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Students who require extra help and support might be eligible for special services that provide individualized education programs (IEPs) in public schools, free of charge to families. Understanding your role in educating a student with an IEP will benefit both you and the student.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) makes teachers of students with special needs responsible for planning, implementing, and monitoring educational plans to help the students succeed in school. The IEP describes the goals set for a student for the school year, and any special support needed to help reach those goals.

The IDEA requires states to provide free appropriate public education to students who are eligible for special education from ages 3 to 21, in the "least restrictive" environment. This means that kids with disabilities should learn alongside their classmates who don't have disabilities as much as possible.

Who Needs an IEP?

Students who are eligible for special education services require an IEP. Students could be eligible for many reasons, such as if they have:

Students might have a learning disability if they are consistently unable to meet standards that are normal for their age range. Some common signs of a learning disability can include:

trouble mastering tasks or applying academic skills to other tasks

trouble with communication and language processing, as well as expressive and receptive language

a lot of frustration with school and homework

having strong general knowledge, but not being able to read (dyslexia), write (dysgraphia), or do math (dyscalculia) at that level

needing ongoing, step-by-step guidance for tasks

poor grades despite a lot of effort

poor memory of spoken or written material

not being able to remember problem-solving steps if they don't understand the tasks or the logic behind them

not being able to remember skills and facts over time

How Are Services Delivered?

Usually, the services outlined in an IEP can be provided in regular education classrooms. In other cases, they might be given in separate classrooms or even separate schools, depending on the students' needs. Some students may have an IEP for one subject area only, while others may have one for all academic subjects and for social skills instruction.

Students with IEPs can participate in all subject areas, especially classes like science, social studies, art, music, library, gym, and health. It is critical for regular classroom teachers to read students' IEPs and be familiar with the services and monitoring required by the plan.

Services can also be provided in a separate supported environment within the school. In this setting, groups of students with similar needs are together for small-group instruction. A certified special education teacher is the instructor and other school personnel (aides or support teachers) help with teaching.

Students who need intense intervention, though, may be taught in a special school environment. These schools have fewer students per teacher, allowing for more individualized attention. Teachers in these schools usually have specific training in helping students with special educational needs.

How Are Students Evaluated?

The referral process generally begins when a teacher, parent, or doctor is concerned that a child may be having trouble in the classroom.

The first step is to gather specific data regarding the student's progress or academic problems. This may be done through:

a conference with parents

a conference with the student

observations of the student

analysis of the student's performance (attention, behavior, work completion, tests, classwork, homework, etc.)

This information helps teachers and school personnel decide on the next step. Strategies specific to the student could be used to help them be more successful in school prior to any formal testing. If this doesn't work, the child can receive an educational assessment, which could identify a specific learning disability or other health problem.

Note: The presence of a disability doesn't automatically guarantee a child will get services. To be eligible, the disability must affect how the child does at school.

To decide on eligibility, a team of professionals will consider their observations, as well as how the child does on standardized tests and daily work such as tests, quizzes, classwork, and homework.

Who's on the Team?

The professionals on the evaluation team can include:

classroom teachers

occupational therapist

physical therapist

psychologist

special educator

speech therapist

vision or hearing specialist

others, depending on the child's specific needs

If more testing is needed, parents will be asked to sign a permission form that details who is involved in the process and the types of tests they use. These tests might include measures of specific school skills, such as reading or math, as well as more general developmental skills, such as speech and language.

After the team members finish their assessments, a comprehensive evaluation report is developed. It includes an educational classification and outlines the skills and support the child will need.

The parents can review the report before the IEP is developed. If they disagree with it, they will have the chance to work with the school to come up with a plan that best meets the child's needs.

How Is the IEP Developed?

The next step is an IEP meeting, during which the team and parents decide what will go into the plan. Also, a regular classroom teacher should attend to offer suggestions about how the plan can help the child's progress in the standard education curriculum and how it can be used in a regular classroom setting, if that's appropriate.

At the meeting, the team will discuss a student's educational needs - as described in the evaluation report - and develop specific, measurable short-term and annual goals for each of those needs.

What Does the IEP Include?

The cover page of the IEP outlines the related services and supports students will get and how often they will be provided. These can include many different things; for example, transportation; speech-language pathology and audiology services; psychological services; physical therapy and occupational therapy; recreation, including therapeutic recreation; social work services; and medical services (for diagnostic and evaluation purposes only).

If the team recommends several services, the amount of time they take in the child's school schedule can seem overwhelming. To ease that load, a professional may talk with a child's teacher to come up with ways to help but won't offer hands-on instruction. For example, an occupational therapist may suggest accommodations for a child with fine-motor problems that affect handwriting, and the classroom teacher would incorporate these into the handwriting lessons taught to the entire class.

