Demystifying Your Child’s IEP
By Navneet Rai, B.A., B.Ed., M.A. Candidate
In Ontario schools, Individual Education Plans (IEPs) support the teaching and learning of students accessing special education services in a school setting. Not every student in a classroom needs or receives an IEP, as classrooms are meant to be inclusive spaces reflecting the diversity in learning. Decisions on who receives an IEP in school are based on two criteria: students who are identified as exceptional based on the decision of the Identification, Placement, Review Committee (IPRC) supported by documentation such as a psychoeducational assessment, or students who would benefit from and/or require special education services but do not meet the criteria for an identification determined by the school team.
In both cases, the IEP will outline the reason for its development, the special education services and/or program the student will receive, and a description of what that plan will look like through instructional, environmental and assessment accommodations and/or modifications. Parent advocacy is vital to ensuring the IEP works effectively to promote student engagement and achievement in the classroom. Your input and understanding of your child should be reflected in the IEP. School teams are required to consult with you at least once a year if your child has an open IEP; this occurs within the first 30 days of the school year or after an IPRC meeting to ensure the IEP reflects your child’s growth and educational journey. Often, the IEP is referred to as a “working” document meaning accommodations and/or modifications are flexible and fluid based on the development of skills to support a student’s learning in various educational settings.
Understanding Parts of the IEP:
There are fourteen components to the IEP, the following is a synopsis of the key components to help you in understanding the IEP and supporting your child’s learning at school.
The IEP Student Profile will provide relevant information on how special education services will be provided. It will also include medical information and assessment data that inform the student’s learning strengths and needs.
Student Strengths and Needs should demonstrate a good understanding of your child based on observations with educational, health, and/or psychoeducational assessments as this will inform the teaching strategies, accommodations and/or modifications, and resources that will support your child in the classroom and at school. Strengths and needs should also reflect your child in the present, so strengths and needs should be changing over time to reflect growth.
Strengths reflect your child’s preferred learning style, skills they are proficient in, cognitive processing and communication abilities that come easily.
Needs reflect the reasons why your child requires interventions to support their learning such as skills deficits that make learning harder, cognitive and/or processing challenges.
The Special Education Program will inform you if your child is working on modified curriculum expectations (changes in the curriculum such as grade level expectations) or alternative expectations (expectations that differ from the Ontario curriculum, such as daily living skills). If the student is working at their regular grade level, this section will not be completed.
Special Education Strategies, Resources, and Accommodations support effective teaching and learning strategies that reflect your child’s interests, learning preferences based on their strengths while addressing their learning needs. Most accommodations reflect recommendations made in professional reports such as psychoeducational assessments, speech and language assessments or occupational therapy assessments. Accommodations are the strategies and tools that differ from what would normally be provided in the classroom. Accommodations listed in the IEP should be available to your child in the classroom by the classroom teacher and during EQAO provincial assessments.
Instructional Accommodations adjust the teaching strategies, for example chunking of information or supporting text with visuals and diagrams.
Environmental Accommodations change or introduce supports in response to the physical environment of the classroom and/or school environment this can include quiet zones, use of noise canceling headphones due to sound sensory overload, or preferential seating to name a few.
Assessment Accommodations adjust the delivery of assessments as well as the type of assessment methods for your child to demonstrate their learning such as the use of a memory aid, speech-to-text software to record test responses , voice recorded presentation in lieu of an in-person presentation.
Implementing, Monitoring, Review and Updating the IEP:
Once the IEP is completed the classroom teacher and other support personnel (if applicable) are responsible for putting the IEP accommodations and instructional strategies into practice. Classroom teachers can be a valuable resource in supporting your child with their learning accommodations along with implementing effective instructional strategies. Teachers can regularly assess and inform which accommodations and instructions effectively support your child’s learning to promote independent learning skills and autonomy in their learning. Therefore, a regular review of the IEP with all collaborators (parent(s), student, teacher(s)) will develop a strong and reflective IEP for your child. Using a visual framework supports the IEP updating process as an ongoing activity.
IEP Framework (adapted from Tremblay & Belley, 2017)
Helpful IEP Resources for Parent(s) & Families:
Building a Strengths-Based IEP through advocacy and consultation:
https://www.understood.org/en/articles/strengths-based-ieps-what-you-need-to-know
https://www.edutopia.org/article/many-benefits-strengths-based-ieps/
https://www.ldatschool.ca/beyond-the-basics-other-elements-of-an-effective-iep/
School Board Resources:
Ministry of Education Resource:
References:
Tremblay, P., & Belley, S. (2017). Individualized education plans in Canada: A comparative analysis. International Journal of Cross-Disciplinary Subjects in Canada, 8:1, 3017-3024.
