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Very good information for you to look into if you're new to learning about special education and needs.

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Start studying Special Education. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools.

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8 Components of an IEP

The IDEA requires that, at a minimum eight components be present in an IEP. States, and local agencies may require additional elements. Failure to include all elements in IEPs is a frequent source of litigation. IEPs have been invalidated by the courts when the required elements were not written into the IEP and their absence affected the student's FAPE.

The first component of an IEP is a statement of the student's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance. This statement, which until the passage of IDEA 2004 was present levels of educational performance, must include information about how the student's disability affects his or her involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. The purpose of this statement is to describe the problems that interfere with the student's education so that annual goals can be developed. The statement is the starting point from which teams develop the IEP and measure its success. The statement should contain information on the student's academic performance; test, scores an explanation of those scores; physical, health, and sensory status; emotional development: social development: and prevocational and vocational skills. The statement of current educational performance is a baseline from which the student's needs maybe considered. Summarizes a student's current level of achievement in academic/behavioral areas formed after evaluation of student

Measurable annual goals are what a student can reasonably be expected to accomplish within a 12 month period with the provision of special education services. Annual goals include: who, behavior, criterion, condition, and time frame. Goals should be: meaningful, measurable, able to be monitored, and useful in making decisions.

Goals are to be written to reflect what a student needs to become involved in and to make progress in the general education curriculum and in other educational areas related to the disability. These goals focus on the remediation of academic or nonacademic problems and are based on the student's current level of educational performance. At least one goal should be written for each identified area of need. Annual goals are projections the team makes regarding the progress of the student in one school year. IEP teams should consider the student's past achievement, current level of performance, practicality of goals, priority needs, and amount of instructional time devoted to reaching the goal. The purpose of measurable annual goals and objectives is to help determine whether a student is making educational progress and if the special education program is providing meaningful educational benefit. Students who participate in functional skills programs and who take alternate assessments, the IEP must contain measurable short-term objectives that will be used to measure the child's progress toward reaching his annual goals.

The IEP must contain an explanation of how progress toward annual goals and objectives will be measured. The measurement criteria and procedures must be appropriate for evaluating progress toward the particular goal. The purpose of this provision is to inform parents and educators of how a student's progress toward his or her annual goals will be measured. Parents of students with disabilities must be informed about their child's progress as regularly as parents of children without disabilities.

A statement of the special education services, related services, and supplementary aids/services to be provided to the student is to be provided by the school. Each statement describing the services must advance appropriately towards attaining annual goals. Statements of related services discuss the services and equipment provided to help students benefit from special education; that is, the services provided to students should enable them to do the following: to advance appropriately toward attaining annual goals, to be involved in and progress in the general education curriculum and to participate in extracurricular activities and other nonacademic activities, and to be educated with other children with and without disabilities.

To ensure that children are educated in the LRE to the greatest extent appropriate, the IEP team must consider if and how the child will participate in the general education program with regular education children.

The IEP must specify the amount of time a child will participate in regular education programs and explain the rationale for that decision.

The IEP must also include an explanation of the extent, if any, to which the child will not participate with non-disabled children in the regular class and in other school settings and activities. If modifications in the general education classroom are necessary to ensure that the student participates in general education, the modifications must be incorporated into the IEP.

Program and Testing Modifications

IDEA requires that students with disabilities take part in state and district wide assessments of student progress. The IEP team must decide if the student needs accommodations in testing or another type of assessment entirely. The IEP must describe the types of testing adaptations and modifications that will be used with the student and why they are necessary. If the IEP determines that a student cannot be accurately assessed, even with modifications, using the regular assessment, the IEP must state why the assessment is not appropriate and list alternative assessments that will be used in place of the state or district wide assessments.

It is the responsibility of the IEP team to determine what types of program modifications are necessary to support staff and to specify these in the IEP. The regular education teacher and special education teacher serving on the student's IEP team are important in determining in identifying what program modifications are needed.

The IEP must include a projected beginning and ending date of services, the frequency of the services, where they will be delivered, and how long they will be provided. The IEP must be delivered as soon as possible after it is written. The only exceptions are if the IEP is written during a vacation period, over the summer, or when circumstances requires a short delay ( transportation arrangements). A student must not be placed in a special education program prior to the initiation date in the IEP.

A student that is 16 years old must have a statement in his IEP containing the need for transition services. Several states require that transition services be added to students' IEPs prior to the age of 16. The IEP must include measurable goals for the student's anticipated post-secondary program and a description of the services needed for the child to reach those goals.

Transition goals and services focus on instruction and support services needed to help the child move from the school environment into a job, advocate for themselves in college, vocational program, or other programs designed to promote independent living.

Transition services are based on the individual student's needs, taking into account the child's strengths, preferences, and interests. Transition services include: instruction, related services, community experiences, the development of employment an other post school adult living objectives, and if appropriate the acquisition of daily living skills and the provision of a functional vocational evaluation.

