definitions

http://www.fcsn.org/parentguide/pguide1.html#IEP http://www.theitinerantconnection.com/iep_information_for_parents.htm http://www.parents-as-partners.ca/documents/thames/IEPresourceguide.pdf (good definitions and acronyms) http://www.autismsociety-nc.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=164&Itemid=336 (good FAQ) http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CVideoClips%2C6%2C (video) http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/general/elemsec/speced/iepeng.pdf (resource guide) http://dpi.wi.gov/SPED/pdf/iepguide.pdf (guide for writing IEPs)

IEP meetings give you and the school a chance to work together to design an Individualized Education Program ( __[|IEP]__ ) for your child with disabilities who’s eligible for special education. The goals and objectives or benchmarks are the core of the IEP. As a parent, you play an important role in deciding what will be written. What Are Goals? Goals represent what you and the team think your child will be able to accomplish in his area(s) of disability in a year’s time. Since goals are long term, generally they’re written in a broad, but measurable, way. Here are some samples: What Are Objectives and Benchmarks? Either objectives or benchmarks must be written for each goal. Objectives and benchmarks show what your child will be doing throughout the year to reach his goals. >> (e.g., 14 + 11=), Sammy will write the sums with 80% accuracy. >> (e.g., 14 + 18 =), Sammy will write the sums with 80% accuracy. Objectives and benchmarks are written in precise, behavioral terms and usually include: Every school district writes goals and objectives or benchmarks differently, but each goal should have at least two objectives or benchmarks to evaluate progress regularly. __ How Are Goals Developed? __ The team develops goals and objectives or benchmarks based on how your child is performing in the curriculum. Reports from you and the teachers, as well as assessments, provide the basis for deciding areas to focus on for your child. If you __[| prepare]__ some ideas before the meeting, you’ll feel more comfortable participating in the process. Sometimes the team chooses to continue goals and objectives or benchmarks written in the last IEP; other times, they change them in some way. When new areas of need are identified, the team writes additional goals and objectives or benchmarks to address them. __ How Many Goals Are Enough? __ Often IEPs include too many goals and objectives or benchmarks. This can be confusing to you and the teachers and put unrealistic expectations on your child. To keep the number manageable, consider one goal for each "big" area of concern, e.g., basic reading skills, reading comprehension, math calculation, study skills, etc. __ Who Carries Out the Goals? __ The type of goals and objectives or benchmarks the team writes determines who will carry them out. The special education teacher, general education teacher, or support person (e.g., speech/language pathologist) may be responsible. Many times, a team works together, e.g., the special and general education teachers and the speech/language pathologist may work to help your child improve skills in reading comprehension. Your child needs to understand what his goals and objectives or benchmarks are. As he gets older, he should be involved in developing them, as well. The more he is aware of what he’s working on, the better his buy-in, and the greater his chances of achieving the goals. __ How Do I Know if My Child Is Making Progress? __ You’ll be informed of how your child is doing on his goals and objectives throughout the school year. You should be informed at the same time that parents of kids in general education receive reports about their children’s progress. So you’ll probably receive updates at mid-semester and grade report card time. If it’s not clear when or how the updates will be made, ask the teacher. Remember that you can schedule an informal conference with the special education teacher to see how your child is doing, too. If you communicate regularly, you’ll know what’s happening at school and won’t be in for "surprises" at next year’s meeting. __ What if There’s No Progress? __ Sometimes parents and schools have different ideas about whether progress is being made or how quickly it’s happening. Expectations need to be realistic. If your child is really behind his classmates in reading, he probably won’t be able to catch up to them in a year. After talking to the teacher, if you still are worried and believe your child isn’t progressing, ask for an IEP review meeting. You can do this by writing a letter to the school or special education administrator and sending copies to the staff who work with your child.
 * Sammy will improve in basic reading skills as measured by the district‘s reading assessment.
 * Sammy will improve in math computation as measured by standardized testing.
 * ** Objectives ** represent the skills your child needs to develop to achieve the goal. Objectives for the goal dealing with math computation could look like this:
 * given 10 problems requiring two-digit plus two-digit addition without renaming (regrouping/carrying)
 * given 10 problems requiring two-digit plus two-digit addition with renaming
 * ** Benchmarks ** show the mastery level your child is expected to have at various points in the year. For the math goal, they could look this way:
 * given 10 problems requiring two-digit plus two-digit addition with and without renaming, Sammy will write the sums with 70% accuracy.
 * given 10 problems requiring two-digit plus two-digit addition with and without renaming, Sammy will write the sums with 80% accuracy.
 * A behavior – what your child will do (compute addition problems)
 * A criterion – the level at which your child will perform the behavior (accuracy level - 70% or 80%)
 * An evaluation procedure – the tool used to evaluate your child’s performance (10 problems)
 * An evaluation schedule – the timeline for your child’s to reach the objective or benchmark (December or February)

PREPARING FOR IEP
 * What does my child do well?
 * What does my child struggle with?
 * What are my long-range goals for my son or daughter?
 * What skills would increase the independence of my son or daughter?
 * What goals would strengthen us as a family?
 * Are there transportation or mobility issues?
 * What do I want the school to do for my child?
 * What particular things do I want the school to report to me about?
 * What should I know to be able to support my child's progress at school and in the home?
 * How and when are good times for the school to contact me when this is necessary?
 * What if there is an emergency or crisis?
 * How can I communicate with the school? Should I send notes? Who and when should I call?
 * What information should I give to the school on an ongoing basis?