-time collection. The Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP) defines progress monitoring as "a scientifically based practice that is used to assess students' academic performance and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction" (OSEP, n.d.) and has provided guidelines to aid teams in the process of progress monitoring. 

These guidelines are listed below:

• To implement progress monitoring, the student's current levels of performance are determined and goals are identified for learning that will take place over time.

• The student's academic performance is measured on a regular basis (weekly or monthly).

• Progress toward meeting the student's goals is measured by comparing expected and actual rates of learning. Based on these measurements, teaching is adjusted as needed. Thus, the student's progression of achievement is monitored and instructional techniques are adjusted to meet the individual student's learning needs.

There are several benefits to collecting data through progress monitoring. By collecting information related to the effectiveness of the AT and the students' performance while using AT, all parties are able to identify progress made toward achieving IEP goals. The Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network (2011) has identified additional benefits of collecting data through progress monitoring, including:

• Progress monitoring helps minimize the amount of time that the student spends with AT if indeed the AT is not effective. Other benefits of progress monitoring include:

• Implementing objective measures versus subjective opinions

• Data collected can be shared with families. The families can visually see if the AT is effective and can contribute to the decision making process based on the information they receive.

• Students can see the progress that they are making and compare it to the expected outcomes. By seeing the progress that they are making, they may experience increased motivation.

• The IEP team has the data-based information needed to:

  • Determine current instructional levels

  • Measure progress toward IEP goals and objectives

  • Determine if the student still meets eligibility for special education and needs specially designed instruction