Crafting an Individualized Education Program: A Step-by-Step Guide

For children on the autism spectrum, and indeed for any child with a disability, the Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a cornerstone of their educational journey. The IEP serves as a detailed blueprint for a child’s instructional program, outlining how their time will be spent and what specific supports they will receive. Because of the IEP’s critical role, it is essential for parents and educators to collaborate effectively to identify both long-term and short-term objectives for the child, ensuring that the document is well-written, comprehensive, and truly individualized. This article provides a step-by-step guide to writing an effective IEP, incorporating best practices and legal requirements to empower students to reach their full potential.

Understanding the IEP Process

The IEP process involves a series of formal steps, each with clear guidelines on how and when the IEP should be developed. By following this overall process, schools abide by the procedural requirements of IDEA. Here's a breakdown of the key stages:

Step 1: Pre-Referral

Before initiating the IEP process, gathering information through pre-referral interventions is essential. This step involves collaborating with other professionals, conducting assessments, and implementing strategies to address any concerns regarding the student’s academic or behavioral progress. When a child exhibits learning or behavior difficulties, teachers first try to determine whether systematic changes to instruction or other aspects of the learning environment are sufficient to address them. This is referred to as the pre-referral process, a team-based approach many schools use to help classroom teachers implement interventions for students with academic or behavioral problems. For some students, these minor changes are enough, and no further interventions are required.

Step 2: Referral

Once pre-referral interventions have been implemented, and if concerns persist, the next step is to refer the student for an evaluation by the school’s multidisciplinary team, which typically includes special education teachers, psychologists, speech therapists, and other relevant professionals. This referral initiates the formal evaluation process to determine eligibility for special education services.

Step 3: Evaluation

During the evaluation phase, the multidisciplinary team assesses the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and specific learning needs. This process may involve reviewing previous records, conducting formal assessments, observing the student in different settings, and gathering input from parents and teachers. The data collected during this step form the foundation upon which the IEP will be developed. The student’s parents must give written, informed consent. All areas of the suspected disability must be assessed, including any specific parental concerns.

Step 4: Eligibility Determination

Based on the evaluation results, the team determines whether the student meets the eligibility criteria for special education services. This decision is made by considering whether the student has a disability that adversely affects their educational performance and requires specialized instruction. Take note of the eligibility category that entitles the student to an IEP. This category is decided during the evaluation review meeting. Once chosen, the category is less important than the services that are needed for a student to access meaningful learning. Parents may want to be aware of implicit biases associated with certain eligibility categories and ensure that school staff are talking about the whole child and not using labels to fit children into pre-built programs. Individual children have programs built to meet their needs, based on evaluations that highlight their strengths as well as deficits.

Step 5: IEP Meeting

Once eligibility is established, an IEP meeting is scheduled. This meeting brings together parents, teachers, and relevant professionals to discuss the student’s needs, set goals, and develop appropriate strategies to support their educational progress. It is crucial to ensure that parents are actively involved in this collaborative process. Washington State requires schools to start IEP services within 30 calendar days of the eligibility finding. That means school staff generally start drafting the IEP right after the school and family meet to talk about the evaluation and the student’s eligibility.

Step 6: Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP)

The PLAAFP section of the IEP identifies the student’s current academic and functional performance levels. It includes a comprehensive summary of assessment results, strengths, weaknesses, and specific areas requiring support. This information is the foundation for setting measurable goals and developing appropriate interventions. This is the part of the IEP with the most room for paragraphs about what’s going on. These statements come mostly from evaluation, and parents, teachers, and service providers may contribute language and information to enhance them. As you begin working on IEPs for next year, please don’t ignore the existing IEP or carry over the same goals and present levels. Be honest with yourself and the rest of the learning team as you look at the existing IEP and write a comprehensive update.

Step 7: Goal Development

Goals should be specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART). During this step, teachers work collaboratively with parents and other professionals to develop individualized goals that target areas of need identified in the PLAAFP section. Goals should be challenging yet achievable for the student. As I mentioned earlier, goals are written to address each area of need identified during a student’s eligibility conference. If there are four areas of need identified, then there should be (at least) four goals written to cover the areas of need. The Present Levels, Goals, and Service Matrix are the heart of a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP).

Step 8: Accommodations and Modifications

Accommodations and modifications are vital components of an IEP. Accommodations refer to changes in how instruction is delivered or assessed to meet the student’s unique needs, while modifications involve altering curriculum content or expectations. It is crucial to select appropriate accommodations and modifications that support the student’s access to learning. Accommodations are designed to enable a student with a disability to access learning in ways that are equitable. Equity doesn’t mean equal. Consider how the accommodations will look and feel to the student. Are the supports individualized and thoughtful or pulled from a pre-built list? A student does not need to be “eligible” for an accommodation. Is there anything the student needs that is missing? Choosing accommodations or modifications for a student should be purposeful and thought-driven.

