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.
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.
About the Author
Colleen Shea Stump, Ph.D., served as Chairperson of the Special Education Department at San Francisco State University, San Francisco, California, and was a professor at SFSU for 8 years. She currently works as Coordinator of Program/Staff Development and Compliance for the Seattle Public Schools, Seattle, Washington.
In 1975, the United States Congress passed into law, a bill called "The Education of All Handicapped Children Act". Its official designation was Public Law 94-142. It has since been revised as "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" (IDEA).
IDEA entitles every special needs child to:
- A free and appropriate public education. The spirit of the law intends that the education of a special needs child be appropriate to the child's needs. Parental input is important in determining what is appropriate. The education is provided at public expense and under the supervision of the state educational agency, but not necessarily an education within the public schools.
- An education within a "least restrictive" environment. This refers to the setting of the child's education. That setting should not restrict the child's potential for growth. IDEA requires public agencies to establish procedures to ensure that to the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities, including children in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with children who are not disabled, and that special classes, separate schooling, or other removal of children with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily. (Source: Federal Register, Vol. 57, No. 211).
- A nondiscriminatory evaluation of needs by a multidisciplinary team. This is to assure that the evaluation of your child's needs treat all areas of growth and development. It also assures that the evaluation will be fair and free of bias.
Nondiscriminatory Testing
The regulations of IDEA require that testing and evaluation of your child meet the following criteria:
- Testing and evaluation materials used for the purpose of evaluation and placement of deaf and hard-of-hearing children must be selected and administrated so as not to be racially or culturally discriminatory, nor biased toward one communication approach. Tests should always be given in a communication approach that the child can understand.
- No one testing or evaluation procedure can be the only criteria for determining an appropriate educational placement for a child.
- Procedures must be established and maintained for parents or guardians to examine all relevant records with respect to identification, evaluation, and educational placement of the child.
- If parents or guardians do not feel that a fair assessment has been made, they are entitled to obtain an independent educational evaluation of the child.
- Parents or guardians must receive a written notice in their native language prior to any proposed change regarding the identification, evaluation, or educational placement of their child. While the final decision of appropriateness is the responsibility of the local school district, the parents have the right to disagree and request a Due Process Hearing to plead their case.
Due Process
If you are not satisfied that a free and appropriate education is being provided for your child, you have the right to impartial due proceedings. Many disagreements are often resolved in the mediation meetings that preceded the proceedings. Your due process rights include:
- Appeals of school-based decisions to the Administrative Committee, the right to request mediation, and the right to request an impartial Due Process/Administrative Review.
- The parent has the right to be accompanied and advised by counsel and by individuals with special knowledge or training with respect to the problems of the deaf or hard-of-hearing child.
- A written or tape-recorded verbatim record of the Administrative Review shall be available to anyone involved.
- While a decision is pending, the child can, at the parent's request, remain where he was before the action began.
- The education which is agreed upon must be provided at no cost to the parents.
- Information on these types of final legal steps can be obtained from groups such as the Child Advocacy Commission.
Mainstreaming
Placing handicapped children in ordinary classes with or without support services. IDEA requires that handicapped children, including deaf and hard-of-hearing children, must be educated in this least restrictive environment. This means that your deaf or hard-of-hearing child should be placed in a program that suits him best. If your child can get along in the regular classroom, he should not be removed on the basis of hearing loss. If, for any reason, the situation does not provide for his needs, the child may be placed in a program that does meet his needs. Children are to be placed in classrooms not on the basis of their disability, but according to their educational needs.
Determining a child's educational needs
To provide the best possible education for deaf and hard-of-hearing children, educational programs are required to develop an "Individualized Educational Program", IEP, for your child. You will often hear this referred to as your child's "IFSP" or "IEP". The IFSP, "Individualized Family Service Plan", is used for families with infant or preschool deaf and hard-of-hearing children (0-3 years old) enrolled in any educational program. You, the parents, and your service coordinator will determine what services and programs are best for your family.
What is the IFSP?
