ROAD MAP TO SUCCESS

by Calvin and Tricia Luker

All students can succeed in the future if their potential is maximized today. They can be involved in their communities, have friends, and contribute to the wider adult community. These goals do not change because of a disability. Each childs school career is a journey with a beginning and a destination. The journeys destination or goal is to prepare the student to meet the following needs: t t t t t t Academic Employment Civic Physical Cultural Social

The vehicles for reaching this destination are learning communities that emphasize the lifelong skills and knowledge necessary to: t t t t t t t t become independent develop lasting friendships continue learning solve problems use information and technology effectively enjoy productive employment meet citizenship obligations interact with others successfully

1997 Calvin and Tricia Luker No part of this material may be reproduced without written permission from the author

Although the destination for each child attending school is the same, the travel time and route taken will vary. The route any child will take might be mapped out. However, for the child with a disability, an individual route must be mapped out through the Independent Educational Planning Committee [IEPC] process. The journeys vehicles are fueled by the knowledge and assessment of the students gifts, talents, unchallenged or under recognized abilities, and learning styles. This fuel is produced by: t t t asking the central people in the students life, ideally the parents and family; observing the student outside of school as well as in school; and measuring and recording what does and does not work for her.

The IEP is the educational road map for the student with a disability. The following principles should guide the development of the IEP: t t t All children belong in and to the community where they live; The goal of education is to enhance the pursuit of a meaningful life; The childs success is built in part on the family and community support systems; Teams working through collaborative relationships are essential to ensuring that each childs educational experience is a success; Team planning must embrace trust and respect for each persons experience, which supports flexibility and adaptability; Parents have dreams for their children and the children have their own dreams. School personnel must understand a familys background and culture in order to understand these dreams. Using problem-solving methods and proactive services promote the success of long-term goal planning for children; and Special Education is the process of designing services and supports for a specific child; it is not a place to which children are assigned.

In order to reach the destination, everyone needs to follow the map that is to implement the IEP in the spirit in which it was developed. Families and schools, working together, should be on the look out 2

for unexpected curves in the road and remember that the journey is continuous, requiring constant reviewing and updating. Formal reporting to parents should follow the natural schedule of the school. The teachers plans should reflect the individual childs road map, taking into account the diversity of the school community. Traveling together will go smoothly, if everyone agrees to: t t t t t t Work together as part of a team; Focus on the strengths and gifts of each student; Build relationships with each other; Adapt the curriculum to meet each childs individual needs; Vary teaching methods; and Be flexible and willing to take risks.

PREPARE FOR EMERGENCIES OR HAZARDS:

t Understand that not everyone may agree on the years destination or travel route; t t Expect that your commitment to working together may be challenged; Anticipate that you may need additional information, resources, or roadside assistance; and t Accept that detours or delays may result when the road ahead becomes bumpy or impassable.

WRITING INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATIONAL PLANS

The IEP development process planning the trip and drawing out the road map contains five sequential steps and requires seven considerations to produce the written IEP document. The process answers the following questions: t Where have we been? [Long term vision for the child]

Review the results of the evaluation team report and/or the current IEP and any new information. Talk about what strategies worked well this past year and about those that didnt work so well. Ask everyone on the team about his or her sense of how things are going, where the child is doing well, and where additional help is needed. t Where are we now? [What she knows and does well]

Determine the area(s) of the childs needs as well as his/her strengths and interests. Review what techniques and strategies have worked best. Learn about the childs life outside of school, and his/her role as a family and community member. This information helps to gain a better understanding of the childs present levels of educational performance, and to outline those present levels on her IEP. t How far we can get this year? [This years annual goals and objectives]

Write goals and objectives that will have value to the child, build on his/her strengths, and help him/her reach his/her long-range goals. Start with standards for regular education students and design modifications and interventions to accommodate his needs. Determine how progress will be evaluated in an effective and meaningful way. t How will we get there? [What services will be provided?]

