IEP, IFSP, and IIIP Program Planning Process

Chapter 4

IEP, IFSP, and IIIP Program Planning Process

The purpose of the IEP, IFSP, and IIIP is to provide a written record of the decisions made at a team meeting where parent(s) and school personnel jointly collaborate about an educational program for a student with a disability.

This documentation will refer to the IEP, but includes all 3 plans unless otherwise noted.

· Individual Education Program (IEP): This plan is for students who qualify for and receive special education services from the public school district.

· Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP): This plan is written for families whose children are Birth to 3 years old

· Interagency Individual Intervention Plan (IIIP): This plan is offered when a student is receiving services from another public agency in addition to the public schools (i.e., county services, Head Start, Child protection, parole office).

Developing the Education Plan

The IEP team must consider the strengths of the child, concerns of the parent, recent evaluation results and educational needs, and the role of the regular education teacher when determining special education services, appropriate positive behavioral interventions, and program modifications.

Types of IEP’s

· Initial: After eligibility has been determined and the student is in need of special education services, the first IEP developed is considered to be the initial IEP.

· Annual: After initial placement has been made, the annual IEP is the plan that is developed each year that the student receives special education services.

· Interim IEP: In 622, when the team is determining appropriateness of the placement or resolving questions regarding the content of the IEP, an interim IEP may be written for a period of no more than 60 calendar days.

Timelines

IEPs: An Initial IEP must be developed within 30 calendar days from the date of the initial evaluation report that determined that the child is eligible and in need of special education and related services. For initial placements, an IEP must be written with in 30 calendar days from the date documented on the evaluation report. Written parent consent must be obtained prior to initiation of services.

For annual IEP meetings, the parent must have 14 calendar days to consider the proposed IEP prior to the expiration of the previous plan. The current IEP expires one year from the date of the team meeting. Therefore, you should count back 14 calendar days from the expiration date and make sure the proposed plan is sent on or before that day. For example, if an IEP is due 11/30/08 you would need to send the document home for the parent to sign by 11/16/08. You will want to give yourself enough time to have a meeting and write the document prior to sending this out.

IFSPs: An IFSP team meeting to develop and initial IFSP must be held within 45 calendar days from the date of referral. An annual review of the IFSP must occur prior to the twelve-month expiration of the current IFSP. An interim IFSP may be written before the completion of the evaluation in those instances when early intervention service is needed immediately. Parental consent must be obtained. The plan must include the name of the service coordinator and the services to be provided. The evaluation must still be completed within 45 calendar days unless exceptional circumstances are documented.

IEP Team

An IEP team is a group of individuals knowledgeable about the child who come together to make school programming decisions based on evaluation data. The following individuals are considered members of an IEP team for a child with a disability:

IEP Manager: The IEP manager is a licensed special education teacher or related service provider who is a member of the pupil’s IEP team. As IEP manager, he/she coordinates the delivery of the special education instruction and related services, serve as the primary contact for the parent, and schedules team meetings. District 622 requires IEP managers to assure compliance with procedural requirements, communication and coordination among home, school, other agencies and regular and special education staff, and facilitate placement.

Parents: The IEP Team shall include one or both parent/guardians. A meeting may be conducted without the parents in attendance if the school district is unable to convince the parents that they should attend. Records of attempts to arrange a mutually agreed on time and place should be evident in the due process record. Keep detailed phone logs, copies of correspondence, and noted visits made to the parent’s home or place of employment.

The Definition of Parent includes:

· a legal guardian;

· a natural, adoptive, or foster parent of a child (unless a foster parent is prohibited by State law from serving as a parent);

· a guardian (but not the State if the child is a ward of the State);

· an individual acting in the place of a natural or adoptive parent (including a grandparent, stepparent, or other relative) with whom a child lives;

· or an individual who is legally responsible for a child’s welfare, or

· Surrogate(as appointed through district processes): See Chapter 7 for more information.

Student (when appropriate): If appropriate, the student should attend the IEP meeting. During grade 9, the student must be invited to attend the IEP meeting but is not required to attend.

Special Education Teacher: Either the IEP manager or the special education teacher should be knowledgeable of the child’s disability.

General Education Teacher: At least one general education teacher of the child should participate.

Representative of the School District: A representative should be qualified to provide and/or supervise specially designed instruction to meet the needs of the child. They must be knowledgeable about the general education curriculum, and knowledgeable about district resources.

Other Individuals at the Parents or Districts Discretion: Other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child (ex. Cultural liaison, advocate, etc.) may participate in the IEP meeting at the discretion of the parent or district.

Administrative Designee

In the event that the principal is unable to attend, an administrator will designate a licensed special education staff member who is not currently a service provider to act in this capacity. Any special education staff member can serve as a designee as long as the staff member does not provide special education services to the child.

If questions arise in a situation regarding the commitment of district resources that cannot be answered, an additional meeting may be scheduled to address these concerns.

Notice of Team Member Participation at an IEP Meeting

The purpose of this form is to invite and inform parents of an IEP meeting proposed by the school district. This notice also provides parents with the names and titles of persons expected to attend the meeting.

An IEP team member is not required to attend a meeting if the parents and the district agree in writing that the members attendance is not necessary because either the members area of the IEP is not being discussed in the meeting or prior to the meeting, the member submits written input regarding the development of the IEP to the parents.

In this situation, a written agreement will be presented to the parent providing a written explanation of nonattendance by team member. This document is signed by the parent and maintained in the students due process file.