Other services can be delivered right in the classroom, so the child's day isn't interrupted by therapy. The child who has trouble with handwriting might work one-on-one with an occupational therapist while everyone else practices their handwriting skills. When deciding how and where services are offered, the child's comfort and dignity should be a top priority.

If a child has academic needs and is working below grade level, services may be offered outside the regular education classroom. Students might get small-group instruction in a particular subject area (usually language arts or math) by a special education teacher along with other students who have similar needs.

How Often Should the IEP Be Updated?

The IEP should be reviewed annually to update the goals and ensure the levels of service meet the student's needs. During the school year, progress monitoring is done often to make sure the student is achieving goals set in the IEP. IEPs can be changed at any time on an as-needed basis.

Specific timelines ensure that the development of an IEP moves from referral to providing services as quickly as possible. Be sure to ask about this timeframe and stay informed.

If parents disagree with any part of the evaluation report or the IEP, mediation and hearings are options.

It is important for teachers to understand the IEP process and their role in delivering instruction to students who have an IEP. Any questions related to an IEP can be directed to the team or the case manager assigned to a student.

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Individualized Education Programs (IEPs): Tips for Teachers

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IEPs make teachers of students with special needs responsible for planning, implementing, and monitoring educational plans to help the students succeed in school. This article is for educators.

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What is the teacher's role in an IEP meeting?

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What is the teacher's role in an IEP meeting?

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In creating the IEP, the teacher brings first-hand knowledge of the student and their ability in the classroom.
After the IEP creation, the teacher is responsible for its implementation in the classroom.

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The school system is strained... that's a fact.

This strain adds a tremendous amount of work to teachers already drowning in paperwork...

To correctly write an IEP, it takes a minimum of three hours...

Multiply that times 20 - 30 students... and that alone becomes a part-time-job.

The reason I bring this up is that parents need to understand that not every IEP will be perfect, or unfortunately, even accurate.

Day after day we encounter IEP's that are COMPLETELY wrong, missing data and not helping the child it's intended for!

YES! Tell Me More!

As a parent of a child with special needs, you are intimately familiar with the unique struggles your child faces on a daily basis.

When it comes time to seeking special education services for your school-age child, you will undoubtedly feel overwhelmed with the amount of information that is being presented to you regarding your child's ongoing education within the school system.

Many people will have a hand in providing your child with special needs the best education possible, and none more so than the teacher themselves.

Special education teachers have a specialized working knowledge of which educational practices benefit children with special needs, and which are simply not worth the time or effort.

They can provide real-world scenarios based on their prior experience with children who have special needs, and can help develop a goal plan going forward.

If your child has received a diagnosis from a qualified professional that has determined they have special needs, you most likely will be looking into the prospect of enrolling your child in special education services through the school system.

For successful placement into this type of program, you will need first to have a meeting with school officials to develop your child's Individualized Education Plan (IEP).

What Is An Individualized Education Plan, Or IEP?

An Individualized Education Plan, often referred to by the acronym IEP, is an education plan that is designed around your child's unique needs and is designed to help your child reach obtainable goals within the given school year.

These goals are based around what your child can do versus what they're expected to learn, and helps establish a basic guideline for the direction your child's education should take for the foreseeable future.

According to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act ( IDEA) of 2004, an IEP should be "a statement of the child's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance... [and] a statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals designed to meet the child's needs that result from the child's disability to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum."

That was a mouthful...

In simple terms, this means that a team of professionals will help to establish areas of education that your child will need specialized help with, as well as prepare a report on how those areas could be improved and by what means.

A Teacher's Role In The Creation Of The IEP;

For day-to-day interactions and firsthand trial-and-error knowledge, there is no better resource than a special education teacher.

When you participate in your initial IEP meeting, you will meet with the teachers that will be handling your child's special education as well as other school officials such as;

The Principal

School Psychologist

Medical Professionals

Qualified Therapists (Speech, Physical, Occupational, etc.)

Other individuals will also attend that can provide insight into your child's special needs that prevent them from moving forward on their own down the educational road to success.

A teacher's role during the IEP meeting is to provide information regarding your child's present levels of academic performance, the educational goals that need to be met during the school year and what they feel your child's individual strengths and weaknesses will be on the whole, as well as per subject.
There aren't any steadfast rules regarding what information should be included in an IEP, seeing as how it differs from child to child, but there are a few guidelines you can expect the teacher to loosely follow to reach goals that work for your child;

1. The teacher might discuss current learning methods that are working for other students like your own, and bring up what methods don't work as well.

2. Expect to hear about special accommodations the special education classroom can provide and how they will help your child succeed

3. The teacher will discuss the challenges that using specific accommodations might present when it comes to your child's everyday learning.

