All About I.E.P.'s
What is an IEP?
An Individual Education Plan (IEP) is a written plan that describes special education programs and/or services for a student. It is based on a student’s profile of strengths and areas for growth and outlines services and supports needed to ensure each student meets their academic needs for success.
The IEP helps with monitoring and assessing a student’s progress, and is adjusted as the student’s areas for improvement change. It is reviewed and updated at every reporting period.
Why is an IEP developed?
An IEP must be developed for every student who has been identified as an “exceptional pupil” by an Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC) to plan special education programs and/or services in order to achieve curriculum expectations and to demonstrate learning.
OR
An IEP may be developed for a student who has not been identified by an IPRC as exceptional, but who requires a special education program and/or services in order to achieve curriculum expectations and/or to demonstrate learning. This done when the principal in consultation with the members of the In-School Team (IST) and/or School Support Team (SST) feel your child needs additional support to achieve his or her learning expectations. Both the IST and SST help develop action plans and strategies based on the student’s learning strengths and areas for growth.
How does an IEP help a student succeed academically?
Special education needs can be met through:
Accommodations: specialized teaching and assessment strategies that may include individualized equipment, technology and environmental adjustments as required for the student to access the curriculum and demonstrate learning.
Accommodations allow a student to participate in learning without any changes to the knowledge and skills the student is expected to demonstrate. Students are expected to demonstrate all the overall expectations of the curriculum.
There are three Types of Accommodations:
Instructional – adjustment in teaching and assessment strategies (differentiated instruction);
Environmental – change, or support, to the physical environment of the classroom and/or school; and/or
Assessment – adjustment in assessment activities/methods/timing to enable the student to demonstrate learning.
Modifications: changes made in the age-appropriate, grade-level expectations for a subject or course to meet a student’s learning needs.
Modifications can be made by:
selecting expectations from a different grade level;
altering the number of the grade level expectations; and/or
altering the complexity of the grade level expectations.
For More Information on How IEP's are Developed please see the Guide for IEPs for Parents/Guardians/Caregivers
Guide to IEPs for Parents/Guardians/Caregivers (w/ Audio)
Guide to IEPs for Parents/Guardians/Caregivers (MS Word Download)