The district must document that parents were invited to and informed of a team meeting. Check the appropriate box or boxes to indicate the purpose of the meeting. Document attempts to plan meetings in writing or in Campus contact log.

It is recommended that if parent does not respond after 2 reasonable attempts to schedule meeting, the IEP meeting may proceed. Attach a copy of the Notice of Procedural Safeguards annually, and initial and date the note at the bottom of the Notice of Team meeting form.

Special Situations when Determining Team Membership

For a pupil who is provided instruction by a multidisciplinary team, the IEP team will consult with a staff member licensed in the pupil’s disability to work with the IEP team whenever the IEP is developed, reviewed, or revised. This individual’s name must appear on the notice of team meeting and IEP team membership, but does not necessarily need to attend the meeting.

The IEP team shall include a person knowledgeable concerning racial, cultural, or disabling differences of the pupil, if appropriate.

When the student has a non-resident agreement in 622, the team must invite a member from the resident district to attend the meeting. A copy of all paperwork (ex. IEPs, ERs, etc.) must be sent to the resident district.

To appropriately assess and plan for a student’s secondary transition services, additional team members may include vocational education staff members or other community agency representatives.

Coordination of Interagency Services: The team may request the resident county to provide a representative to assist the IEP team when determining existing health, mental health, or other support services administered by the county.

Adopting an IEP

From Another State: Immediately, the building administrator (or a designee) shall immediately undertake efforts to obtain the complete educational records from the previous district. A team must meet to develop an evaluation plan, evaluate the student and determine whether the student meets initial Minnesota eligibility criteria. This new evaluation is considered an initial evaluation, and teams must apply initial criteria. Special education services must be provided through an interim IEP during the evaluation period.

Formal testing may not be required if the evaluation data provided by the previous school district meets professional testing standards. Teams must review and document existing data and address Minnesota initial eligibility criteria in the evaluation report.

From Another Minnesota School District: Immediately, the building administrator (or a designee) shall immediately undertake efforts to obtain the complete educational records from the previous district. A team must meet to review the evaluation report and eligibility. If the team agrees with the current determination, a team meeting is held to adopt the existing IEP or develop a new one.

If the team determines a new evaluation is necessary, an evaluation plan is developed to evaluate the student and determine whether the student meets Minnesota eligibility criteria. This new evaluation is considered a reevaluation. Special education services must be provided through an interim IEP during the evaluation period.

From Minneapolis SNAP: A team must meet to review the evaluation report and eligibility. If the team agrees with the current determination, a team meeting is held to adopt the existing IEP or develop a new one.

IEP Components

Initial and Annual IEP Dates to be Recorded

IEP Meeting Date: Date of IEP meeting (ex. 2/13/06)

IEP Start Date: Date of projected start of IEP (2/20/06)

IEP End Date: One year minus a day after projected start date (2/19/06) Evaluation Date: Date of most recent comprehensive evaluation

Interim IEP

The IEP End Date would be 60 calendar days or less from the date the IEP was implemented.

IEP Demographic Information

· Student and Parent Information: Review this information for accuracy and request changes through your building secretary.

· IEP Manager: Verify this information is accurate. Changes can be made under the Team tab in Campus.

· Primary/Secondary Disability: Verify this information is accurate according to the evaluation report. Changes can be made under Enrollment Status in Campus. For example: Primary Disability is Specific Learning Disability, Secondary Disability is Speech/Language Impaired.

· Federal Settings: Verify this information is accurate. Changes can be made under Enrollment Status in Campus.

· Special Education Status: Verify this information is accurate. Changes can be made under Enrollment Status in Campus.

Progress Reporting

The frequency and method of reporting progress must be addressed in this section of the IEP. State how often the parent(s) will be informed of the child’s progress. Progress must be reported to parents at least as often as progress of the child’s peers without disabilities is reported. The frequency of reporting is based on the district progress reporting schedule and could vary from district to district, building to building, and/or level to level (e.g., high school, middle school, elementary) within a district.

Describe the method(s) to be used to report progress to parents. IDEA 2004 regulations indicate that written reports are sufficient, although in some instances, a meeting with parents (which does not have to be an IEP team meeting) might be more effective. In addition to written reports, face-to-face conferences and phone calls might also be used. If written reports are used as a method of reporting, these reports must be filed with the student’s special education record.

Example: 1st Semester: Written Progress Report, 2nd Semester: IEP Meeting, and 3rd Semester: Written Progress Report

Present Levels of Academic Achievement Functional Performance (PLAAFP) and Educational Needs

The PLAAFP explains how the student’s disability affects his/her involvement and progress in the general education setting. For preschool children, include how the disability affects participation in appropriate activities. In District 622, the student need will be identified in the PLAAFP section of the IEP. There must be a direct relationship between the PLAAFP, educational need and the goal.

PLAAFP statements should be in language understandable to the parent. It should be written in objective, measurable terms with enough information to provide a clear picture of the child. These statements should include specific skills and behaviors learned.

Continue writing about the specific skills or behaviors that the student needs to learn based on classroom performance, informal measures, or observations. Lastly, complete the statement by writing a student needs statement about the specific skills or behaviors that will be addressed.

PLAAFP statements should not include the services being provided, instructional settings, or materials or instructional methods. When an initial or re-evaluation has been completed during the time when an annual IEP meeting is being conducted, the evaluation report may be substituted in place of the PLAAFP statements.