Every summer I take the time to write and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for the upcoming school year. Because my daughter has Down syndrome, she does not learn at the same pace or in the same way as typical learners.
I find creating and IEP helps to keep me on track and focused on meeting my child's needs in thoughtful, reasoned way. A few days during the summer focusing on setting goals, breaking down skills - creating a plan for the coming year sharpens my sense of where we have been, all that my daughter has accomplished and where we are going.
Are IEPs required for those homeschooling children with special needs?
There is no legal requirement for homeschoolers to create an IEP for their child with special needs.
Doesn't every homeschooled child have an IEP?
There is a certain amount of truth to this statement. Homeschooling does provide an environment where each child receives and individualized eduction based on how they learn and allows them to learn at their own pace. IEPs are intentional in thought and purposeful in achieving individualized goals for areas of weakness and any deficiencies in academic skills.
Why write and work with an IEP if it's not required?
Developing an IEP for children with special learning needs is beneficial to the parent and the child with special needs.
1. It allows us to plan goals for the future and ways to meet these goals.
2. It allows us to break down goals into short-term objectives (more manageable pieces)to implement our plan for the child.
2. It also provides for instructional direction. What are we going to concentrate on this day, week, month, year. The IEP allows us to address how we going to teach skills and concepts.
3. It is documentation of your child's progress in the event of inquiries.
I create simple checklists for the skills/concepts we are working on. When a skill/concept is consolidated, I get the simple pleasure of dating it and checking it off!
Sounds time consuming - Is it worth the effort?
For me, it has been a huge time saver! Yes, it does initially take time and effort to create but then I know we have a plan and I don't have to waste time deciding what we are going to do, look for materials, give a great deal of though to breaking down skills. It's already done!
Also, if you are required to report hours/days schooling to a state or local authority, time spent working on IEPs count as school hours.
Domains
IEP's generally include the following academic areas or domains: Language, Reading, Math, Perceptual Skills, Writing or Pre-writing Skills, Fine and Gross Motor Skills.
You can also include domains such as life skills, social skills, self-help skills and/or character development
What kind of information should be on an homeschool IEP?
The IEP should have the following information:
1. Present skill level or present level of performance. This can be documented on a developmental inventory.
2. Long-term goals for any areas of weakness or deficiency. These should be reasonably accomplished over the next twelve months. Challenge your child-he/she will achieve goals. Decide what your priorities are with realistic expectations. Long-term goals are generalized, broad-based such as "Charlotte will increase in receptive language skills." There may be more than one long-term goal per domain or skill area. If you meet your goals for the year, set up more goals. An IEP should be fluid, always moving forward. Do not be afraid of moving a goal that has not been reached into the next year's IEP.
3. Short-term objectives to meet the long-term goals. These should be specific, concrete, well-defined objectives tailored to meet your child's individual needs and based on their long-term goals. These are the daily steps you take to educate your child. Each objective that you meet brings you closer to your long-term goal. Use these short-term goals as benchmarks to show the mastery level your child is expected to have at certain times of the year.
4. Methods and materials to meet these goals and objectives. These could be items/games made by the home educator, specific curriculum or other resource to implement your individualized program.
5. An evaluation to measure progress. You need to define how you will know your child is making progress. With some thought most skills can be broken down as a task analysis. Task analysis involves identifying a skill, determining an entry behavior, analyzing the skill and recording the sequence of task events into small observable components and sequencing the skill. Some skills can be observed and recorded in a daily journal or log. Written tests may work for the older or able child. We must be careful not to compare our children with other children. Let us measure their progress as individuals. Measure your child against their own baseline.
6. List of resources or curriculum used for the school year including resources for outside therapies such as occupational therapy, speech therapy, or physical therapy.
Schedule/Journal
I have found it helpful to display our short-term objectives in a a weekly schedule/journal that I work on every Sunday afternoon. Using a master created with my word processor (to keep things simple) it can be accomplished with little time and effort. I base our daily schedule the outcomes of my brief daily evaluations for the previous week and on my vision for the coming week. I ask myself what skills/concepts need more repetition to cement the skill/concept or look at whether or not we can move on to a new skill/concept. I've been using the same master schedule/journal format since we began formally homeschooling. Once it is set up all that needs to be done is fill in the blanks!
For each day I list:
1. Subject and resource/curriculum
2. Objective
3. Brief evaluation
4. Skill/Concept in the review cycle (unique to the child) for the subject.
We do not necessarily stick to the schedule absolutely but it is our guideline for the day.
Each IEP is unique for each child to meet your child's needs but you will probably find that children with Down Syndrome have common learning differences. No one IEP will be appropriate for all children with Down syndrome. The IEP process will help move your child toward maximum independence by keeping focus on your goals for the child's academic and functional growth.
Resources
Home Schooling Children with Special Needs by Sharon Hensly
Strategies for Struggling Learners; A Guide for the Teaching Parent
By Joe P. Sutton (ISBN: 0-96456840-3) Out of print but available at many libraries.
The IEP Planner by Jim and Debby Mills
Helps for Special Education Teachers, Curriculum and Activities to Promote Basic Skill Development by Eileen Shaum
Resources for Goals
HELP Series and Assessment Strands from VORT
BCP Instructional Activities and Record Booklet from VORT
(The VORT products are my favorite)
The Brigance
You can rent this from Homeschool Legal Defense Association
Skills Evaluation by Rebecca Avery, ISBN: 1580958842, Out of print.
Learning Objectives for Grades Kindergarten Through Eight, published by Hewitt Homeschooling
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