EDU 614

Dawn Lindauer

EDUC 614

According to the Viterbo Cross-Categorical website, "The process of creating an individual education plan (IEP) for a student is the foundation for compliance with IDEA. A well-written IEP utilizes a team of individuals to address the student’s needs and address each of the goals through clearly stated objectives. This includes assessment practices, cultural and linguistic differences, individual motivation differences, neuropsychological differences, instructional arrangements to accommodate learning differences, and core components of effective literacy instruction. Students will apply the information learned in the alignment of assessment and curriculum and instructional strategies through a case-study and IEP approach. Students will learn about the balance between the need for students success in an inclusive environment with his/her need for specialized curriculum."

Enrollment: Fall 2017

Instructor: Mikaely Schmitz

3 Credits

EDU 614: Advanced Individual Education Assessment Reflection

Artifact Description:

The artifacts that I have chosen for this class are the IEP case study and the IEP Writing Cheat sheet. The case study is reflective of the knowledge I gained throughout this course to create a well-written and compliant Individualized Education Plan. For my case study, I chose Duncan, an eleventh grade boy identified with a learning disability. I used this case study and the knowledge I gained about writing an IEP that focuses on the individual needs and disabilities of the child to create a complete IEP.

The other artifact that I chose for this course is the IEP Cheat Sheet. I created a guide that I will keep in my binder that shows the understanding and knowledge I gained about each component of the IEP. It is a detailed document describing everything that needs to be included on each page of the IEP, as well as how it is to be written, with examples for future reference.

The IEP Cheat sheet aligns with Standard 3- "Beginning special education professionals use knowledge of general and specialized curricula to individualize learning for individuals with exceptionalities." This guide will aide in making educational decisions to help my students find success in and out of the classroom, and it will help remind me to write a comprehensive plan that all teachers can follow. Including accommodations and modifications that my students need to gain success.

Professional Growth:

Prior to taking this course, I had very limited knowledge about writing compliant IEP’s. I am going into my second year teaching special education on an emergency license and have struggled to write my IEP’s because I didn’t understand what each section should entail. In the past, I would review old IEP’s and try to model mine after the ones I had read, not fully understanding what I should be doing.

Throughout this course, I not only gained the knowledge and understanding of the different components of the IEP, but also learned why and how they should be written and what I should include in each section.

The IEP is an Individualized Education Plan in which my team needs to determine a student’s disability related needs and set appropriate, measurable goals that reflect what child is expected to achieve within the IEP year. I also learned that the IEP that I write needs to be comprehensive in that if the child were to move from his/her current district, the school they transfer to will be able to utilize the IEP to provide the student with the appropriate services and accommodations to meet their needs and optimize their learning experience.

Application of CEC Standards:

The following CEC Initial Level Special Education Preparation Standards described below illustrate how I have gained background knowledge and skills necessary to conduct and understand assessment procedures. A brief description of the standards focused on throughout this course are as follows:

CEC Initial Preparation Standard 2: Beginning special education professionals create safe, inclusive, culturally responsive learning environments so that individuals with exceptionalities become active and effective learners and develop emotional well-being, positive social interactions, and self-determination.

When creating an IEP for a student, a special education team collaborates to determine what that individual student needs to be successful in their learning environment. The team creates goals appropriate for the student as well as the environment in which services and accommodations will take place. It is important that each student feel safe and that they are an important part of that learning community.

CEC Initial Preparation Standard 3: Beginning special education professionals use knowledge of general and specialized curricula to individualize learning for individuals with exceptionalities.

One size does not fit all. Throughout this course, I learned that all students with disabilities have different needs. The Individualized Education Plan is a legal document that determines a student’s path in the educational setting. This course focused on providing students with the tools and accommodations they need to reach their full potential in the school setting. I learned that it is important for the IEP team to consider the child’s disability related need and create a goal(s) that fosters learning in that area.

CEC Initial Preparation Standard 7: Beginning special education professionals collaborate with families, other educators, related service providers, individuals with exceptionalities, and personnel from community agencies in culturally responsive ways to address the needs of individuals with exceptionalities across a range of learning experiences.

This course taught me that there are many individuals involved in the IEP process and the importance of making sure that all members of the team are at the IEP meeting when creating an IEP for each individual student. To write an IEP it is vital to have a team that knows the child’s needs and disabilities. During this course, we were required to choose a scenario about a student and create an IEP team for this student explaining each member and their roles on that team. This assignment really helped me understand that there are so many factors to consider when writing an IEP and those involved in the team are important because they each bring their own expertise to the meeting.

Impact of Student Learners:

Prior to taking this course my student goals were very generic. I always used STAR data because that's what are district required. The students on my caseload have been impacted because my goals are now written based on their needs and build off of what they can actually do. Student IEP's are complete and offer other staff that interact with them the information needed to help them be successful. Students are getting the support, accommodations, and services they need based on their Individualized Education Plan.