Determine what special education and related services will be needed to implement the goals and objectives. Describe these specific services on the childs IEP. Document modifications and accommodations needed by the child for her to be successful in the general education classroom. t What route will we take? [Where services will be provided?]

Assume the child will be in general education classes with his same-age peers. Talk about modifications and services needed to make that successful. Only remove the child from the general education classroom for times when the team agrees that his needs cannot possibly be met there. Develop a plan that is as natural as possible, understanding that for very young children, home and/or a community preschool might be the most appropriate setting in which to meet the childs needs.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The IEP is a plan of education tailored to the needs of a special student. It describes a childs or students educational needs, identifies learning and developmental deficiencies, and proposes a set of achievements for the student. It is a guide to the professional staff responsible for implementing it or supervising its implementation. The value of an IEP depends on the quality of its communication. Poorly written objectives pose problems for the teacher who must implement the plan and for the administrator who must justify the plan to State IEP auditors. That is why well written goals and objectives are crucial to IEP success. Attempting to evaluate student progress toward unclear objectives is a futile task. We frequently use the terms goal and objective loosely and interchangeably to indicate purpose or intent as: t t My goal is to get a good job, save some money and travel. Our objective is to increase customer satisfaction while maintaining profits. My primary objective is to finish college. The goal of most people is to achieve happiness.

t t

In education goal and objective define anticipated or hoped-for-learning by a student. They spell out what a student is expected to accomplish, to develop, to be able to do, to improve. It is common in the teaching profession to use objective instead of the more precise term, behavioral objective. Throughout this session we will use the terms goal and objective.

GOAL:

A general statement of the intention to overcome a deficit in a specific area. It is based on a need identified through an evaluation process. A specific skill, development, ability, or change within the goal area which the student is expected to achieve.

OBJECTIVE:

Since the time frame of an IEP is usually (though not necessarily) one school year, we will assume that time frame. All goals and objectives to be achieved within the designated time should appear in a students IEP.

WRITING GOALS FOR IEPS

A goal statement indicates a clearly defined area of learning or development. It does not have to be observable but it should be limited in its scope. For instance, Improve in spelling or Increase fine motor control designate limited areas of learning. Within each goal there are specific skills which may be broken out. A goal is achieved for the year when the student shows that he or she can regularly perform a set of such preestablished skills. The same goal wording may be used for students of widely differing abilities. The goal Increase vocabulary covers a large range. For instance, a K-12 curriculum might have 10 or 20 or more vocabulary levels. A first grade student might be expected to achieve level #2 while a high school senior could be expected to master level #18. Yet the IEPS for both of these students could have the goal to Increase vocabulary. Therefore, when applying a goal to a student we consider: (a) (b) (c) the age of the student; the present level of the students learning ability; and the disability or limitations the student has to cope with.

GOOD IEP GOALS:

t t t Focus on and flow from the childs needs; Share the familys and the schools agreement and commitment; Promote valued activities and set standards that are typical of others who are the same age as the child; Support school and community membership; and Facilitate achieving the child and familys long-range goals.

t t

SAMPLE GOAL STATEMENTS

ACCEPTABLE Read with comprehension Appreciate music Learn to swim Improve writing skills Increase fine motor control Calculate with decimals Increase carpentry skills Improve public speaking Improve research skill Reduce aggressive behavior Improve test taking skills UNACCEPTABLE Improve his school work Show progress in classes Increase in development Learn more about the world Become a better person Behave himself Develop normal attitude Study hard Pay attention in class Show interest in class Learn her math

ROAD TIP:

Avoid wording which describes what will be done to or for the student. The following are not appropriate as part of goal wording since they do not describe the student behavior: Jessica will be taught to . . . Help in reading will be provided . . . Student will receive special assistance in math . . . Student will be counseled to . . . Student will be guided in . . .

