TEACHER ASSESSMENTS & IEP DEVELOPMENT & COLLABORATION

By: Jennifer Mallon

1

MINISTRY VS. SCHOOL BOARD

• The Ministry of Education addresses categories and definitions of exceptionalities.

• It is important to note that there is a wide range of exceptionalities and each board has a different process for identifying students with an exceptionality.

• After researching the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board I realized my board:

• Continues on-going review and revision of the roles and responsibilities of staff within Special Education/Learning Support Services

• Continue to develop partnerships with hospitals and other Ministries to provide extended support for students

• Parents/guardians are an integral part of the process

• There is continuous planning and assessment and the programming is designed to support the needs of students and help them fulfill their potential

• Regardless of the similarities and differences between the Ministry and the various school boards in Ontario, the overall goal is to provide exceptional students with the proper resources that will help them succeed academically.

ASSESSMENT & INCLUSION

• Without proper assessment and inclusion for students with exceptionalities, their chances of success in school would be quite low.

• In order for successful assessment and inclusion to take place educators must consider issues such as discrimination and biases that can impact the identification and placement process.

• Benefits of inclusion in the regular classroom include:

• Achieving academic success

• Learning to be accepted by their peers

• Classmates/peers become more accepting of students with exceptionalities

• Remember ASSESSMENT NOT EXCEPTIONALITY determines programming needs.

ASSESSMENTS

• Assessments are conducted by classroom teachers as well as in-school support team members (LST) and they are used to determine at what level a student is functioning.

• There are a variety of assessments that are used. The type of assessment depends on the suspected exceptionality.

• Diagnostic assessments provides specific information on the reasons why a student may be experiencing learning difficulties.

• Formative assessment provides benchmarks for individualized students and groups of students in order to confirm instructional practices made by the teacher.

• Summative assessments usually occurs at the end of an instructional unit/term and provides a fair and accurate reflection of what has been taught.

TEACHER ASSESSMENTS

• Teacher assessments are used to interpret, inform and develop appropriate programs and they help guide the decision making process.

• Examples of teacher based assessments can include:

• Phonemic Assessment: Assess knowledge of separate letter sounds and the ability to recognize sound positions in words

• Whiteboards: Provides teachers with immediate knowledge of what students know; teachers can provide instant feedback

• Antecedent Behaviour Change (ABC) Tracking: Focuses on the relationship between behaviour and the environment

• Dolch Word Lists: Consists of the 220 most common used words in children’s books which are divided into grade levels

• First Step Developmental Continuum: Used to diagnosis, teach and monitor students’ progress in literary development

IN-SCHOOL TEAM ASSESSMENTS

• The purpose of in-school assessments is to gain knowledge of formal and informal data and gather information, tools, tests and strategies to be able to interpret, inform and develop appropriate programs and develop diverse strategies for assessment that impacts decisions and being an active member in a special education team.

• Examples of in-school team assessments include:

• Peabody Individual Achievement: Measure individual achievement in reading, writing, mathematics and spelling

• The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills (ASLLS): Measures basic linguistic and functional skills for students with developmental delays or disabilities

• Wechsler Individual Achievement Test (WIAT): Provides an overall summary of functioning in areas such as reading, math, written and oral language

STUDENT PROFILE

• In order to develop a student profile for a student who is believed to have an exceptionality you must:

• Have a reason for concern (e.g., academic, social)

• Gather information on the students’ strengths and needs

• Interventions to help students meet their grade-level expectations

• Determine accommodations & modifications to help the student meet expectations

• Refer to the In-School Support Team for further assessment options

• Develop an Individual Education Plan (IEP)

IEP DEVELOPMENT

• An IEP is a written plan describing the special education programs and/or services required by a particular student.

• An IEP identifies learning expectations that are modified or alternative to the curriculum expectations.

• The IEP is NOT a daily lesson plan itemizing every detail of the student’s education.

IEP DEVELOPMENT

• An IEP MAY be developed for a student:

• who has not been formally identified as exceptional, but who has been deemed by the board to require special education programs or services in order to attend school or to achieve curriculum expectations and/or whose expectations are modified from or alternative to curriculum expectations.

• An IEP MUST be developed for a student:

• who has been identified as an “exceptional pupil” by an Identification, Placement, and Review Committee (IPRC).

• as supporting documentation, if an Intensive Support Amount (ISA) funding claim is submitted by a school board on behalf of a student who has not been identified as exceptional by an IPRC, but who is receiving a special education program and services.

IEP DEVELOPMENT

• An IEP team must consider options that will best meet the needs of the student.

