5 minute read

THE ABCs OF IEPs- Progress

from December 2021 issue Special Needs Living Magazine

from December 2021 issue Special Needs Living Magazine, page 48

Non-Profit Spotlight

By Sheila Wolfe - IEP Services

It is the end of the first semester. What should parents be thinking about at this stage of the school year? PROGRESS. If you have not already done so, it is critical that you review all available data to determine if “meaningful progress” (as we discussed in last month’s issue) is being made on each IEP goal.

Depending on the type of goal (academic, social, behavioral, etc.), the data should look different but should still be objective and appropriate for that specific goal. If the school has not provided

the raw data that was used to generate each progress monitoring report from the first semester, ask your teacher of record to send it to you now. Progress reports that provide only one data point are not appropriate or meaningful. Obviously, if a student’s progress is being measured across a nine-week period (which is typical), and the school only collected data once, we are only seeing a snapshot of the student’s performance on one day at one point in time. To appropriately report on progress, data needs to be collected on numerous occasions during each nine-week period. By graphing that data across time, we get a more accurate picture of the student’s performance.

Graphing data is important for many reasons. First, it can provide a “trendline” indicating the rate of student progress across time. The steeper the slope of the trendline, the more dramatic or quicker the student’s progress. The flatter the trendline, the slower the progress. Worst of all, a downward sloping trendline indicates regression, or a loss of skills over time. For information on how to graph data and insert a trendline using Excel, please visit: https://youtu.be/L9wW3vdRkg4

Secondly, graphing all data collected allows us to eliminate any outliers in the data. For example, perhaps the school collected data on reading fluency on a day the student did not feel well or was extremely tired. If we have 15 data points that range from 80-100 and one data point that is 25, we can safely assume that the 25 was a result of a “bad” testing day and not a valid measure of the student’s ability overall. Be sure to eliminate any outlier data points from the graph before adding a trendline.

Be careful when evaluating what data is “good” and what data is “bad” or an outlier. Data that is scattered over the collection period and shows no grouping or growth pattern may be a sign that the data collection method is flawed. Perhaps different people are testing the student using different instructions or prompts which may influence student performance. There are many reasons why data may look scattered and meaningless … including a student who performs very differently from day to day depending on attention, mood, relationship with the tester, etc. It is critical to evaluate and identify why data is not showing a pattern over time to correct any testing error that may be occurring. This is usually done through direct observation of the testing by an independent person to try and determine why there is so much variation in test results.

By accurately graphing valid data and evaluating the resulting trendline, a parent should be able to tell if it is likely for the student to achieve the goal by the end of the IEP period. If it is not likely, the parent should schedule a case conference for the beginning of the second semester to make necessary changes to the IEP so that progress can be improved, and the goal met. This may include increasing the time spent on the skill, changing the methodology being used to teach the skill, increasing the intensity of the instruction (1:1 instead of small group), or some other means as determined by the case conference. However, continuing the same intervention, in the same manner, cannot be considered appropriate if the data does not provide any evidence that the student will achieve the goal (as shown by the trendline).

If the data was determined to be invalid for some reason, it is important that the school collect a series of data points using valid methods as quickly as possible to determine an accurate baseline to begin the second semester. Once the parent has an accurate measure of the student’s progress since the beginning of the school year, they can determine if a case conference is needed to revise the IEP.

Hopefully, there are only one or two goals that create concern, and the student’s program can get back on track quickly. If, however, the student is not making meaningful progress on any of the goals in the IEP, a major change in the approach to the student’s education is probably needed. This might be the time for a parent to get help from a parent advocate, doctor, psychologist, or some other outside professional to assist with developing an appropriate IEP.

I wish all our Special Needs Living families the happiest of holidays and a New Year full of incredible possibilities! Accommodating all feline family members including special medical & behavioral needs.

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