WRITING OBJECTIVES FOR IEPS

An objective as used in education is a shortened form of the term behavioral objective which clearly defines a behavior which a student will learn. An objective can be thought of as a capability, a demonstrated achievement, or a visible action. The intended learning has occurred when the student regularly exhibits the defined behavior.

ROAD SIGN:

An objective which cannot be observed or measured is not an objective.

If you set a goal of Learn to swim for a student, you might define a final level of performance for the year as any of the following: Do the dead man float for three seconds, or Dog-paddle for five feet, or Crawl-stroke for the length of the pool without stopping, or Float without assistance or flotation gear for 15 minutes. Without such description of expected performance, you cannot be sure the goal has been achieved. In most cases an IEP goal will have a set of several objectives which represent either: (a) (b) EXAMPLE: Jessica, a sixth grade student, has an assigned goal of Improve calculation with whole numbers. The teacher and his parents will need to know his initial level or proficiency in this area. Based on past performance and her known ability, they can determine which specific skills Jessica can be expected to learn within the year. In Jessicas case the objectives within the topic of whole numbers might be the following set: Add two 3-digit numbers without any carrying Add two 3-digit numbers with carrying Add three 3 digit numbers with carrying Subtract 2-digit numbers without borrowing Subtract 2-digit numbers with borrowing a sequential development of skills, or a cluster of closely related but non-sequential skills

An objective describes an observable performance A statement of an objective at a minimum, must contain: SKILL: Behavior which can be seen, counted, or otherwise measured. The level of skill performance as a quantity: score, measure, count, timing, etc.

CRITERION:

SKILL
Speak audibly Subtract fractions Broad jump Type Clean up her work area Spell the 3rd grade list Pay attention Mop a section of the floor

CRITERION
every time he responds in class with 70% accuracy 4 feet 20 words per minute at the end of every class with 90% accuracy as soon as the bell rings for class without leaving puddles

ROAD SIGN:

An objective must include a skill.

SKILLS
Learning skills are traditionally divided into three general types of domains. COGNITIVE: The usual academic aspects of learning: t t t t t t understanding remembering calculating spelling recognizing reading

AFFECTIVE: The usual affective aspects of learning: t t t t attitudes remembering feelings socialization social behavior

PSYCHOMOTOR: The control of the body and its parts, including: t t t t t t large and small muscle control manipulation walking eye-focusing swallowing toilet-training

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DESCRIBE SKILLS BY ACTION VERBS

The action word in an objective is, of course, a verb. Any verb used in an objective must define an action which can be seen, heard or otherwise detected. Selecting good verbs for IEP objectives takes a little practice. A suitable verb must meet at least one of these tests.

Test #1:

Can I see this action?

t Did it occur or not?

Test #2:

Can I measure it? t t t Test score? Count the number of times? Time its duration?

Test #3:

Can I put it on a scale or range? t t t t More or less intense? With or without bad language? What degree of provocation? Faster than before?

ROAD TIP: If the verb you are considering for an objective fails all three of these tests . . . throw it out!!

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POWER VERBS FOR LEARNING

accept accumulate acquire act adapt adopt apply arrive assemble associate attend avoid balance bend calculate clean climb communicate compete compute compress cook correct count crawl demonstrate display distinguish divide elaborate eliminate employ

endure enunciate examine exhibit explain express extend extract fall find fold follow furl gesture grasp hit hold hop hum identify indicate inform inspect jump leap lengthen lift list listen locate manipulate make

match multiply operate organize pair (items) perform pick play point prepare present pronounce protect prove pull push put raise read recite recognize remain review revise roll review rotate run say select serve shorten

show shop sign signal sing sit skip sound speak stand state stay step study suppress sweep swing tell throw tolerate translate tumble tutor twist unfold unfurl use utilize vocalize walk write

ROAD SIGN:

An objective statement must include a criterion.

