All students with disabilities have an IEP (Individualized Education Program) that includes a compliance checklist. The IEP is not a stagnant document that once written is filed away in a cabinet for the school year. Each student’s IEP is designed to be a dynamic collaboration from an interactive IEP team that includes the following members:
- School Case Manager
- Student (if able to attend)
- General Education teachers
- School Psychologist
- School Counselor
- District Special Education Coordinator (or designee)
- School Administrator
Most school Districts have computerized versions of an IEP so the student’s case manager can solicit academic, behavioral, attendance and diagnostic feedback from the team members
in the school community. The IEP must contain measured performance goals of a student’s academic and behavioral skills. The school psychologist or case manager can administer the Brigance test which measures a students’ academic ability levels and provides quantifiable outcomes that can become annual benchmarks for a student’s learning goals.
All IEPs must contain a transition plan for students that include a comprehensive high school or alternative school plan and transitional resources at the conclusion of the student’s public school educational experience. The IEP team insures that the IEP contains annual goals and benchmarks that are attainable and measurable for the students’ skill level and academic assess in subject content areas.
By providing current academic data and skill assessments, the IEP team can determine a student’s present level of academic performance and include feedback on how the student’s disability may play an integral role in impacting his/her current academic performance. The IEP information will help guide the team in providing a challenging and engaging academic placement for students with disabilities in the least restrictive learning environment as defined by IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act).
The IEP checklist must include the following components for IDEA compliance and effective student learning engagement and achievement:
- IEP team
- Current level of skill assessments
- Transition plan
- Annual learning goals and benchmarks
- Placement in the least restrictive learning environment
Further information can be found at PEATC's
Checklist For Effective IEPs.