1. Formalizes planning processes 

   1. for students: It is a legally "protected" process to ensure equity in education 

   2. for teachers: as a guide to support students and is connected to resources

   3. for parents: provides a channel to contribute and speak into their child's educational goals

2. Acts as a basis (Starting point or checkpoint) for reporting progress

3. Serves as a record of students education program, goal progression, and the relationship between support services

IEPs are:

• Plans that describe the WHYs and HOWs of a student's customized education program 

  • ie. customized goals, adaptations/modifications, services provided, measures for tracking achievement

  • Can be brief or lengthy depending on student’s complexity of needs

• Collaborative tools between home, school, other agencies/district for coordinating support 

IEPs must:

WHEN do students get IEPs?

• As soon as "practically possible" after receiving a designation from the district  (MoE mandate)

• unless the student doesn’t require "major" changes to the education program already being provided to all students

  • a guideline of "less than 25 hours of additional support per year" is given (ie. Less than 45 min per week, or 70%of 36 weeks in a school year)

1. Make an authentic, strengths-based student profile

2. Create a comprehensive set of 2-5 SMART Goals (spans a range of domains e.g. cognitive, physical etc.). Use Istructional-Support Planning Tools to help

3. Break each goal down into shorter-term Objectives 

4. Select Strategies to help reach objectives

5. Identify universal or essential supports

6. Meet to share the plan and ensure understanding of roles etc. for all team members; set review date;

7. Teachers and Community Support services use IEP to plan lessons, etc.

8. Track student progress using qualitative and quantitative measures

9. Review IEP (SST dicussions etc.) 

10. Report & Renew the IEP (include student voice)

Students should take an active role in designing IEP as much as possible

2 IEP formats on MyEd

• Competency-Based Plans (CB IEPs)

  1. format, concepts, wording easily align with the new curriculum lens (use of core and curricular competencies)

• Inclusive Individual plans (i-IEPs)

  1. uses a lens (domains for goals) that is more adaptable to any student - could work well for students with goals that are quite different from the BC curriculum

*”Competencies” are sets of proficiencies all student need to engage in deep, lifelong learning. Together with literacy and numeracy foundations, competencies are central to shifting curriculum frameworks around the world and directly support students in their growth as educated citizens

NOTE:

1. 1. Include Transition Plan and supports when applicable (going to another school or life-stage): 

      1. 1. Statement of transition goals

         2. Identify inter-agency responsibilities that should happen before student leaves school setting - because schools are good hubs for coordinating activities that lead to further edu and/or employment

Strengths-Based Goals

• are "Open-ended" so they can be met in multiple ways and places

• Use "Could vs. Should" do language (allows room for choice and non-linear ie natural development)

  •  I can.. I know

• Strategically Build strengths to support stretches (not attempt to fix deficits as an end in itself)

Meaningful Goals (purposeful and inclusive) support students to

• • Personal Purpose: inclusion physically

  • Social Purpose: inclusion socially/emotionally

  • Intellectual Purpose: thinking/learning community

  • Curricular Purpose: applicable to personal and societal present/future?

Authentic = common curriculum ie. Connection to peers

• • All / some / few students language

  • supplementary goals (designed to help student join peers / meet curriculum)

    1. Explicit targeting of specific skill areas

    2. Constructed WITH students/SBT

    3. Assessed but not evaluated

Responsive (flexible/changeable) for people (student, family, community)

Triangulated Evidence Planning for "How will we know a student has attained the goals"?

• • For assessments, written and visual/oral language now have equal weighting in BC

    1. Work samples, photographs, artifacts

    2. Common place books - artifact of significant learning plus reflections

  • Try to help kids show in multiple ways - not just multiple times in one way (written)

  • Technology very important for how to capture this evidence

    1. Turning oral into product / observations —>phones (cameras

       1. Observation

       2. Product

       3. Conversation

  • How much is enough?

    1. More places

    2. More ways

    3. More reps of evidence

  • HOW

    1. Choose 3 best pieces of evidence

    2. At least 2 different formats

       1. Product

       2. Conversation (audio

       3. Observation (picture)

    3. 2 different places/contexts (opens up home too/)

    4. Can also interview a student on their product! What did you learn?

• 
  

Goal Tracking 

• Parents can assist with evaluating progress toward outcomes especially in social goals, life skills, career exploration/development (see triangulated evidence)

Categories of supports

1. 1. 1. Learning environment accessibility

      2. Alternative instruction and/or assessments

      3. Assistive tech

      4. Intensive or direct instruction

      5. Modifications, services

      6. Specialized training

Universal Supports 

• BuIdling level supports and strategies that promote effective learning and greater inclusion.

• Needed by some to access and be successful (curriculum)

• Benefit to / Available to all

Essential Supports

• Supports identified by diagnostic testing that are necessary to access learning

  • e.g. Visual, medical, Psych-ed

3 formal progress reports must be given to parents in the school year.

1 formal IEP review per year. More frequency in reports helps make IEPs truly a living document

1. 1. Key components of IEP review

      1. Involvement of parents and students

      2. Discussion of team members (observations, assessments)

         1. What’s worked / not

      3. Revisions (goals, strategies, services, materials)

         1. Updated goals met etc.

         2. Updated tracking/documentation

      4. Prioritized Next steps For next instructional period

      5. Updated review date