Schwedes,+Ashley+-+IEPs

Ashley Schwedes

Hello fellow MAT students! The photo above is of my husband Colby and I. We are best friends and love to plan vacations together. It is our hope to go to Hawaii this summer before my student teaching begins.

**Education & Career Goals**: My education goal is to obtain my teaching license and master’s degree. It is our hope to move back to southern California as soon as this is accomplished.My husband and I get lots of joy spending time with our family and that is why we would like to re-locate.

**What brings you joy?**: My husband, the beach, sunshine, my family, dessert, coffee, bike rides on beautiful days, walks through Lithia Park :)

**What is your greatest fear about being a teacher?**: My greatest fear about being a teacher is not having enough skills to set my student's up for individual success.

**Did you ever experience a time when something was extremely difficult to learn? Explain that time and how it made you feel. How might this piece of your history help you connect to students with learning differences?**: I have struggles with learning science curriculum for the majority of my life and I felt terrible about myself when I was in those classes. I felt as if I was not smart enough to be a part of the class. I think this understanding will help me connect with students with learning differences because when struggling students are giving individualistic opportunities to excel with similar curriculum or with more instruction, they can feel successful and accomplished. If this does not happen, students can be pushed away from learning opportunities.

**What do you want to gain from this course?**: In this class I hope to learn effective ways to integrate students of all learning abilities into a larger classroom community where students feel safe and smart within their abilities.

Individualized Education Programs Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are written when a student is eligible for special education services. They may sometimes be called individual education plans because that is what a teacher is doing- creating a legal individualized plan in attempt to set their student up for success. IEPs are a part of every teachers' duties and they may seem especially intimidating for new teachers because they are legal documents that are viewed by several other teachers, specialists and parents. It also may seem daunting because it means that the student will need additional support in some form. For these reason, I was interested in researching more information on writing IEPs because not only is it applicable to every teacher, but the more information and knowledge we have will only make the process easier and more successful for everyone involved. Top 5 Things I Leaned While Researching 1. Plan, plan, plan for an IEP meeting! While IEP meetings are meant to be a collaborative process, that does not mean that you can wait for the last minute to throw some information together to take. Some information may take some time to gather and you may need time to gather a student's work samples, test scores, etc. 2. When writing IEP goals, it may be helpful to think of them as 'building skills' or 'baby steps'. Ideally every teacher wants their students to achieve success and it is important that their IEP goals are realistic and attainable. 3. Make sure all the parts of an IEP are connected. The //present level of educational performance// section should be connected to other areas of the IEP. For example if it is stated that a student is having problems in math, this should also be mentioned under //goals and objectives// and //specific special education and related services//. This ensures that all of a student's needs are being addressed. 4. Be open to feedback when writing an IEP, especially from the student. Sometimes the best goals on and IEP come from asking the student what they hope to get better at. It is important to remain open-minded through the process with each student and not take it personally when your ideas or language are changed. It is a __collaborative__ process. 5. Ask questions when you are not sure. There is a reason there are multiple people on an IEP team- to help each other out! If you are struggling with writing an IEP there are numerous books, manuals, websites and teachers that can offer some great advice to make the process more successful not only for you, but the student that the IEP is about!

My #1 Resource

<span style="color: #ff6100; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: center;">By far, the best resource a new teacher can have when writing IEPs is //Guide to Writing Quality Individualized Education Programs: What's Best for Students with Disabilities?// written by Gordon S. Gibb and Tina Taylor Dyches. This book is relatively short in nature (79 pages) but provides the most comprehensive information in a concise way. The book outlines 7 steps to follow when writing an IEP and has a short chapter explaining each step. Every chapter provides great examples that can be used in an IEP. One of the greatest resources is the IEP that is filled out in the back of the book. It provides great tips on where to include specific information. There is also a great, 3 page resource list at the end of the book. The only slight downfall to this book (which I truly do not believe is a downfall) is that it was printed in 2000 before IDEA was revised in 2004 which no longer mandates that short term goals be listed. Overall I have found this to be the most helpful resource by far and would rate it as a 6 out of 5 for its clarity, usefulness and valuable information!

<span style="color: #ff6100; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: center;">This affordable book is only about $10 on Amazon!

