Steps to Writing an Effective IEP for Transition -
Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance
Student’s Present Level of Academic Achievement: Present levels of academic achievement refer to how the student is performing within the general education curriculum, including reading, writing, and math (related to post-school goals).Write a brief paragraph to introduce student, including age, graduation date, disability, current placement and school, any services such as speech, OT, PT, and post-secondary goals.
Academic Performance:
0 Reading
0 Writing
0 Math
0 Formal/Informal Assessment
· Summative
· Formative
· Benchmark
· Diagnostic
0 Other
Student’s Present Levels of Functional Performance: Functional performance is related to activities of daily living, (such as hygiene, dressing, basic consumer skills, community-based instruction, etc), functional reading levels, and the student’s ability to exhibit, show, and/ or demonstrate skills and/or knowledge related to the desired post-school goals.
Functional Performance (can include):
0 Access & Mobility
-public transportation
-community (voter registration, selective service, PA identification card, social security card)
0 Communication
0 Community Skills
0 Functional Academics: Reading, Writing & Math
0 Independent Living Skills
0 Organization/Attention
0 Recreation/Leisure
0 Self-Determination/Self-Advocacy
0 Self-Help/Daily Living
0 Social Skills/Behavior
0 Vocational
Student’s Present Levels related to current post secondary transition goals if the student’s age is 14 or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP team (e.g. results of formative assessments, curriculum-based assessments, progress toward current goals)
ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE: (Present levels of ACADEMIC achievement refer to how the student is performing within the general education curriculum, including reading, writing, and mathematics. It must describe how the student is progressing within the general education curriculum in relation to his/her peers and state-approved grade level standards. Include current instructional levels, description of permanent products, and work completion. Describe classroom strategies or interventions applied and their results. Describe any additional or alternative instructional materials, instructional time or personnel. Keep in mind that present levels must describe specifically and quantifiably the skills the student has exhibited either in response to instruction or response to assessments that provide instructional baselines.)
Reading – phonological awareness, phonics, vocabulary, comprehension, fluency
Math - basic operations, number systems, problem solving
Writing – written composition, written expression, spelling
Assessments - Formal and/or Informal
0 Summative Assessments: Attempts to make an overall judgment of progress at the end of a defined period of instruction. These are considered high-stakes assessments and the results often are used in conjunction with No Child Left Behind (NCLB) and Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP). Examples: PSSA, Terra Nova
0 Formative Assessments: A planned process that elicits evidence of a student’s status so that teachers can adjust their ongoing instructional procedures or students can adjust their ongoing learning strategies. Can be formal or informal. Examples: curriculum-based measures, graphic organizers, warm-up/review, questioning strategies, including checks for understanding, analysis of student performance based on set rubrics including homework, worksheets, tests based on text and lectures, notebook checks, performance in group projects, oral reporting, verbal responses, online products (online posts, blog wiki entries), presentations, videos, participating in class discussion groups, active engagements check-ins, including response cards, white boards, think-pair-share, popsicle sticks = random selection, thumb up/down, red/green-stop & go cards, role plays/skits
0 Diagnostic Assessments: Used to identify student strengths, deficits, knowledge and skill level. Permits the instructor to provide remediation and adjust instruction to meet each pupil’s unique needs. Examples: Developmental Reading Assessment (DRA), Group Reading Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE), Group Mathematics Assessment and Diagnostic Evaluation (GRADE), Key Math 3, Comprehensive Test of Phonological Processing (CTOP)
0 Benchmark Assessments: Designed to provide feedback to both the teacher and the student about how the student is progressing towards demonstrating proficiency on grade-level standards. Are reliable and valid, standards aligned assessments administered to a whole-group or individual at regular intervals. Can be used to guide classroom instruction and identify individual student needs for re-teaching, intervention and/or acceleration. Examples: 4Sight, DIBELS, Riverside Assess2Know
FUNCTIONAL PERFORMANCE: (This section includes information regarding classroom performance and the results of any functional assessments that have been administered. Include current functional levels and strengths and needs that may be developmental. Functional performance is related to activities of daily living, such as hygiene, dressing, basic consumer skills, community-based instruction, etc. Functional performance may also be defined as the ability to access public transportation, social/emotional learning skills or behavioral difficulties, and the consideration of personal safety and socially appropriate behavior. If applicable, the information from a functional behavioral assessment should be included in this section. Information included in this section should include performance data and current skill levels, not just a description of academic and behavioral deficits. Information included here does not have to be indicative of a deficit. Provide measurable baselines in all areas when possible.)
Access & Mobility – assistive technology, mobility, transportation, accessing the community, navigating the community
Communication –means of communication can include; auditory, nonverbal, written within different contexts such as school, home, community, work (e.g. what types of things are communicated, by whom, in which form, etc)
Community Skills – transferring social, behavioral, self-help, daily living skills into community environments
Fine/Gross Motor – gross (e.g. walking, jumping, throwing, climbing, catching, balancing, kicking, swinging, skipping) fine ( picking up, turning pages, coloring, placing, opening, cutting, squeezing, pasting, folding, copying, pincer grasp, tracing)
Functional Math/Reading /Writing– functional level of performance in math, reading and writing in comparison to actual grade level (e.g. functional reading level of 2nd grade for a 10th grade student), banking, budgeting
Organization/Attention – class participation, note taking, keyboarding, organization, homework management, time management, study skills, test taking skills
Recreation/Leisure –preferences for leisure activities and skills in social contexts
Self-Determination/Self-Advocacy – ability to identify and articulate post-school goals, learning strengths and needs, ability to ask for assistance with learning and independence
Self-Help/ Daily Living – self-care (dressing, eating, grooming, toileting) personal safety, managing money, purchases, being independent or able to elicit necessary assistance to complete daily tasks and routines
Social Skills/Behavior – interactions with teachers/peers, level of initiation in asking for assistance, responsiveness to services and accommodations, degree of involvement in extracurricular activities, confidence and persistence as a learner, emotional or behavioral issues related to learning and/or attention
Vocational Skills – Job readiness skills (pre-vocational and vocational) sustain job performance, perform work directions and requirements, respond appropriately to supervision and work cooperatively with others
PRESENT LEVELS RELATED TO CURRENT POST-SECONDARY GOALS: (This section should provide a concise description of the student’s current Academic Achievement and Functional Performance based on age appropriate assessments related to the student’s targeted post-secondary goals if the IEP team determines that transition services are needed.)
0 Transition: The ongoing process of collecting data on the individual’s strengths, needs, preferences, and interests as they relate to the demands of current and future working, educational, living, and personal and social environments (The Division on Career & Development & Transition, DCDT). Examples: Formal - Career Cruising, CHOICES, PIC, ASVAB, SAT, McCarron Dial Vocational System, Keys 2 Work, SIB-R, etc. Informal – work samples, situational assessment, parent/student interviews, observations, Informal Assessments Books through Pro-Ed {Independent Living & Community Participation, Employment & Career Planning & Informal Assessment for Transition Planning}
Carbon Lehigh Intermediate Unit 21, Educational Consultants, December 2009, Updated November 2010