Step 9: Services and Placement

In this step, decisions are made regarding specialized services required by the student, such as speech therapy or occupational therapy. The IEP team also determines the most appropriate educational placement that will provide the necessary support for the student’s success. Consider whether the Service Matrix adequately addresses the needs identified in the Present Levels. Notice how many minutes are being offered to support learning in each area of SDI. The Service Matrix includes Related/Ancillary Services if the student is eligible for them. These are therapeutic services, such as occupational, physical, or speech therapy. Notice also which services are being offered in a separate (pull out) classroom.

Step 10: Annual Review and Progress Monitoring

The final step in the IEP process involves regular monitoring of the student’s progress toward their goals. Annual review meetings assess whether the objectives have been met or need adjustment. Ongoing communication between parents and teachers is essential to ensure that modifications are made as needed throughout the year. A new evaluation is required at least every three years to determine ongoing eligibility and any necessary changes to the student’s program.

Key Guidelines for Developing Well-Written Goals and Objectives

The following are guidelines for the development of well-written goals and objectives:

1. Identify and Acknowledge Long-Term Outcomes

The ultimate success of a child’s educational program is that it enables him or her to leave school prepared for life in the community. Regardless of the child’s age, this process should begin as early as possible. Person-centered planning provides a tool for helping the family and the individual to have a long-term vision for his or her life. While this vision may shift and change as the child matures and learns new skills, it is important to maintain a focus on the future. In some states, person-centered planning is embedded in the IEP document. In places where that is not the case, it may be important to begin the case conference meeting by asking the family and/or the individual about their long-term goals and vision, and to incorporate person-centered planning into the development of both the IEP and the individual transition plan (ITP).

2. Make Goals Meaningful and Important

In most situations, goals and objectives must be tied to state standards. At the same time, it is important to develop goals and objectives that have both immediate and future utility, and that address present levels of performance. Because of the amount of time required to teach some students, it is critical that this time is used in a manner that will have the greatest benefit.

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3. Short Term Instructional Objectives Should Be Observable and Measurable

Objectives are observable and measurable if they are concretely written and can be quantified by all involved in the student’s life. In other words, multiple professionals and family members should be able to reach consensus regarding whether the student has reached the goal or not. If all involved truly understand desired outcomes, it will be much easier to maintain consistency in expectations. By better understanding the expectations through consistency, the students will have a greater chance of being successful. Objectives such as the following are subjective and impossible to observe:

Poorly Written Objective: “Jill will comprehend a story.”
Well Written Objective: “Jill will answer three questions related to a story twice a week.”
Poorly Written Objective: “Bobby will use appropriate social skills.”
Well Written Objective: “Bobby will stand two feet from his communication partner during three conversations daily.”
Poorly Written Objective: “Jake will listen to directions.”
Well Written Objective: “Jake will follow three directions upon arrival each morning.”

4. Objectives Should Be Context Specific

Different contexts require different behaviors. Because children on the autism spectrum often have difficulty shifting their behavior to suit the context, it becomes important to clarify expectations by relating objectives to specific contexts.

5. Criteria Must Be Written in a Manner That Is Possible to Measure

In order to document progress on objectives, criteria must be stated for each objective. At times, criteria are written in a manner that is impossible to measure and to collect data on. Stating criteria in a reasonable manner insures that we are getting a true picture of the child’s performance. Criteria such as the following are impossible to reasonably measure:

Poorly Written Criteria: “Susan will spell words correctly 100% of the time.”
Well Written Objective: “On her weekly spelling test, Susan will correctly spell 8 out of 10 words.”
Poorly Written Objective: “Joshua will speak in complete sentences throughout the day.”
Well Written Objective: “At lunch time, Joshua will use three complete sentences to speak to classmates.” Or: “During class, Joshua will answer three questions daily using complete sentences.”

6. Behavioral Objectives Should Be Stated in the Positive

The IEP document provides us guidance in what we want students to learn. One area that many teachers focus on for students on the autism spectrum relates to behavior. While family members and staff may be focused on eliminating or decreasing the behavior, the desired outcome of a good behavior support plan is that students learn alternative and appropriate ways of responding. Objectives such as the following do not tell students what they are to do: “Maggie will quit hitting.” “Jeff will quit throwing items.” Remember that these students have a restricted repertoire of skills, and experience challenges in the areas of communication and social skills. If you take away a behavior and do not replace it with an alternative behavior, then the student may exhibit an even more challenging one. The alternative skill that you teach the student should be linked to the information that you gather about the behavior via the functional behavioral assessment.

