Courses of Study

The Bottom Line

The course of study must include the student's current academic year through the following academic year:

Courses need to be directly linked to their post-secondary goal
Discuss students track towards graduation
Courses of study need to be specific; stating "electives" as a course is not compliant.

Go-To Tools

The handy tools that help you get the job done efficiently.

Courses of Study Dropdown Menu Items in SpEd Forms - Master Copy

The templates included in this document are exactly the same as the options included in the dropdown menu in SpEd Forms.

This document simply exists to make them easier to browse.

IEP TV

What does it look like to discuss this topic during an IEP team meeting?

Check out these IEP meeting demo video(s) that model how to facilitate the conversation.

Explanation

Not just a list of courses needed to graduate

The listed courses of study should be directly linked to the student’s postsecondary goals. For example:

If a student is planning to be a farmer, they should be taking any agricultural classes available.
If the student wants to go to college, the course of study will contain a lot of academic courses to prepare the students for college.
If the student wants to be a mechanic, the course of study should include industrial tech courses.
If the student wants to be a chef, the student will be taking a lot of consumer arts classes.
Some students may require more life skills courses to assist them in preparing for what awaits them after graduation.

This year + next year

Per MDE — at a minimum — list courses for the current school year through the following school year. You don't have to remove rows for prior years.

A specific "best guess"

Course titles listed should be as specific as possible (i.e., what is listed in the course catalog). Remember, these courses of study are a "best guess" and if the student registers for different classes before the next school year, for example, the IEP does not need to be amended.

Also, be sure to fill in the anticipated month and year of graduation. As a team, briefly discuss the student’s progress towards graduation. Are they on track to graduate? If not, what is the team’s plan to get the student back on track?

Examples

Middle School

Reason for Example: Courses listed for 8th grade are relevant to the student’s postsecondary goals. The course of study is indicated includes the following high school grade and aligns with Carla’s strengths, needs, and stated posts-school goals to go into hospitality.

Low Incidence

Reason for Example: Courses listed are relevant to Lilly’s postsecondary goals to attend an adult continuing education program for individuals with intensive support needs

Courses listed reflect Lilly’s current and anticipated graduation date during 12th grade.

✋ Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between meeting credit requirements and meeting special education goals? When a student is about to graduate, what should the IEP team consider and discuss to plan for graduation?

A student can meet their high school credit requirements through the district credit requirement plan or an IEP driven plan, but the IEP team must also consider whether the student has met their annual IEP goals and whether new IEP goals need to be created.

The IEP team must determine that the student will have not have any further special education needs to make progress towards their postsecondary goals before recommending graduation.

This is critically important because once a student accepts their high school diploma, they are no longer eligible for special education services. If the student has continuing needs, IEP teams must consider enrollment in an 18-22 program to continue to work on the student’s needs.

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