IEP

An **IEP** is an **__Individualized Education Program__**

__**What is an IEP?**__ Kids with delayed skills or other disabilities might be eligible for special services that provide individualized education programs in public schools, free of charge to families. Parents can work with educators to develop a plan — the individualized education plan (IEP) — to help kids succeed in school. The IEP describes the goals the team sets for a child during the school year, as well as any special support needed to help achieve them. These goals don't necessarily have to be educational goals, but they can be goals directed towards social skills, as well.

A child who has difficulty learning and functioning and has been identified as a special needs student is the perfect candidate for an IEP. Kids struggling in school may qualify for support services, allowing them to be taught in a special way, for reasons such as:
 * __Who Needs an IEP?__**
 * learning disabilities
 * ADHD
 * emotional disorders
 * mental retardation
 * autism
 * hearing impairment
 * visual impairment
 * speech or language impairment
 * developmental delay

Sources: http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/iep.html#

What does the IEP contain? - long-term goals with what the IEP team expects the student to achieve in the year - short-term objectives that can be measured - special education and related services that the student will receive - ways to report progress to the parents - accommodations for the student

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Examples of the __individualized teaching strategies__ that may be identified in the IEP: Examples of the __individualized accommodations__ that may be identified in the IEP:
 * __How to Use the IEP in the Classroom - Teaching Strategies and Accommodations__**
 * using special resources such as reading material that is consistent with students' reading levels and learning styles, and videotapes, audiotapes, and other audio-visual materials that give learning experiences greater breadth and depth
 * using learning resources that provide direct experiences of seeing and touching (i.e., tactile materials)
 * providing enrichment units, additional readings, and other opportunities (e.g., problems to solve) that extend learning
 * using a variety of teaching and learning strategies, such as special interest groupings for research projects; peer partners, collaborative groups, and cross-age tutoring; mentorship programs; and independent study plans
 * collaborating with resource teachers, teacher-librarians, and other professionals
 * simplifying the language of instruction
 * providing opportunities for performance in areas of special talent
 * providing all students with strategies for understanding and accepting exceptional students and integrating them into the regular classroom
 * giving students extra time to complete classroom assignments
 * allowing students to complete tasks or present information in alternative ways (e.g., through taped answers, demonstrations, dramatizations, role play)
 * allowing students to tape lessons for more intensive review at a later time
 * providing a variety of learning tools, such as adapted computers for completing writing tasks and calculators for completing numeracy tasks
 * providing for the use of scribes
 * using pictorial schedules to assist students in making transitions

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__**Writing the IEP:**__ The IEP team must also discuss specific information about the child. This includes: It is important that the discussion of what the child needs be framed around how to help the child: http://www.ldonline.org/article/6398
 * The child's strengths;
 * The parents' ideas for enhancing their child's education;
 * The results of recent evaluations or reevaluations; and
 * How the child has done on state and district-wide tests.
 * In addition, the IEP team must consider the "special factors" described in the box below.
 * Advance toward the annual goals;
 * Be involved in and progress in the general curriculum;
 * Participate in extracurricular and nonacademic activities; and
 * Be educated with and participate with other children with disabilities and non-disabled children.