Standards-Based Individualized Education Programs - Page 3

Within that, they need to look at the full scope of what’s going to be taught in fifth grade or eighth-grade math or social studies or whatever particular content domain is relevant. They need to ask, “In what areas do we need to provide support and access? What accommodations and program modifications do we need to ensure the student has a fair opportunity to learn that?” At the same time, they should ask, “What definite skill deficits does the student have, and where might we want to have some individual goals to address those deficits?”

For example, you could have a student who receives intensive small group instruction several times a week to help build reading fluency or comprehension strategies. You may find that individual goals that speak to organizational skills might essentially get the student to approach his or her learning in a more structured way so that he or she is better able to manage the homework or the day-to-day instruction. You’ll see accommodations for extra time, or perhaps technology to help the student with writing or reading.

All of those things should continue to be part of an IEP. Where I think the difference lies is in the core goals that state what students will be expected to learn in the next six weeks of instruction and in the following six weeks, and so forth. You really need to have people on the IEP team who understand this and who want the student to have full access [to the curriculum].

If that means that students have some direct instruction and support, additional supports from a special educator in or outside of that general education environment, then that’s a discussion for the IEP team to have. But I think it’s where you start thinking about what the child will do, and the assessment is then referenced to that piece of curriculum.

So it’s going to be a big change for some special educators who are used to giving certain types of assessments and have used certain assessment tools for a long time. These are not going to be sufficient to [ensure] what a child understands about a particular construct in math, etc.

For example, last week I was in a school district and sat in on some classes. I was amazed by students with IEPs across the disability spectrum who were engaging in some extremely complex reasoning in math and social studies, in world history-type of classes. These were middle schoolers and high schoolers. Some of these kids have enormous skill deficits in certain areas, but with the support they were getting from general and special education teachers they were really able to understand some very sophisticated concepts.

I think it’s important [for the IEP team] to have a deep understanding of:

• The general education subject matter.

• How the curriculum is going to play out over a given year.

• Assessments that help them understand deeply where the student fits into that curriculum.

• Where the [student’s] gaps are, and where he’s going [to need] support.

Laura Kaloi: In your opinion, what are the main benefits of implementing standards-based IEPs, for students, educators, and parents?

Dr. McLaughlin: I think the main benefit has been the change in expectations and the notion that you start by assuming that the IEP is being developed to give students full access to their grade-level curriculum.

The task for the IEP team is to determine how to do it and in which areas they need to prop up the student and where they need to modify how the program is delivered, etc. So it starts from a whole different frame. I think that is critical.

I think the second piece is providing a common, shared language between general and special educators. I’ve had interviews about this with administrators and with special and general education teachers. A common language helps them understand much better what it is they’re each supposed to do with respect to the student who has an IEP and who might be in their classroom all day or a portion of the day.

We also need to redefine or refine the special education professional’s role, as they work collaboratively in classrooms with their colleagues but also what they do in a highly specialized role, whether it’s a [classroom] environment or using specialized interventions with an individual student. This is still a work in progress, because we’re talking about 30-plus years of practice, and there are many assumptions about what special educators should do. They’re all working towards the same goal, and I think that’s very important.

Laura Kaloi: Dr. McLaughlin, thank you for spending this time with us today.

This transcription was made possible by a grant from the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation.