Summary Chap. 1-4
Kristina Creech
Liberty University
EDUC 521
IEP SUMMARY 1-4 2
IEP Summery Chap. !-4
Section 1: The Law and Students with Special Needs
Introduction: Special Education in the Individualized Education Program
When teachers refer to students with disabilities, they mean students who are eligible to receive
special education services according to federal and state guidelines. Special education is the
specially designed instruction provided by the school district or other local education agency that
meets the unique needs of students identified as disabled according to federal and state eligibility
The introduction opens up with a definition of what special education is. Special
education is specially designed instruction, at no cost to parents, to meet the unique needs of
a student with a disability, including instruction conducted in the classroom, in the home, in
hospitals and institutions, and in other settings; and instruction in physical education (Gibb &
Dyches 2016). It then talks about the process and what role IEP's (Individualized Education
Program) play in a special education classroom. An IEP describes a student’s special
education program for one year, including goals for improvement and ways the school will
help the student achieve those goals as well as ways to help the student make progress in the
general curriculum and participate with her or his peers without disabilities in extracurricular
activities of an appropriate nature and extent (Gibb & Dyches 2016). The introduction part of
this workbook really serves as answers to some of the most common questions you would
have before getting into the steps. Questions such as, how IEP's are created, how to prepare
for an IEP meeting and what roles IEP's play in the special education classroom. One
common topic that is actually discussed in many of the steps is parent involvement and how
important it is to have the parents apart of all the decisions throughout the program.
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criteria. Special education is a set of services that may include instruction in a general education
or special education classroom, education in the community for students who need to learn life
and work skills, and specialized assistance in areas such as physical education and vocational
preparation. Students with disabilities also may receive related services, that is, assistance
required to enable students to benefit from special education. Examples of related services
include speech/language therapy, transportation to and from school in a specialized van or school
bus, and physical therapy. Additionally, students with dis- abilities are entitled to supplementary
aids and services. This means they must receive, as needed, supports such as preferential seating,
access to computer technology, and instructional adjustments (for example, more time to
complete tests, simplified assignments) that enable them to be educated with their peers who do
not have disabilities. All special education, related services, and supplementary aids and services
are provided to students by public schools at no cost to parents. You may encounter one
additional set of terms relates to students’ services. Stu- dents with disabilities are entitled to
receive accommodations and modifications related to their instruction. Accommodations are
changes in how the student learns key curriculum. For example, a student may be assigned fewer
math problems be- cause he takes longer than other students to complete each one. Another
student may respond to an essay question on a history test by writing bullet points instead of
paragraphs, because it reduces the writing task and the goal is to determine what she has learned
about history. In each case, the curriculum has remained the same. Modifications refer to what
the student learns and usually implies that some curriculum is removed. For example, a student
with a significant intellectual disability may not learn all the vocabulary in a science unit,
focusing instead on words that he is likely to encounter in day-to-day life.
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Section 2: Parents and the IEP process:
Section 3:Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional
Performance:
Open communication can lead to more questions being asked by the student’s parents,
which aides in making sure everyone on the IEP team has an understanding of what will occur
and what is expected. From my experience, a disadvantage of a student’s IEP can occur during
the IEP meeting. On a few occasions, parents have stated they feel pressured to sign the IEP at
the conclusion of the meeting, without ample time to thoroughly review the document and ask
any additional questions. The parents have said that the school and teachers do not really know
what is best for their child, or that the teachers do not understand their child. Parents believed
they were being “railroaded” into signing the IEP, even though relevant discussions took place
and the IEP was reviewed as a group. Some parents have become hostile during the meetings,
and it was difficult for me to watch the parents misinterpret the IEP team’s plan for how their
student can experience success.
Measurable annual goals are what the IEP team guesses the student will accomplish over
the next year. These goals must be goals that are measurable and coincide with the
information that is put in the PLAAFP statement. According to Gibb & Dyches (2016), there
are 4 components of a measurable annual goal which are: the student's name, A description of
the conditions under which the behavior will be performed, the specific observable behavior
to be performed and the criterion to indicate the level of performance at which the goal will
be achieved. A statement of generalization indicating additional conditions under which the
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behavior will be performed to criterion and a statement of maintenance indicating the student
will perform the task to criterion for a specified period of time are two other components
added by Gibb and Dyches (2016). Goals can be broken down even further into smaller parts.
These are benchmarks or short-term objectives. The PLAAPF Statement is where it all
starts. It’s the beginning of the process of writing an IEP. A PLAAFP statement is a brief but
detailed description of a student’s achievement and functional performance at the time the
IEP is created (Gibb & Dyches 2016). The PLAAFP Statement must address both academic
achievement and functional performances because even though a student may have an issue
that effects his behavior, that issue may also affect his actual learning. Gibb and Dyches
(2016) says academic achievement and functional performance are differentiated for students
depending on their age and on the effects of disabilities on their learning. In order for a
teacher to really start a quality IEP, you have to be able to write a quality PLAAFP statement.
That requires that you know what it is the student is struggling with and also what they are
proficient in. That is why it is very important when writing these statements, you are using
words such as can do and cannot do. You should also use words like "needs to" to show a
statement of needed improvement.
The IEP must include the assessment used to measure progress, such as the name of a
formal test, designation of a student work sample, plan for a teacher observation, or checklist
for behavior (Gibb & Dyches 2016). Step 3 focuses on how and what is measured and what
progress is being achieved by the student. This requires that the student's progress be
reported and monitored on a consistent basis. Teachers must measure, monitor and report.
Measuring requires teachers to often test the student in order to capture whether there is any
Section 4: IEP Goals:
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The biblical approach through the Great Commission commands teachers to reach all students
and follow the example of Jesus Christ. Christian school teachers should follow the federal laws
for special education to provide students with special needs the most opportunities, but at the
same time, Christian teachers should use the freedom of being able to discuss Jesus and Scripture
progress with the proposed methods of teaching. Monitoring is done by comparing the data
that was measured to the standards that were established in the 2nd step. Reporting is done by
taking the monitoring data and the data that was measured and reporting that information to
parents and the team to keep them updated with progress. Reports can include data from
formal and informal assessments. It is very important that a student's needs not be based on
the services that a school or school district can provide. Special education services refer to
specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities, as
described in their annual goals (Gibb & Dyches 2016). Any student that has an IEP that
requires special services should receive those services. If it is determined that a student
requires services that the school does not provide, it is the schools responsibility to make sure
they make the necessary changes to get the needed services. Whatever the needed services
may be, they must help the students to succeed in the general education, make progress
towards the annual goals set in the IEP, and be able to participate in activities outside of the
classroom with peers that either have a disability or not. The Individuals with Disabilities
Education Improvement Act (IDEA) requires that students with disabilities be educated in the
least restrictive environment (LRE), which means that these students are educated with their
peers without disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate, as determined by the IEP team
(Gibb & Dyches 2016).
Christian Perseverance Gained:
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to demonstrate how we must treat those in need. Ackerman (2012) stated, “We need to be
concerned for those who are struggling…” (p. 4). Exodus 4:11 (New International Version)
states, “The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave human beings their mouths? Who makes them deaf or
mute? Who gives them sight or makes them blind? Is it not I, the Lord?’” This Scripture tells us
that God created students with special needs for a purpose, and in Christian schools, teachers
have the responsibility to work with students with special needs from a biblical approach and
find ways to reach these learners.
In the future, I foresee a continued role with IEPs. The IEP should tell the student’s story
and allow others to get a clear picture of who the student is (Patti, 2016). Whether with an IEP in
a public school or an educational plan in a private school, when the parents and professionals
work together, the student can have their learning needs met and see improvement. I always try
to remember the message of Galatians 6:2 (NIV), “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way
you will fulfill the law of Christ.”
Conclusion:
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References:
Gibb, G. S., & Dyches, T. T. (2016). IEPs: Writing quality individualized education
programs. London, England, UK: Pearson.