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CRITERIA
A criterion (the singular of criteria) is the measure of performance in an objective. It must be specific enough for other people to be able to verify it. Its wording should clearly indicate at least one of the following: t t t t t t t t t t A count of how many times an action occurs A test score: raw, percent or normed Placement on a scale More or less than a known level Increase or decrease from an established performance level Duration of action An interval between actions Consistency Physical measure of distance, volume, weight, time, speed, etc. Progressive/regressive change at specified intervals

ACCEPTABLE CRITERIA: t t t t t t t t t t t t . . . Every time . . . 90th percentile . . . 3 times out of 4 . . . at least half the time . . . 50% reduction in cuts compared to last year . . . 60% on a written test . . . 100 yards in 20 seconds . . . every day . . . never on Monday . . . at most two times per week . . . at least five times in 30 seconds . . . twice a week

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SPECIAL CONSIDERATION FOR PERFORMANCE

For the special education student additional factors may have to be considered due to his or her ability. The ability of the student to demonstrate an objective may require additional accom-modations, assistance, or arrangements. Any such essential conditions to performance must be included in the wording of the objective. Example: Consider the differences between the following pairs of objectives: Swim 10 feet with assistance OR Swim 10 feet without assistance Essential conditions include any special assistance, physical setting, equipment, or modifications in procedure, which are necessary and appropriate to the students performance. For instance, the students disability may require: t t t t t t t t t t t prompting extended time allowance required stimulus Braille copy special assistance individual/small group/large group situation structured/unstructured setting adaptive equipment large print materials visual/auditory/tactile cues models/diagrams/checklists

ROAD TIP: Do NOT include obvious or extraneous factors as:

t t t t Write cursively while sitting at a desk Pronounce vocabulary words while standing or sitting Brush teeth using a toothbrush and toothpaste Add fractions using a pencil

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EVALUATION OF AN OBJECTIVE
For many skills, the method of determining whether they have been achieved or not is obvious and implicit. A skill as Count aloud to 10" implies that the teacher will request it and hear the student perform. An objective such as Identify sets of objects with common characteristics with 90% accuracy would require specification of how this measurement will be made. Certain actions may have a variety of ways in which the achievement can be measured. To measure a students vocabulary skill level a teacher might use a vocabulary list from a textbook, state syllabus, or a teacher-made list. If an objective is to be measured using a test it will probably be necessary to specify what kind of test or a particular test as: t t t t t t Metropolitan Achievement Test criterion-referenced test teacher-made test textbook test oral quiz Bender-Gestalt Visual Motor Test A criterion in an objective should identify the evaluation or instrument if it is not readily apparent. In determining whether an objective has been achieved, it should never be necessary to resort to ambiguities such as: I think she . . . She seems to . . . We believe he can . . . I feel that . . . Such expressions indicate a) unclear objective statements, or b) inept evaluations c) fuzzy thinking!

ROAD SIGN:

ROAD TIP:

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OBJECTIVES FOR ATTITUDES AND EMOTIONS

It is far more challenging to verify changes in students attitudes than to measure changes in math, or gym, or reading skills. The teacher must be more creative and insightful in designing or selecting appropriate observable behaviors which reveal internal feelings and attitudes. Example: Does Jessica appreciate art?

Can we observe Jessicas attitude about art? Obviously not. Is it enough indication if we merely hear her say I really like art? Again, no. We need more substantial evidence that she possesses this quality which we cannot see by itself. However, people we know who do appreciate art show it in various concrete ways. If we make up a list of those actions and see if Jessica participates in any of them, we may evaluate her appreciation or lack of it. The more of those activities which we observe her perform or take part in freely the more apparent it becomes that she likes or appreciates or is interested in art. Does Jessica . . . Visit art museums? Take books on art from the library? Take lessons in drawing? Buy art works for her room? Read about art and artists? Discuss art and artists with her friends? Enroll in art courses? Major in art in school? Subscribe to art magazines? Sketch or paint? Write papers on art? If the answer is yes to several of these questions, it indicates some probability that Jessicas attitude reveals some appreciation of art. The more yes answers, the stronger the likelihood that she truly does appreciate art. Goals for improving emotional difficulties also must be defined by visible behaviors. Evaluating progress in overcoming an emotional problem means having some before-and-after data on the students observed behavior. 16

POSITIVE OBSERVABLE ACTIONS include smiling, offers of help, touching, patting, laughing, sharing,
spatial proximity, and a variety of body language postures and movements.

