phb-winterman.indb

The IEP Checklist

Your Guide to Creating Meaningful and Compliant IEPs

by Kathleen G. Winterman, Ed.D. Xavier University Cincinnati, Ohio and Clarissa E. Rosas, Ph.D. Mount St. Joseph University Cincinnati, Ohio

with invited contributors

Baltimore • London • Sydney

Excerpted The IEP Checklist: Your Guide to Creating Meaningful and Compliant IEPs By Kathleen G. Winterman, Ed.D., & Clarissa E. Rosas, Ph.D. Brookes Publishing | www.brookespublishing.com | 1-800-638-3775 © 2014 | All rights reserved

Contents

About the Reproducible Materials. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . vii
About the Authors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ix
About the Contributors. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi
Acknowledgments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiii
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvii

I Foundations for Understanding the Development of a Meaningful IEP

1 Overview of the History and Legal Perspectives of Special Education. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Leo Bradley and Kathleen G. Winterman
2 Collaborative Teaming for Better IEPs. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Kathleen G. Winterman

II Key Areas of IEP Development

3 Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Lisa M. Campbell and Clarissa E. Rosas
4 Goals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 Clarissa E. Rosas
5 Short-Term Objectives. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 Clarissa E. Rosas
6 Measuring and Reporting Progress. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 Lisa M. Campbell and Clarissa E. Rosas
7 Least Restrictive Environment. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103 Melissa M. Jones, Kathleen G. Winterman, and Clarissa E. Rosas
8 The Accommodation and Modification Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123 Kathleen G. Winterman
9 The Transition Process. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137 Roberta Brack Kaufman, Carón A. Westland, Clarissa E. Rosas, and Kathleen G. Winterman
References. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 159
Appendix A: IEP Tools. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 165
Appendix B: Parent and Teacher Surveys. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 199
Index. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 209

About the Authors

Kathleen G. Winterman, Ed.D., has more than 27 years of experience working in the field of special education. She was an intervention specialist serving children ages 3–10 for 16 years in inclusive settings. She also served as an elementary principal for 2 years and as an adjunct instructor for 12 years. Dr. Winterman is a former Praxis III evaluator for the State of Ohio. Currently, she is Associate Professor at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, and holds seven licenses from the State of Ohio. Her areas of research include teacher preparation, individualized education program preparation, early childhood special education, autism, the use of instructional technology, and services for students with mental illnesses.

Clarissa E. Rosas, Ph.D., has over 30 years of experience in general and special education. Her experience includes both administration and classroom instruction in K–12 and in higher education. She has extensive experience in developing curriculum at the K–12 district level and in teacher preparation programs in higher education. Dr. Rosas holds a doctorate in multicultural special education and licensure in bilingual education and general (K–8) and special education (K–12). Currently, Dr. Rosas is Director of the Graduate Program in Multicultural Special Education at Mount St. Joseph University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her research agenda includes innovative programs in teacher preparation and the development of effective practices to meet the needs of ethnically and linguistically diverse populations with special needs.

Collaborative Teaming for Better IEPs

A core principle of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act (IDEA) of 2004 (PL 108-446) is the belief that parents are collaborative team members in the development of their child’s individualized education program (IEP). IDEA empowers parents and school personnel to work together to develop a shared vision of what the child’s educational reality might be. Often, this is not the reality. Unfortunately, due to the need to complete the IEP process, school personnel often choose expediency instead of true shared visioning for a student. Collaboration between parents and professionals is one of the key elements of special education that is protected by IDEA.

Connection to Legal Perspective

Parents have the right to participate in every decision related to the identification, evaluation, and placement of their child and must give consent for any initial evaluation, assessment, or placement decision. IDEA clearly recognizes the special role of parents. According to the law, the public agency must ensure that the IEP Team for each child with a disability includes—

  1. The parents of the child;
  2. Not less than one regular education teacher of the child;
  3. Not less than one special education teacher of the child;
  4. A representative of the public agency who is qualified to provide specialized instruction;
  5. An individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results;
  6. At the discretion of the parent or the agency, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise; and
  7. Whenever appropriate, the child with a disability. (§ 300.321)

Although IDEA mandates that parents are part of the collaborative team, their roles are not clearly defined.

Challenge Scenario

Parent’s Reflection on Previous Meetings