This Individualized Family Service Plan must be worked out with each deaf or hard-of-hearing child and put into writing. The IFSP must include:
- Information on the child's present levels of development: cognitive, speech/language, psychological/social, motor and self help. Appropriate tests have to be used, taking into consideration any of the child's lack of ability to understand or use words. If the child is from a non-English speaking home, the tests and discussions may need to be done on a bilingual basis.
- Information on your family's needs in relation to enhancing your child's development.
- Goals for your child and your family.
- Exactly what services are to be provided, the number and length of sessions.
- Who will provide the services and over what period of time.
- The methods to be used for assessing progress.
- A plan for transition from early intervention services into a preschool program (3 years old).
- The IFSP will be reviewed on a regular basis. Parents must be notified in advance so they can participate in the review.
What is the IEP?
The Individualized Education Plan is used with deaf and hard-of-hearing children enrolled in an elementary school program (3 years old and up). A group made up of you (the parents) and several educational people should be involved in setting up your child's educational plan. Usually this includes a qualified teacher/therapist experienced in working with deaf and hard-of-hearing children, a psychologist, and school principal or administrator. The IEP must be worked out for each deaf or hard-of-hearing child and put in writing. It must include:
- Information on how the child is doing educationally. Testing that won't penalize him must be made to determine this. The deaf or hard-of-hearing child's ability to understand and use words would have to be considered. If the child is from a non-English speaking home, the test and discussion may need to be on a bilingual basis. The parents have to be able to understand what is being said.
- Long-range goals and short-term objectives.
- Exactly what services are to be provided and how much time they require.
- When the program will begin and how long the services will be necessary.
- A statement as to how it will be determined whether your child is progressing according to plan. Are the educational goals being achieved? The parents and teachers must check this frequently.
- A review of your child's IEP will be done on a regular basis. Parents must be notified in advance so they can participate in the review.
Related Services
Supportive services required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education. Related services for a child are discussed and decided upon during the IEP conference. These services may be provided by either consultation or direct service. Some examples of related services under Part B of IDEA include occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech and language therapy, recreation, counseling services, psychological services, assistive technology services, assistive technology devices, rehabilitation counseling services, parent counseling and training, audiology, and special transportation.
Your right as a parent.
Along with responsibility, parents should realize they have certain rights. Under due process law, parents of deaf or hard-of-hearing children have the following rights:
- To receive a full explanation of your rights and how they are protected under law.
- To be notified and have your consent secured whenever school authorities plan a special evaluation or a significant change in school placement for your child.
- To be notified if the school refuses to evaluate your child or make a change in school placement.
- To examine school records related to your child's identification as "deaf or hard of hearing", his evaluation, and his school placement.
- To take part in the meeting where the IFSP or IEP is set up.
- To have an impartial hearing if you do not agree with the school's decision. The school may also ask for a hearing if it does not agree with the IFSP or IEP.
These are your rights under the law.
To assure that you have exercised your rights, it is required that you sign certain documents. Be sure to read it and have it explained if it is not clear. Then, if and when you agree with it, you may then sign your approval.
Questions and Concerns
It is hoped that the Act will assure you and you child of your rights. But some states may give up federal funds rather than take part in a program that could put a heavy burden on them. Hence, your child may not have the same rights as a child in a neighboring state. Thus, parents should work together to improve educational opportunities in their area for their children. There may be problems in mainstreaming for some children. It depends on the child, the teacher, the class size and make up, the school, and on whether adequate support help is provided. It may also depend on you. How much help can you give your child at home? Some parents can put considerable time and effort into meeting a deaf or hard-of-hearing child's needs. Others find it difficult or almost impossible to provide the needed enough extra help. So, the educational plan must be truly individual.
IDEA marks a giant step forward in giving our deaf and hard-of-hearing children free and appropriate education in a least restrictive environment.
