Design an individual education plan for a learner who demonstrates difficulties in learning

Individual education plans (IEPs) – a written document that outlines the educational needs, teaching strategies and goals of a student with special needs of some kind.

Design an individual education plan for a learner who demonstrates difficulties in learning

Some learners (especially those with a disability or a disorder) need additional systematic support from a team of educational professionals. Students with learning disorders, neurological disorders, or any disability or disorder that significantly impacts their learning are commonly placed on an individual education plan. Many students with autism have an IEP. Individual Education Plans (or IEPs as they are more commonly known) are developed when students are identified as having particular needs that are not adequately addressed with additional support alone. An IEP is warranted when the learning needs of an individual student are vastly different to the rest of the class. They are used when standard classroom strategies (like differentiated instruction, remedial strategies, one-to-one tutoring and guided learning) are no longer sufficient.

Students on IEPs generally require additional one-to-one support from a teacher’s aide for at least part of the school day. In many cases, a full-time teacher’s aide will be assigned to one student on an IEP. The student works from either a heavily differentiated or a completely separate curriculum. Their educational goals are specific to their needs and are revised regularly. Almost every student in a special needs centre or school has a detailed individual education plan.

An IEP is warranted when the learning needs of an individual student are vastly different to the rest of the class. They are used when standard classroom strategies (like differentiated instruction, remedial strategies, one-to-one tutoring) are no longer sufficient.

An IEP is the end result of a backwards-design and designing-down planning strategy specifically targeted to one individual. The IEP may outline units of work, weekly goals or even lesson goals. Alternatively, it might be less detailed but links to more detailed planning documents such as term planners. The purpose of individual education plans are:

  • to identify the student, their disability or disorder, and logistical details such as their classroom
  • to outline the student’s interests and motivations, as well as tips on how to best manage them based on experience
  • to identify those responsible for the student’s education (and their specific roles)
  • to identify the expectations of those involved in the IEP
  • to confirm what the student already knows (which becomes the starting point of the program)
  • to outline what the student can do (their level of reading, writing, numeracy, maths and science knowledge/skills)
  • to agree on the education goals (short, medium and long-term social, physical, life and academic skills)
  • to outline the broad topic(s) relevant to each unit of work
  • to outline teaching and learning strategies that are known to work
  • to outline the resources required (including assistive technologies)
  • to divide the learning program into practical sections such as units of work, weeks and lessons (each with a different focus or a sequence that scaffolds, elaborates and builds)
  • to set learning routines (anchor activities, homework and parental involvement)
  • to outline specific metacognitive skills to be emphasised
  • to link with other behavioural, medical or care plans (for example, motivation strategies)
  • to outline contingency management plans for issues such as chronic absenteeism, when a student finds tasks are too difficult, when staff are absent, when IT resources are unavailable, or when the student is not interested
  • to outline who can amend the document and under what circumstances
  • to outline formal review dates (including teacher-parent conferences).

Hint: research has shown that parental involvement in a child’s education contributes to positive outcomes.i The development or review of an IEP is an opportunity for parents to become more involved. This is known as ‘bridging the school-home divide’.

Individual Education Plans are usually developed by the student’s teacher following a handover from their previous teacher. They are finalised in the second or third week of the year after the student’s new teacher has had time to conduct a range of formative assessment activities (such as diagnostic tests) and to generally 'get to know' the student.

IEPs may be made in consultation with parents, the student, other teachers, senior staff, specialist staff (such as a literacy specialists), disability carers, psychologists, speech pathologists, doctors and any other person involved in the education and care of the student in their daily life. These individuals are collectively referred to as ‘stakeholders’, ‘the student’s support group’ or the ‘education team’. At a minimum, teachers try to meet with parents or caregivers at least once. Unfortunately, many parents rely on the teacher to make all of the decisions about their child’s education (and the bulk of teachers prefer it that way anyway). Teachers often ask support staff for their input (especially if support staff have worked with the student in the past).

Individual education plans are dynamic working documents. This means that they are referred to, reviewed and updated regularly. Teachers set out IEPs in many different ways – some schools require specific templates be used. There are no rules or laws about what must (and must not) be included in an individual education plan. The main requirements are that it needs to be effective, achievable and tailored.

The IEP helps teachers and support staff by providing a systematic, methodical and highly structured staging point which staff can base their work around and refer to as a guide throughout the year. It reduces decision fatigue by outlining all major curriculum decisions at the start of the year. Individual education plans are intended to be helpful and not a bureaucratic hinderance – they should improve efficiency and ensure that everyone works toward a common goal by using a series of agreed strategies and techniques.

Foot notes:

  1. Sapungan, G.M., & Sapungan, R.M. (2014). Parental Involvement in Child's Education: Importance, Barriers and Benefits. Asian Journal of Management Sciences & Education. Vol.3 No. 2. 42-48.

Disclaimer: While every effort has been made to check his article for accuracy, information may be outdated, inaccurate or not relevant to you and your location/employer/contract. It is not intended as legal or professional advice. Users should seek expert advice such as by contacting the relevant education department, should make their own enquiries, and should not rely on any of the information provided.

Students who require extra help and support might be eligible for special services that provide individualized education programs (IEPs) in public schools, free of charge to families. Understanding your role in educating a student with an IEP will benefit both you and the student.

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) makes teachers of students with special needs responsible for planning, implementing, and monitoring educational plans to help the students succeed in school. The IEP describes the goals set for a student for the school year, and any special support needed to help reach those goals.