The purpose of including transition services in the IEP are to infuse a long range perspective into the IEP process, assist each student to make a meaningful transition from the school setting to a post-school setting, which could include further education, employment, or independent living, and to help students better reach their potential as adults.

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8 Components of an IEP The IDEA requires that, at a minimum eight components be present in an IEP. States, and local agencies may require additional elements. Failure to include all elements in IEPs is a frequent source of litigation.

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In the labyrinth of special education rules, regulations, facts and figures, the ordinary visitor is bound to overlook certain details. Even an experienced parent, who has been studying the details for some time may be surprised by what they find after extensive research.

Brush up on some laws and facts that you might have missed the first time reviewing all there is to know about special education. Below are some myths debunks, some facts uncovered, and some information reviewed about special education and learning disabilities.

1. Jean-Mark-Gaspard Itard, a French physician, is considered to be "The Father of Special Education." Even though Special Education laws weren't passed until 1975, with the Education of the Handicapped Act, Itard was attempting to educate children with mental disabilities in a systematic fashion as early as the late 1700s and early 1800s. He is particularly famous for his work with Victor, a feral child known as the " Wild Boy of Aveyron." Itard developed a program, considered by many as the first attempt at special education, to teach Victor language and empathy.

2. More boys than girls are being diagnosed with learning disabilities. Nearly four times as many boys are diagnosed with LD, but that doesn't mean that there's a gender discrepancy in having a learning disability. It's just that many girls are going unidentified or treated for their LD.

3. There aren't waiting lists for special education. In fact, a "waiting list" for special education is illegal. A school must provide the appropriate IEP, resources, and teachers for a child that needs special education. Schools are permitted a certain time frame in which to evaluate the student, develop a personalized education program, and begin providing the services-anything that extends beyond that time frame violates the law.

4. If you disagree with the school's proposed IEP, sign it immediately. This advice is counterintuitive, as you are unlikely to want to sign anything with which you disagree. However, in most states, signing it, including your concerns and then filing a complaint is the best course of action to address the issue immediately-otherwise, it is assumed that you have implied consent even without signing it. If you are not sure as to the process of filing a complaint or how to address a dissatisfactory IEP, contact a special needs advocate or attorney for advice and assistance.

5. You legally can bring anyone as an advocate to the IEP meeting. If you are the parent of a student with a disability, by law, you can bring whomever you want as an advocate. Ideally, you would want to bring someone who is familiar with the process, and some of the laws, and has the best interest of your child in mind. This is particularly important if you are very new to the process, are too "close" to the situation, or have established an adversarial relationship with the school. This would also be a case where a special needs attorney or advocate would be useful as a neutral third-party, to protect the parent's and student's interests.

6. Children with severe disabilities do not need to attend a special school or center. A common misconception is that severely disabled children should be educated in a center designed for special education. Educators are unable to decide whether or not segregation is the best course of choice; however, by law, a child with special education needs must be educated with non-disabled children so long as he or she makes reasonable progress in his or her IEP goals with the aid of special supports and services. Only if the child is not making progress in a regular classroom setting will a special program of school be considered.

7. While people are aware of learning disabilities, they aren't very familiar with the details. The NCLD survey found that 90 percent of respondents could identify dyslexia is a learning disability, and 80 percent could correctly define it, but most were far less familiar with other types like dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and dyspraxia.

8. You can ask for a new IEP meeting at anytime. You don't have to wait until the next annual IEP meeting to make changes to the IEP. If you request a meeting, one must be held within 30 days. Any changes agreed upon during the meeting are added as an amendment to the original IEP.

9. Special education students do go onto college, even if the Special Education laws don't extend to post-secondary schooling. Many colleges and universities offer support services for students with disabilities. And while only 10 percent of students with LD enroll in a four-year college program within two years of graduating (compared to 28 percent of the general population), 2004's Individuals with Disabilities Education and Improvement Act (IDEA) specifically requires that students be prepared, as much as possible, during early schooling, for further continuing education and independent living.

10. Many people who have learning disabilities go on to become extremely successful, and in some cases, famous. Some of the greatest minds have had learning disabilities or other special education needs: Abraham Lincoln, Buzz Aldrin, Walt Disney, Albert Einstein, Sir Isaac Newton, Thomas Edison, Bill Gates, Henry Ford, Vincent Van Gogh are just a few of the notable names.

In the course of making sure your child gets all the assistance he or she needs, no stone should be unturned. Debunking myths, educating yourself on laws, and just picking up interesting factoids can help you be a better advocate for your child.

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Ten Special Education Facts That Might Surprise You

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In the labyrinth of special education rules, regulations, facts and figures, the ordinary visitor is bound to overlook certain details. Even an experienced parent, who has been studying the details for some time may be surprised by what they find after extensive research. Brush up on some laws and facts that you might have missed...