As teachers have a working knowledge of their special education classrooms, they bring to the table valuable insight that can assist your child with special needs in getting the much-needed help they need and deserve.

They will work towards setting obtainable goals for your child during the school year and will stick closely to the demands of the IEP consistently and thoroughly.

If you have questions at any point during the IEP creation process or its subsequent implementation, the special education teacher is your best source of answers; they can help revise or reevaluate your child's goals as the year progresses, should it be needed.

Teacher Support After The Creation Of The IEP;

The initial IEP meeting should include not only special education teachers but those who are responsible for the general school population, as well.

If your child will be participating in some inclusive activities during the school day, this means all teachers need to be aware of your child's unique situation and circumstances.

They will work towards finding creative solutions that work for your child, as well as provide one-on-one support and special accommodations, should your child require them.

The support these teachers provide goes beyond basic academics, as well, as they work on necessary life skills, self-skills, and other issues that might be identified as trouble spots for your child.

Teachers have a vested interest in seeing your child with special needs succeed and will do what it takes to make sure they not only follow the IEP but let you know your child's progress and possible obstacles as they occur.

Special Education Resource is your go-to source for all information related to special education.

In addition, we also offer supplemental learning through special education tutoring. With the touch of a button, you will be connected to qualified tutors who understand your child's frustrations and are dedicated to helping them succeed.

Supplemental learning takes the coursework currently being taught in your child's classroom and molds it to fit their specific learning needs. Whether presently enrolled in special education services or not, an excellent first step is a . Our special education tutors will answer your questions, offer guidance during the IEP process if appropriate, and help formulate a plan to assist your child in reaching their excellence.

We have a responsibility as parents and educators to help children get the best education possible, no matter what.

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Teachers pick up the school systems slack in IEP's...

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The school system is strained... that's a fact. This strain adds a tremendous amount of work to teachers already drowning in paperwork... To correctly write an IEP, it takes a minimum of three hours... Multiply that times 20 - 30 students... and that alone becomes a part-time-job.

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Provides information on the acts that allow for the implementation of IEPs in Ireland.
It should be noted that these are not laws, and therefore IEPs are not legally required by schools to have for their students with SEN

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date when plan will be reviewed and discussed, post-implementation

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How the plan will be implemented into the student's everyday school life

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When evaluation of the targets made will be carried out and how

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All personnel and the resources to be employed in delivering the student's education to them.

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Strategies to be used (including assistive technology)

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Strategies to be used (including assistive technology)

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These are the strategies to be used by teachers, SNAs and other educational professionals working with the student at school.
Assistive technologies used by the student would also be described here, along with their uses.

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Targets set for the student should be:
S - Specific
M - Measureable
A - Attainable
R - Realistic & Relevant
T - Timely

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Areas that students need the most help with - these could be classroom behaviour type needs, such as reminders to raise their hand in class to ask a question, or could be related to literacy and numeracy skills.

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How the student is participating in school (this may include assistive technologies being used)

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Identifying where the student is flourishing and outlining where the students could use more support.

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What does each component of an IEP mean?

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What does each component of an IEP mean?

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There are 9 main components of IEPs, as laid out in the poster this padlet was linked in!

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Article: The IEP Process: Current Practice and Perspectives

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Article: The IEP Process: Current Practice and Perspectives

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Describes research into the use of IEPs in schools and teacher attitudes towards IEPs

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IEPs help to ensure students get the education they deserve, no matter what SEN they may have

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The student
Parents
School
Professionals (e.g. speech and language therapist, educational psychologist, occupational therapist)

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IEPs are developed collaboratively and focus on the priority learning needs of the student

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Written plans to support students with special educational needs (SEN)

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Provides a more detailed description of the IEP, including its role and what should be set out in the IEP.

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News Update

15/04/2024

Changes to the AON Process
The Assessment of Education Needs(AON) process, as part of the Health Service Executive (HSE) AON process, has changed.

Click the button below for more details.

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National Council for Special Education - Working to deliver a better special education service - Working to deliver a better special education service

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15/04/2024 Changes to the AON Process The Assessment of Education Needs(AON) process, as part of the Health Service Executive (HSE) AON process, has changed. Click the button below for more details.

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Gives a brief description, aimed at parents, of what an IEP is and possible ways to implement one for a child

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What's an Individual Education Plan (IEP) & how can I Set One Up for My Child? - AsIAm.ie

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What's an Individual Education Plan (IEP) & how can I Set One Up for My Child? - AsIAm.ie

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An Individual Education Plan, often referred to as an 'IEP', is a plan to support your child's learning and development. The IEP is led by the child's strengths and learning ... What's an Individual Education Plan (IEP) & how can I Set One Up for My Child? Read More "