<span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 300%; text-align: center;">8 Additional Resources <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: center;">Each resource is rated 1 through 5 with 1 meaning the least effective/useful and 5 the most effective/useful. <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">1.Kidshealth.org- IEP Rating: 5 of 5 <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">This website is a fantastic resource for parents. It includes a brief overview of IEPs, the referral process, and parents' rights. Although brief, I think this is a great overview of the process in a parent friendly format (it will even read the text to you!) It is also a valuable resource because it emphasizes the parent's role in developing IEPs. <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">2. Kids Together Inc.- IEP Checklist Rating: 4 of 5 <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">This IEP meeting checklist is designed for parents, however I think it is also useful for teachers to review to help understand some of their concerns and expectations. Some of the verbiage sounds slightly abrasive, however I believe the intention is to assist parents in being advocates for their children. <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">3. CEC's 8 Steps to Help Students Develop IEP Goals Rating: 4 of 5 <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) provides some great prompt questions to help get a student to create their IEP goals. There are 8 simple steps to this process that are relatively simple. I would have given it a perfect rating if there was specific prompt questions examples, but overall I think it does a great job of illustrating how important it is to ask for student input if possible. <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">4. CEC Blog: Rethinking the IEP Process Rating: 5 of 5 <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">The Council for Exceptional Children (CEC) has a "Reality 101" section where teachers can blog about their experiences. In a blog written by Jennifer, a newer teacher, she describes some of her initial frustration with the goal writing process of IEPs. She suggests a mind shift from "goals" to "building skills" instead. I think the blog was very heartfelt and offered some great advice for new teachers! <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">5. National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities - Regular Educator's Role in IEPs Rating: 5 of 5 <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">This is by far one of the best, concise websites I have found that accurately explain every person's role in IEP meetings and later in the classroom if applicable. They do a terrific job of referencing IDEA while still making the information user friendly and clear. The above link will direct you to a regular educator's role on the IEP team, however below are interesting links about other members of the IEP team. The whole website in generally very easy to navigate and provides great information. <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">6. Cooperative Educational Service Agency No. 7 - Writing IEPs Rating: 4 of 5 <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">This is a website provided out of Wisconsin to assist educators in writing and addressing all of the components within an IEP. The website is simple and easy to navigate with a checklist format of questions under each heading. It does a nice job of providing definitions, characteristics and the purpose of sections in an IEP. It does seem slightly outdated, however the information is still useful and informative. <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">7. Getting the Most Out of IEPs: An Educator's Guide to the Student-Directed Approach written by: Colleen A. Thoma & Paul Wehman Rating: 4 of 5 <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">This book is a very comprehensive guide for regular IEP writers. It provides the seven different continuum levels of student-directed IEPs and gives tips to educators on how to create effective IEPs. The entire process from pre-meeting to implementation and evaluation is explained extensively with referencing to IDEA. It also includes flow charts, questionnaires and tips. The only reason this book did not receive a 5 rating was simply because it is so large and extensive that it can be slightly exhausting to go through. <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">8. Wisconsin Dept. of Public Instruction: A Guide for Writing IEPs Rating: 5 of 5 <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">Although this document is 71 pages in length, it is an easy to read and provides 4 specific case examples of written IEPS! This PDF document goes through each section of an IEP and explains what key questions should be answered, gives the legal citation, purpose of the section and key characteristics. It also provides a nice checklist to ensure that all aspects of the IEP have been answered completely.

<span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">Other mentionable resources: <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">1. Getting the Most out of IEPs: An Educator's Guide to the Student-Directed Approach, by: Colleen A. Thoma & Paul Wehman. Rating: 3 of 5 <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">2. //Negotiating the Special Education Maze (3rd edition),// by: Winifred Anderson, Stephen Chitwood & Deidre Hayden. Rating: 4 of 5 <span style="color: #0000ff; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">3. Nolo's IEP Guide: Learning Disabilities (5th edition), by: Attorney Lawrence M. Siegel. Rating: 5 of 5

<span style="color: #a524bc; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">Below is a current link to what the state of Oregon's standard IEP looks like for students under 15 years old. <span style="color: #7c0d7c; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: left;">

<span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 300%; text-align: center;">Community Based Learning Project <span style="color: #ff0000; display: block; font-family: Georgia,serif; font-size: 150%; text-align: center;">For my community based learning project, I chose to observe an annual IEP meeting for a 5th grade student. I was impressed at how well the team collaborated together and learned some very valuable information that I will be taking with me into my own classroom!