The IEP

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004), requires that a child who needs specialized education services must have an Individualized Education Program. The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is the key document that lays out what a student receiving specialized education services will learn. A well-crafted IEP should include broad, long term goals as well as discrete benchmarks that the teacher plans to help the child attain. The teacher is the key person responsible in making sure the goals which are set forth in the IEP are mastered. It is a good idea to therefore get to know each student’s strengths and challenges before drafting and then finalizing the IEP. The teacher is a key member of the committee that formulates the IEP.

Knowledge of general issues concerning the child’s particular disability can be insightful in formulating realistic expectations for the child. Assuming the child is verbal, it is a good idea to speak to the child concerning what he or she would like to learn while in the classroom and somehow cater the student’s desires to the standard grade level benchmarks as best you can. The system allows for flexibility because the IEP is based on the individual student’s needs. Pay attention to where the child’s interests lie. If you can pick up on what interests the child you will be able to capitalize on that in formulating the IEP, lesson plans and ways to reward the child for a job well done.