The IDEA requires states to provide free appropriate public education to students who are eligible for special education from ages 3 to 21, in the “least restrictive” environment. This means that kids with disabilities should learn alongside their classmates who don’t have disabilities as much as possible.

Who Needs an IEP?

Students who are eligible for special education services require an IEP. Students could be eligible for many reasons, such as if they have:

Students might have a learning disability if they are consistently unable to meet standards that are normal for their age range. Some common signs of a learning disability can include:

  • trouble mastering tasks or applying academic skills to other tasks
  • trouble with communication and language processing, as well as expressive and receptive language
  • a lot of frustration with school and homework
  • having strong general knowledge, but not being able to read (dyslexia), write (dysgraphia), or do math (dyscalculia) at that level
  • needing ongoing, step-by-step guidance for tasks
  • poor grades despite a lot of effort
  • poor memory of spoken or written material
  • not being able to remember problem-solving steps if they don't understand the tasks or the logic behind them
  • not being able to remember skills and facts over time

How Are Services Delivered?

Usually, the services outlined in an IEP can be provided in regular education classrooms. In other cases, they might be given in separate classrooms or even separate schools, depending on the students' needs. Some students may have an IEP for one subject area only, while others may have one for all academic subjects and for social skills instruction.

Students with IEPs can participate in all subject areas, especially classes like science, social studies, art, music, library, gym, and health. It is critical for regular classroom teachers to read students' IEPs and be familiar with the services and monitoring required by the plan.

Services can also be provided in a separate supported environment within the school. In this setting, groups of students with similar needs are together for small-group instruction. A certified special education teacher is the instructor and other school personnel (aides or support teachers) help with teaching.

Students who need intense intervention, though, may be taught in a special school environment. These schools have fewer students per teacher, allowing for more individualized attention. Teachers in these schools usually have specific training in helping students with special educational needs.

How Are Students Evaluated?

The referral process generally begins when a teacher, parent, or doctor is concerned that a child may be having trouble in the classroom.

The first step is to gather specific data regarding the student's progress or academic problems. This may be done through:

  • a conference with parents
  • a conference with the student
  • observations of the student
  • analysis of the student's performance (attention, behavior, work completion, tests, classwork, homework, etc.)

This information helps teachers and school personnel decide on the next step. Strategies specific to the student could be used to help them be more successful in school prior to any formal testing. If this doesn't work, the child can receive an educational assessment, which could identify a specific learning disability or other health problem.

Note: The presence of a disability doesn't automatically guarantee a child will get services. To be eligible, the disability must affect how the child does at school.

To decide on eligibility, a team of professionals will consider their observations, as well as how the child does on standardized tests and daily work such as tests, quizzes, classwork, and homework.

Who's on the Team?

The professionals on the evaluation team can include:

  • classroom teachers
  • occupational therapist
  • physical therapist
  • psychologist
  • special educator
  • speech therapist
  • vision or hearing specialist
  • others, depending on the child's specific needs

If more testing is needed, parents will be asked to sign a permission form that details who is involved in the process and the types of tests they use. These tests might include measures of specific school skills, such as reading or math, as well as more general developmental skills, such as speech and language.

After the team members finish their assessments, a comprehensive evaluation report is developed. It includes an educational classification and outlines the skills and support the child will need.

The parents can review the report before the IEP is developed. If they disagree with it, they will have the chance to work with the school to come up with a plan that best meets the child's needs.

How Is the IEP Developed?

The next step is an IEP meeting, during which the team and parents decide what will go into the plan. Also, a regular classroom teacher should attend to offer suggestions about how the plan can help the child's progress in the standard education curriculum and how it can be used in a regular classroom setting, if that's appropriate.

At the meeting, the team will discuss a student's educational needs — as described in the evaluation report — and develop specific, measurable short-term and annual goals for each of those needs.

What Does the IEP Include?

The cover page of the IEP outlines the related services and supports students will get and how often they will be provided. These can include many different things; for example, transportation; speech-language pathology and audiology services; psychological services; physical therapy and occupational therapy; recreation, including therapeutic recreation; social work services; and medical services (for diagnostic and evaluation purposes only).

If the team recommends several services, the amount of time they take in the child's school schedule can seem overwhelming. To ease that load, a professional may talk with a child’s teacher to come up with ways to help but won’t offer hands-on instruction. For example, an occupational therapist may suggest accommodations for a child with fine-motor problems that affect handwriting, and the classroom teacher would incorporate these into the handwriting lessons taught to the entire class.

Other services can be delivered right in the classroom, so the child's day isn't interrupted by therapy. The child who has trouble with handwriting might work one-on-one with an occupational therapist while everyone else practices their handwriting skills. When deciding how and where services are offered, the child's comfort and dignity should be a top priority.

If a child has academic needs and is working below grade level, services may be offered outside the regular education classroom. Students might get small-group instruction in a particular subject area (usually language arts or math) by a special education teacher along with other students who have similar needs.

How Often Should the IEP Be Updated?

The IEP should be reviewed annually to update the goals and ensure the levels of service meet the student's needs. During the school year, progress monitoring is done often to make sure the student is achieving goals set in the IEP. IEPs can be changed at any time on an as-needed basis.

Specific timelines ensure that the development of an IEP moves from referral to providing services as quickly as possible. Be sure to ask about this timeframe and stay informed.

If parents disagree with any part of the evaluation report or the IEP, mediation and hearings are options.

It is important for teachers to understand the IEP process and their role in delivering instruction to students who have an IEP. Any questions related to an IEP can be directed to the team or the case manager assigned to a student.