An Individualized Education Plan is, today, the cornerstone of special education. The IEP serves as the guiding document for those responsible for a special education student. Its development and implementation requires collaboration between those responsible and the student themself, as well as assessment and accommodation. As families and teachers are the primary stakeholders in this process, collaboration between these parties is crucial.
The first step in creating an IEP, after the student has been identified as being in need of one, is the IEP meeting. During the first meeting, the IEP is developed, and in subsequent meetings, it is rewritten. Below are some FAQs about the IEP process.
Assessments and evaluations vary by school and state, and should be tailored to the child being evaluated. However, there are guidelines for evaluation under IDEA. For information on what can be expected, check out the Center for Parent Information and Resources' page on Evaluating School-Aged Children for Disability.
Goals and objectives within the IEP are based on what can be reasonably achieved given the student's current academic position, as well as their abilities.
Beyond this, goals and objectives should be written so that they are action-oriented and thus can be objectively evaluated.
Under IDEA, students should be taught the same curriculum as their regular education peers. While the curriculum should not be modified, the approach or pace may be.
For more information on the IEP process, refer to A Guide to the Individualized Education Program from the U.S. Department of Education, or All About the IEP from the Center for Parent Information and Resources.
As IDEA requires that special education students spend as much time in the regular education classroom as possible, special and regular education teachers often find themselves collaborating in the same space. Managing this relationship with success necessitates time and intention. There are several methods of co-teaching to be considered: supportive teaching, parallel teaching, complementary teaching, and team teaching. Descriptions of each approach, as well as some pros and cons, can be found below.
In supportive teaching, while one teacher leads the lesson, the other moves around the classroom providing one-on-one support to students.
Pros: Students in need of individualized assistance receive it, and the roles of each teacher are clearly definined.
Cons: Students in need of help may be singled out, and one teacher may be perceived as more "in charge."
When parallel teaching is implemented, two teachers give the same or similar lessons to two different groups of students in the same space.
Pros: Each lesson can be crafted to meet the needs of the students within each group.
Cons: Students may be distracted by the other lesson happening in the space, and may feel divided from the students in the other group.
Under the complementary teaching model, one teacher leads the lesson while the other adds points of information or clarification here and there.
Pros: Every student receives the same lesson, with the benefit of two perspectives.
Cons: Co-planning, which can be difficult to arrange, is required, and one teacher bears the greater responsibility for giving the lesson.
When using the team teaching approach, both teachers work to deliver the lesson in tandem.
Pros: No one, teacher or student, is singled out or separated from the classroom community. Two perspectives and teaching styles are presented as equal.
Cons: As with complementary teaching, co-planning can present a problem. Team teaching also can make evident interpersonal differences between teachers.