Supporting Students with Disabilities in the Classroom

Standards Based IEPs

LASPDG

Presented by Kathy Kilgore

January 22, 2015

IDEA Mission Statement {Purposes 1400(d)}

…to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment and independent living and to ensure that the rights of children with disabilities and parents of such children are protected…

IDEA requires…

• Provision of FAPE in the LRE via the IEP

• SWD must be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

• Schools must educate CWD with children without disabilities “to the maximum extent appropriate”.

• A CWD may only be removed from the regular educational setting if the nature or severity of the disability is such that the child cannot be educated in regular classes, even with the use of supplementary aids and services.

So....

• If we expect positive outcomes for SWD: –Passing course grades–Appropriate behavior–Proficiency on state assessments–High school graduation–Ready for further education, future

employment and independent living

Then…

• We must have:–High expectations - The same

expectations as for students without disabilities–Targeted learning goals–Provision of accommodations /supports–IEPs that are individualized to meet the

unique needs of a SWD–IEPs goals that address learning gaps

IEP Goals… the question to answer??

• Goals that address grade level standards?

or

• Goals that address deficit skill areas needed in order to address grade level standards?

Consider….

• Standards may be too broad to translate into IEP goals (they may need to be broken down into specific skills and/or learning chunks).

• Students with significant gaps in learning need to work on those gaps.

“Make sure all teachers (not just special ed) learn the latest in dealing with special education learning delay recovery. Most kids can be brought back into regular ed classes, but not with inclusion-only strategies. It takes consistent hour-a-day skill building or the student won’t change. Learn the right skills and go to it 3-5 days a week.”

Eric Jensen: TOP 10 Brain-Based Teaching Strategies

• Is the SWD receiving primary instruction in a subject via the IEP goal?

• Is the SWD receiving primary instruction in a subject in the general education class with a Support teacher (i.e., SpEd) co-teaching in the general education class?

• Is the SWD receiving primary instruction in a subject in the general education class with a Support teacher (i.e., SpEd) providing ‘pull out’ instruction?

Other considerations…

• How significant are the learning gaps?

• Is the student receiving intervention via a RtI tier?

• What is the level of differentiation provided in general education classes?

Bottom-line….

• The IEP must outline how the SWD currently is performing in a content area.

• Goals must indicate the critical skills (not activities) a SWD must master in order to make progress in the general education curriculum.

• The standards must be reflected (not necessarily exactly translated) in IEP goals.

Let’s look at some standards….

• Grade 4 – ELA–Determine a theme of a story, drama, or

poem from details in the text; summarize the text.

• How would you translate this standard into an IEP goal or goals?

Let’s look at some standards….• Grade 4 – Math–Solve multistep word problems posed with

whole numbers and having whole-number answers using the four operations, including problems in which remainders must be interpreted.

• How would you translate this standard into an IEP goal or goals?

Steps to take….• Know and understand the standards.

• Know the SWD. Review the student’s records to determine:– current levels of performance, – learning styles and learning patterns/habits,– interventions and strategies used in the past that

worked or didn’t work,– any other relevant information about how the student

processes information including frustration levels– Reasonable learning outcomes

Steps, continued…

• Identify the expectations each general education teacher may have for his/her class relative to major academic expectations, classroom routines and behavior expectations.

• Compare how a SWD is currently performing relative to those general education expectations.

• Target learning gaps/discrepancies/deficits on the IEP as annual goals.

The IEP is a Road Map…

• Identifies the final destination (for a set time period)

• Outlines, in increments, how the final destination will be reached

• Provides insight into what road blocks may be encountered along the way and/or what will make for ‘smooth sailing’

• Lists the type of support that will be needed along the way so the final destination is reached

Thank You!!!

Kathy Kilgore• The SUNS Center

• kkilgore@slc-gno.org• 504-283-3202 (o)• 504-442-5341 (c)