General Guidelines for IEP Development

In addition to the specific guidelines for writing goals and objectives, here are some general guidelines to follow when developing the IEP:

Consider the number of goals/objectives that is reasonable to address within a year. Remember that goals/objectives reflect areas of need for the student. It is better to have fewer goals that can be intensely addressed than 30 that can only be briefly covered.
Goals and objectives should not be unobtainable, but should push the student to “the edge.” In other words, write goals/objectives in a manner so that success is obtainable for the student. Because of self-esteem issues experienced by many of our students, continual failure may thwart future learning efforts.
The IEP document will not cover everything the student is working on, but should focus on those things that require our intense focus. During the course of the day, professionals will cover many topics and skills not identified in the IEP document.
The IEP should be a living document and not simply visited once a year. If documentation shows us that goals are being easily achieved, or that no progress is being made despite our best efforts, it is best to reconsider objectives. The IEP should be a dynamic product that is continually revisited.
The focus of the IEP document should be on outcomes and not on processes to achieve those outcomes. There may be many different ways to teach a student a specific skill. The outcome of an IEP is not that a student will receive a specific program, but that they will demonstrate a certain set of skills.

Empowering Parents and Families

For parents, the IEP process and documentation can be overwhelming. It is important to send a copy of the IEP document in advance of the meeting. School districts note that when parents have a copy of the IEP prior to the meeting, that the process is smoother. Parents report, that they feel less pressured and defensive when they are given the opportunity to preview the IEP outside the context of a stressful case conference meeting. The IEP document is a lot to absorb, and family members are more prepared to support their child when they review the IEP draft before meeting with the IEP team for the first time. The document may be 10-20 pages long (or longer), but don’t be intimidated! Be sure to ask for a copy of the IEP draft with enough time to look it over before the meeting. Under state and federal law, parents have the right to information about their child’s education in a language they can understand.

Parents have the right to be involved throughout the IEP process, starting with the point of identifying the possibility of the child having a disability. Parents have the right to participate in meetings related to the evaluation, identification, and educational placement of their child. Parents also have the right to dispute decisions through mediation or due process. You are allowed to bring someone with you to the IEP meeting. This person could be a spouse or partner, a friend or relative who knows your child, or an advocate or special education professional. This support person can help take notes, ask questions, and provide emotional support.

Parents can ask what teaching strategy (SDI) will help the student reach the annual goals. Parents can request a specific method for regularly checking in with school staff. Ask for what works. A parent can request further changes to the IEP and note any disagreements by submitting a note to attach to the PWN, which becomes part of the formal IEP document. A parent who disagrees with a school district evaluation can request an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) at district expense.

The Importance of Data Collection and Progress Monitoring

Once the IEP is developed, it is time to establish a user-friendly data collection system. Some data collection systems are burdensome and detract from the instructional momentum of the day. However, for each objective, data collection must be developed both for the purposes of accountability and for making ongoing instructional decisions. After reading through these sections,notice if any of the student’s services are listed as “concurrent,” which means they are provided within general education (push in).

Collaboration and Communication: The Cornerstones of an Effective IEP

Effective collaboration between parents and educators is essential for creating an IEP that reflects the child’s needs and goals. Parents should be involved in meetings, providing input on the child’s strengths, needs, and challenges, while educators share their observations and strategies to support the child in the classroom. Regular communication is the foundation of a successful partnership. Here are some key factors to keep in mind when collaborating on an IEP:

*Open and honest communication: Regular updates and clear conversations about the child’s progress foster a positive relationship between parents and educators.*Setting shared goals: Both parties should agree on academic and behavioral goals to secure consistency and alignment.*Tracking progress: Parents and educators should agree on measurable goals and methods to track the student’s progress throughout the year.*Flexibility: The IEP should be open to adjustments as the child’s needs change.

All teachers who work with a student should be familiar with the IEP. Teachers who teach classes covered by goal areas and teachers who teach classes that may be covered in accommodations only should have access to the IEP, read it thoroughly, and ask questions if anything is unclear. It is really important that any professional who is communicating information about a student presents that information in a positive, factual manner. Be mindful of any jargon and make sure that students, their families, and other teachers understand what is being said. Keep the focus on the goals and the plan that is in place to ensure the student can achieve them.

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