• An IEP team may consist of:

• Classroom teacher

• Special Education teacher

• Support staff (e.g., Educational Assistant)

• The types of instruction a student can receive include:

• No accommodations or modifications

• Accommodated only

• Modified only

• Alternative Programming

ACCOMMODATIONS• The Ministry of Education’s Individual Education Plan is a

useful tool to help generate ideas and suggestions for accommodations to the programs of students who have been identified as exceptional.

• Each exceptionality requires a different set of accommodations.

• Accommodations should be considered in the areas of instruction, environment and assessment.

• For example:

• Instructional: Give the student many opportunities to practice/review

• Environmental: Avoid surprises by properly preparing the student in advance for special activities

• Assessment: Give the student additional time to complete tests

MODIFICATIONS

• Students who have been identified as exceptional and is not working at grade level will require modifications to their academic program.

• The IEP Document defines modifications as:

• “expectations that differ in some way from the regular grade expectations. Generally in language and mathematics, modifications involve writing expectations based on the knowledge and skills outlined in the curriculum expectations for a different grade level. In other subjects, including science and technology, social studies, history, geography, and health and physical education, and in most secondary school courses, modifications typically involve changing the number and/or complexity of the regular grade-level expectations.” (p. 26).

ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMMING

• Alternative programming is necessary for some special need students in order for them to develop appropriate social, physical, articulation and self help skills that are not directly included in the Ontario Curriculum documents.

• Alternative programs involve developing alternative expectations.

ALTERNATIVE PROGRAMMING

• Alternative programs are available at the elementary and secondary levels.

• This term (ALT) is used to identify alternative programs and alternative courses on the IEP form.

• Alternative programs include:

• Speech remediation

• Social skills

• Mobility training

• Personal care programs

MAKE THE IEP “SMART”

• S = Strategic and specific

• M = Measurable

• A = Attainable

• R = Results based and realistic

• T = Time framed

IEP COLLABORATION

• When developing an IEP it is important for educators, parents and students to collaborate.

• The purpose of collaboration is to:

• Develop skills of advocacy for students and parents

• Learn from, support and advocate with parents and students

• Become an active participant of a special education team

• Develop effective working relationships with teaching assistants, paraprofessionals, volunteers and/or members of the community

• Develop and maintain community partnerships

IEP COLLABORATION

• Special educators should focus on teaching advocacy skills to students with special needs.

• “Advocacy” refers to the efforts of an individual or group to effectively communicate, convey, negotiate or assert the interests, desires, needs and rights of yourself or another person.

• Teachers and parents of special need students also need to learn to be advocates.

IEP COLLABORATION

• Why is advocacy important?

• There is still a lot of confusion, exclusion and general misunderstandings regarding people with special needs.

• Advocacy skills can help when:

• Other people have obligations they are not fulfilling.

• Your rights are being violated.

• You are being misunderstood or are having trouble understanding others.

EFFECTIVE STRATEGIES FOR IEP COLLABORATION

• Inform the parents and student about the purpose of an IEP. Explain how the student will benefit from the IEP and what it provides them to allow them to be a better learner.

• Frequently remind students of their strengths as they change and discuss new strategies that are working and others that are not working so they are aware of them and can advocate when needed.

• Encourage students to self-advocate and request from the teacher, what they need in order to experience academic success.

• Have the student make a list of their own strengths/needs as well as teaching strategies to add to that list that’s developed by the IEP team.

• Invite the student to the IEP meeting. Make sure the student and parents understand the IEP is a working document and can be changed during the year.

• Be sure to provide praise! Give the parents and the student feedback during the IEP process.

REMEMBER...

• The IEP should be developed collaboratively so the individuals involved, bring together the knowledge and experience that will best serve the needs of the student.

• Collaboration is important to ensure that the members of the team have a common understanding of the student's strengths, interests, and needs. Each individual will bring important information to the IEP development process, lending a perspective that will add to the team's collective understanding of the student and of the kind of instruction and support necessary to facilitate the student’s learning.

• Although the IEP is developed collaboratively, the Principal is ultimately responsible for each student's plan. The principal must sign the IEP to indicate his or her assurance that the plan is appropriate to the student's strengths and needs and that it meets all of the standards outlined in the Ontario Ministry of Education document.

RESOURCES

• OCDSB Website http://www.ocdsb.ca/

• Ontario Ministry of Education http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/

• Special Education: A Guide for Educators Handbook

• The Ontario Curriculum Unit Planner: Special Education Companion

• Standards for School Boards’ Special Education Plan

• CHEO http://www.cheo.on.ca/

• Teacher Vision http://www.teachervision.fen.com/teaching-methods/educational-testing/4134.html?detoured=1

• Sylvan Learning Centre http://tutoring.sylvanlearning.com/ottawacentral/index.cfm