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What Is an IEP? | Individualized Education Program Explained

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1.A learner’s strengths and needs

2.A learner’s current level of performance

3.A learner’s priority learning needs

4.Smart Targets

5.Strategies to be used (including any assistive technologies needed

6.Resources and personnel involved

7.Evaluation plans

8.Implementation of the plan

9.Date of review of the IEP

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- Students with Special Educational Needs (SEN) need IEP's.
- The IEP directs the student with SEN on his/her school journey
**In the above photo you can see 14 different categories of students with SEN. **

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As you have seen from the poster studies have shown that individuals with SEN are less likely to enroll in Physical Activity. This website discussed how to include everyone in the PE classroom.
it contains considerations for teachers to discuss and follow in the PE classroom to help create an open and welcoming environment for ALL students.
It also lists some benefits of PE on people with SEN.

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Schoolyard Blog | Teacher Resources | School Specialty

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Physical Education School Specialty *

Exercise can provide significant benefits for children in all of the developmental stages of life. It only makes sense, then, that regular participation in physical education classes would also promote positive advancements in students with special needs.

Research has shown that physical education programs can do a great deal to improve the lifestyle of children with special needs; they can increase competency in gross motor skills, help to control obesity, improve self-esteem and social skills, encourage an active lifestyle, and maintain motivation in various areas of life.

3 Considerations for Physical Education Teachers

Often, there are challenges to including children with disabilities in a physical education program. Parents may be apprehensive about allowing their child with special needs to participate in physical education activities. Studies have shown that special education students are less likely to enroll in physical education, and consequently, further studies have found that special education students are more at risk of developing childhood obesity than their general education peers. Yet, many resources have begun to make it easier to include children with special needs in physical education endeavors.

Physical education teachers simply need to determine the abilities of students with special needs, and the measures that may need implementing to support their participation in sports and fitness. Some children with difficulties may need DAPE (developmental adapted physical education) to help promote physical fitness, fundamental motor skills, and more, whereas others will simply need the support and encouragement to participate in regular physical education activities.

3 Benefits of PE for Students with Special Needs

Following, we'll address just some of the amazing benefits students with special needs can experience with the right exposure to regular activity.

Physical Improvements

A scientific study into disability groups has found that participation in physical activity and sport leads to improved levels of well-being and physical health. Children who have a diagnosed intellectual disability may have additional physical disabilities which can result in below age-level performance in typical motor skills. Regular involvement in physical education and sport can help them to develop the skills they need.

When encouraged to participate in frequent fitness measures, many students with special needs see improvements in everything from their hand-eye coordination and flexibility, to their muscle strength, endurance, and even cardiovascular efficiency. These are all simply the natural benefits of exercise — a development of better motor skills and enhanced physical health that helps individuals to fight back against problems such as obesity, and the health complications that follow.

Mental Improvements in Confidence and Well-Being

Regular exposure to sports through physical education classes isn't only good for a child's body — it's beneficial to their mind, too. Physical activity improves general mood and wellness in psychiatric patients suffering from anxiety and depressive disorders. What's more, regular fitness links to improvements in self-esteem, social awareness, and self-confidence — all essential for empowering the lives of young people with special needs.

Providing a physical outlet may help students reduce or cope with anxiety, stress and depression — while interaction and involvement with other students will help to give children a sense of accomplishment and confidence. For students with special needs, developing a sense of self-esteem can be particularly important, as they may often feel isolated and removed from the group. These children (They) need their physical education teachers to involve them in environments where they can feel as though they're successfully contributing to a group (can feel successful or are successful), and their abilities in other areas will improve according to (as a result of) their positive self-image and confidence.

Behavioral Improvements in Attention, Relationships, and Academics

Finally, the hands-on nature of physical education leads to cognitive improvements in children with special needs, allowing them to access skills that they couldn't challenge within a traditional classroom setting. The structure of sport - which comes with a set of rules and organization, can be a learning tool that helps children to practice self-regulation and enhance their decision making skills. On top of that, children with special needs can learn to focus on specific goals, and work on their verbal communication by interacting with peers through sport.

Physical education is about a lot more than simply learning how to engage in a particular sport — it teaches children a range of skills, from how to work as a team, to how to solve problems, increase attention span, and focus on task-based behavior. Eventually, those skills can transfer into other classroom settings too, so that students with special needs have a greater ability to learn and engage with their peers outside of physical education.

The Importance of Physical Education for Special Needs Children

Scientific research has demonstrated repeatedly that physical education can enhance academic performance and cognitive function. However, for children with special needs, it's valuable for so many reasons, from providing an opportunity to build collaborative and social skills, to teaching individuals how to focus on specific goals and overcome obstacles. Parents and teachers are encouraged to find creative ways to implement reasonable accommodations to ensure that all students with special needs can be successful in physical education and the school environment.

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The Benefits of Physical Education for Children with Special Needs

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Exercise can provide significant benefits for children in all of the developmental stages of life. It only makes sense, then, that regular participation in physical education classes would also promote positive advancements in students with special needs. Research has shown that physical education programs can do a great deal to improve the lifestyle of children with special ...

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The learner should be at the heart of the process <3

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The learner should be at the heart of the process <3

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‘Supported and encouraged to participate fully in the IEP process’ (NCSE, 2006, p.46)

Set their own targets
- Give information about how the students learn, their skills, look into the type of learner the student is.