NEGATIVE

OBSERVABLE ACTIONS which reveal emotions include frowning, striking, shouting,

kicking, pushing, avoidance, refusal, hoarding, bad language, and hostile or withdrawal postures. Occasionally, a proposed objective within the area of emotional development is, in fact, a goal. Example: Exhibit a more positive attitude toward school is not an objective because you cannot observe an attitude directly. However, used as a goal it might be defined by a set of objectives dealing with the number of times a student: t t t t t t . . . was tardy . . . was absent . . . disrupted the classroom . . . cut class . . . was referred for disciplinary action, . . . failed to complete homework assignments

A record of such observable behaviors can provide a profile which reveals a students internalized feeling toward school, or toward a teacher, or subject, or situation. Such counts are normally available in school or teacher records.

ROAD TIP: An objective such as reduce incidence of outbursts in class will

probably require the teacher to initiate a system for counting, remembering and recording outbursts for this student. This could become burdensome. Before deciding on this kind of objective, consider how easily it can be evaluated later on. Avoid selecting an objective whose evaluation will be too demanding of the teachers time and attention.

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OBJECTIVES FOR GENERAL EDUCATION COURSES

If everyone in a course has the same set of objectives, their programs are certainly not individualized. Therefore, standardized course objectives are inappropriate for an IEP. However, it makes sense for a students IEP to include the course objectives for a regular class in which he or she is included if they are modified to reflect his or her needs. Examples: t a visually impaired student may be enrolled in a math course but may be excused from such requirements as use a ruler to measure distance to the nearest 1/16 of an inch. t a student with a speech impediment may be excused from stressful course expectations such as making oral reports to the class. t a student who uses a wheelchair taking a shop class may be excused from such activities precluded by his or her disability as pace off the dimensions of a room to estimate its area. Replacement course objectives should be included in the IEP where suitable to make use of his or her special abilities to demonstrate knowledge and advance within the class. To facilitate inclusion it may also be necessary to identify special study materials or instructional methods to be incorporated for the student enrolled in a course. For instance, an interpreter may be provided for a hearing and visually impaired student, along with Braille or large-print textbooks. A drafting table may be provided to accommodate a student who uses a wheelchair.

ROAD SIGN: Because an IEP by definition must be individualized, personalized,

and tailored to the students identified needs, course objectives are appropriate for an IEP if they have been modified to adapt to a students limitation or disability.

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REVIEWING THE IEP

Reviewing the IEP at least once a year, helps each member of the team reexamine current practice, refocus on the strengths and needs of the student and recommit to fulfilling the goals and dreams of the student and her family.

SIGNPOSTS:
Has everyone who supports the student been invited to the IEP? Has the student been invited?

Is the IEP review meeting scheduled at a time and place that is convenient and welcoming for all team members? Have you considered new information about the students performance in school, at home, or in the community? Has each IEP goal and objective been reviewed and discussed?

Has progress toward meeting goals and objectives been documented in a way that everyone can understand? If the student is failing, or is likely to fail to achieve her objectives, is this due to an interruption of services? If so, is the need for extended school year discussed? If new goals and objectives have been developed, did all team members contribute? Were goals and objectives based on the vision for the student? Have all the goals of the parents and child been central to the development of the IEP? When coming to an intersection or interchange it is important to determine if you are still heading in the right direction, or if a change in the route is needed. Remember, when you work together, no destination is unreachable. And the journey continues . . .

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