The IEP (Individualized Education Program) process is a shared responsibility of the community, the family, and the school. The development of an IEP is also part of a cycle that begins with a particular student. The cycle has the following steps:
Referral:
The cycle begins when either a parent or teacher notices that the
student is struggling with some aspect of his schooling and requests that the
student be referred for potential special education services. A committee
then meets to decide whether the student's difficulties are severe enough to
warrant a formal evaluation. The parents must give permission for the student
to be evaluated. In addition, the parents must be invited to this and any
other meeting regarding the identification, evaluation, or placement of their
student. In this regard, a meeting means a "prearranged event" and not an
unscheduled or informal conversation among school personnel.
Evaluation:
Evaluations must be conducted by a multidisciplinary team. Many
different methods, tests, and materials are used to evaluate students. The
purpose is to understand the student's strengths and needs. The team may
look at issues such as educational performance, medical history, social
interactions at school and at home, psychological evaluations, and other
factors. Any information provided by the parents must be considered by the
team.
Eligibility:
Once the data have been gathered, the parents and a team of professionals
meet to discuss the results of the evaluation and decide if the student has a
disability. Definitions of disabilities, such as hearing impairments,
emotional disturbances, and specific learning disabilities, are spelled out in
state and federal laws.
Development: If the student is found eligible for special education, then the IEP team is formed and meets to develop the IEP.
Implementation:
After the IEP has been developed, the student's special education
program and services begin.
Annual review:
The IEP team reviews the student's IEP at least once a year to
discuss whether a student is meeting his goals, to set new goals and
objectives, and to revise the educational program and services as necessary.
This cycle is an orderly one that is required by law. The process is designed to assure that students receive the services they need, as well as to provide legal protection for the rights of students with disabilities and their families.
Questions for Each Team Member
It helps if each team member has questions to think about in advance, to focus their thoughts. The following are lists of the kinds of questions that different IEP (Individualized Education Program) team members might need to think about before attending a meeting. Questions such as these could be typed out and distributed to team members several weeks before the meeting, so that everyone has time to prepare for a discussion.
General Education Teacher:
Special Educators and Related Services Providers:
Local Education Agency Representative:
Family:
Student:
Evaluation Person:
Agency Representatives Involved in Transition Planning:
Other People Invited by the Parents or the School:
A final consideration when preparing for the meeting: When it is time to reevaluate a student, the IEP team now may decide if it needs additional information about the student. In other words, the team is no longer required to complete a "full and comprehensive" evaluation of student factors that had been assessed before. If the team decides that no new information is needed, then it must notify the parents and tell them that they have the right to a full and comprehensive evaluation if they want one.
A general educator must be included if the student is or may be participating in the regular education environment. Without the general education teacher's participation, it would be harder for the IEP (Individualized Education Program) team to take on its new responsibilities for looking at a student's progress in the general education curriculum, standards, and assessments.
The general education teacher also brings to the IEP team process a knowledge of:
When general education teachers are new to the IEP team, it will help if they understand their specific roles. In addition, general educators who have participated in IEP team meetings before may find that their roles may shift. They may be accustomed to presenting their observations and thoughts about the student to the IEP team, but not to being a vital part of the process from beginning to end.
General education teachers need to know that they are important players. They need to know what they are expected to contribute to the process and what kinds of support they will receive in return. For example, substantive help and support in helping a diverse group of students to learn effectively.
To be part of the IEP team, general educators will need to look at their own beliefs and biases regarding students with disabilities. It is important to own up to biases where they exist, but not let them color one's attitude toward a particular student. To be an effective part of the IEP process, general educators will also need to:
The purpose of the general educator's role on the IEP team is to get accurate, reliable data on the student's behavior and progress toward meeting her annual goals.
The IEP has a section in which the general educators can describe any support they need to help a student to attain her goals and participate in the general curriculum. This provides an opportunity for the general education teacher to describe what kind of training or assistance would help in carrying out the IEP.
 Provided in partnership with
The Council for
Exceptional Children. |
There are various lists of accommodations for deaf and hard of hearing students on this web site, but for a check list that is comprehensive and can be taken to IEP meetings as a reference, click "here".