- These IEP's can help monitor the students progress

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This is a very helpful website for teachers. It discusses the steps in how to create an IEP. Along with a visual on how to navigate the IEP process.

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As a part of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, schools must develop an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) for students with disabilities. According to Smith (2016) the most critical part of providing special education services to students with disabilities is outlined in the assessment and IEP process (p. 101). In order to properly develop an IEP for students, schools must follow several distinct steps in the special education process.

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​The main steps in the IEP process include:

In the first stage of the IEP process the student is identified as possibly needing special education services. Before a formal referral is made, many schools use a pre-referral intervention team to identify various interventions that can be used support the student's success. Once either the parent or teacher has reason to believe a student may need special education services, they can begin the referral process. According to Smith (2016), a referral is calling attention to the fact that a student may be eligible for special education services (p. 105). Once there has been a formal referral, the school arranges for a referral committee to meet and review the referral. Parents must be invited to the referral conference to participate in the discussion taking place (Smith, 2016). If the referral team determines that the student is likely to be eligible for special education they can make the decision to conduct a comprehensive evaluation of the child.

Once the referral team has concluded that the student is likely to be eligible for special education services they move forward with the evaluation process. A comprehensive evaluation is conducted to determine what area(s) the student has disabilities in. The evaluation must assess the child in all areas related to the child's suspected disability. The evaluation results will be used to decide the child's eligibility for special education and related services and to make decisions about an appropriate educational program for the child. If the parents disagree with the evaluation, they have the right to take their child for an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE). They can ask that the school system pay for this IEE (US Department of Education, 2007).

​After the evaluation has been conducted, an IEP team is formed to determine the eligibility of the services. The IEP team generally includes: the parents of the child, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and a representative of the local educational agency who is qualified to supervise special education. The IEP team looks at the child's evaluation results to decide if the child is a "child with a disability," as defined by IDEA. Parents may ask for a hearing to challenge the eligibility decision (US Department of Education, 2007). If the student is eligible for special education and related services the IEP team must write an IEP within 30 calendar days after the eligibility decision.

Once the IEP team has determined the current functioning level of the student, it must develop annual goals and objectives and determine what services are necessary to help the student achieve them (Smith, 2016, p. 114). The first step in the development and the implementation of the IEP is scheduling an IEP meeting.
According to the US Department of Education (2007), the school must follow these steps before holding the IEP meeting:

Contact the participants, including the parents;

Notify parents early enough to make sure they have an opportunity to attend;

Schedule the meeting at a time and place agreeable to parents and the school;

Tell the parents the purpose, time, and location of the meeting;

Tell the parents who will be attending; and

Tell the parents that they may invite people to the meeting who have knowledge or special expertise about the child.

IEP Meeting Held
After the school has followed each of these steps, the IEP meeting is held and the IEP is written. The IEP team convenes to talk about the child's needs and write the student's IEP. Parents and the student (when appropriate) are also a part of the team. Before the school may provide special education and related services to the child for the first time, the parents must give consent. Once the parents give consent, the child begins to receive services as soon as possible after the meeting (US Department of Education, 2007). If the parents do not agree with the IEP and placement, they may discuss their concerns with other members of the IEP team and try to work out an agreement. If they still disagree, parents can ask for mediation, or the school may offer mediation. Parents may file a complaint with the state education agency and may request a due process hearing, at which time mediation must be available (US Department of Education, 2007).
Services Provided
Once the IEP team has agreed on the services and supports to be provided, the school makes sure that the child's IEP is being implemented as it was written. The school must also continually measure the progress of the student towards his/her goals and review the IEP at least once per year. Parents, as team members, must be invited to attend these meetings and are given the opportunity to provide input on any modifications being made. ​
The final step of the IEP process involves the re-evaluation of the student. According to the US Department of Education (2007), the re-evaluation should occur at least every three years. The purpose of the re-evaluation is to find out if the child continues to be a "child with a disability," as defined by IDEA, and what the child's educational needs are (US Department of Education, 2007). The re-evaluation will also provide information that will assist the IEP team in determining whether any changes need to be made to the student's educational program (Smith, 2016, p. 120). Depending on the information gathered from the re-evaluation, schools will either continue services, modify services, or eliminate services. ​

Since principals and site administrators are responsible for providing safety and equity for students with disabilities, it is essential that they are knowledgeable about special education laws and policies that pertain to the IEP process. Although most of the time it is the parents or the student's teacher who recommend the IEP referral, it is critical that the school's principal be familiar with this process to ensure the proper steps are being taken. Principals should have a thorough understanding of the referral process to ensure that is it being conducted properly and that their teachers understand the process taking place.

In addition to ensuring all parts of the IEP process are in compliance with special education laws and standards, Principals must also ensure that all parts of the IEP process are non-discriminatory and provide equity to the student being considered (Smith, 2016). Principals will need to regularly support teachers and other staff members when implementing various instructional models. They will also need to ensure that teachers have ample time to collaborate and work together to develop and implement instructional strategies for students (Smith, 2016).

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As a part of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, schools must develop an Individualized Educational Program (IEP) for students with disabilities. According to Smith (2016) the most critical part of providing special education services to students with disabilities is outlined in the assessment and IEP process (p. 101).