Group+3-Tom's+IEP


 * Group 3 [[file:Tom's IEP.pdf]]**
 * by** **Jessica, Micheal, Lynette, Kathleen**

**Part I :** Indicator 13 Checklist:


 * //__1. Is there an appropriate measurable post-secondary goal or goals in this area?__//**

(Lynette) Although, this document includes post-secondary goals in the areas of employment, training, and independent living skills. Tom's future employment goal does align with his likes, and allows him to interact with others in a social manner. This future employment goals also includes needed routines and support. The independent living goals does include a long term goal of transitioning into a supported living situations, which increase his independence from his parents. The training post-secondary goals does not explicitly state measurable behavior in which can be observed as occurring or not occurring. A way in which this training post-secondary goal could be more measurable would be to includ,e the number of vocational and day service opportunities Tom should explore. It would also be measurable if the word explore was changed to participate in vocational and day services.

(Michael) Additionally Tom's employment goal is too broad in its wording. The goal itself is measurable however the type of job needs to be stated and aligned with Tom's likes and preferences. This will allow for more effective annual goals to be developed. Tom's independent living goal could be strengthened if it provided a time frame for which Tom will live with his family and when he will move out. Also the goal could include the supported living organization in the community that Tom will benefit from. This would give his family a contact and Tom a path to look to after graduation.

(Jessica) I also believed that the employment goal was a little too broad. I did like that it included "interaction, routines, and support" because that fits Tom's needs and interests, but at the same time many jobs could fall into that category. I think a more specific and more measurable employment goal could be developed. The Post-Secondary Learning-Training Opportunities was a good goal but if Tom is going to explore Vocational and Day Services opportunities within his community after high school, then I was thinking that more agencies (other than just CLO) should be invited to attend the IEP meeting. The Future Home and Independent Living goal is good, but a little hard to measure. I don't have any experience writing IEPs, but I would think it would be helpful if the goal were more specific (i.e. how long will Tom live with his parents, what kind of supported living situation will he require, etc.). The Future Community Participation and Future Recreation and Leisure goals fit nicely with his interests. Overall, I would say that the post-secondary goals in Tom's IEP are appropriate and measurable when it comes to Education/Training, Employment, and Independent Living.

(Kathy) I think that Tom's goals are generic. There is not enough information, as Michael mentioned, about the type of employment and specifics concerning his community living goals.


 * //__2. Is the post-secondary goal(s) updated annually?__//**

(Lynette) There is no documentation that post-secondary goals were updated annually. (Michael) There is also no mention of progress made on previous annual goals which should always link to post-secondary goals. Best practice leads us to build upon previous mastery of goals, thus it needs to be noted in the development of new goals. This information could be placed in the present levels section of the IEP. This information needs to be documented in case Tom moves or is in need of ESY services. This is a definite weakness of the IEP.

(Jessica) I was a little confused on this one because in the Indicator 13 checklist all it states is "If the postsecondary goal(s) for //Education// or //Training, Employment,// and as needed //Independent Living//, is (are) **documented in the student's current IEP**, circle Y in each corresponding column." It seemed that this was met in his IEP. However, I also believe that the progress towards his post-secondary goals should be documented under Tom's Present Levels of Academic Achievement.

(Kathy) It does not seem that the goals were updated annually. There is nothing in the present levels to indicate that Tom had made progress towards these goals or any goals that were related.

(Lynette) Post-secondary goals are supported by data collected using 1. data collection 2. teacher observation, and 3. parent interview. Another informal assessment used was a Functional Behavior Assessment. There is no evidence of age appropriate transition assessments, that reflect Tom's chronological age, used in order to create post-secondary goals.
 * //__3. Is there evidence that the measurable post-secondary goals were based on age appropriate transition assessment?__// **

(Michael) The evidence of the assessments is brought into scrutiny. The only evidence given is the mention of the type of assessment, but not the actual results of the assessments. The information collected in the parent interview, data collection, and teacher observation needs to be specifically stated. Tom's present levels page offers much information, but does not show how the information was gathered. Additionally the "Transition Needs" section on page 3 does not take into consideration his present levels that give way to his transition needs. The section is largely left blank with the exception of the mentioning of life care planning information. It should be noted that transition needs and activities are described on the transition addendum page (last page of IEP). However, how those needs were determined is not well documented within the IEP.

(Jessica) The only forms of assessment that I saw in Tom's IEP were teacher observations, parent interviews, data collection, and the functional behavior assessment. I believe that the educators working with Tom should use a variety of transition assessments in order to collect the most data possible about Tom's strengths, weakness, preferences, needs, interests, etc. It would be beneficial if more types of assessment (both formal and informal) were used to help develop Tom's transition/post-secondary goals. Although Tom does have communication difficulties, I believe that an informal student interview would help the team gather more information. The information about the transition assessments is very general. It is hard to say if the assessments used were age appropriate.

(Kathy) It doesn't appear that Tom's interests, preferences, likes and dislikes were assessed using an age appropriate instrument. It seems that parents have relayed information to the case manager. While Tom does have communication issues, perhaps the team could interview more people than the parents. There are probably staff members that know Tom pretty well, such as the paraprofessionals that work with him. There is just not enough information about Tom's interests.

(Lynette) There are three goals in this IEP that appear to address some areas of weakness that Tom needs to strengthen in order to be employed. 1. He has a goal for using prompts and gestures to complete a delivery routing, 2. using only prompts and gestures for a pickup routine, and 3. choosing items on his AAC device. There is a lack of goals connected to independent living or recreation. The OT and community recreation services are only provided through consultation with the IEP team. Due to the lack of measurable goals in these areas, the IEP may not enable Tom to met his post-secondary goals. In the addendum to Tom's IEP, there are 6 domains with suggestions and these cover the all areas.
 * //__4. Are there transition services in the IEP that will reasonably enable the student to meet his or her post-secondary goal(s)?__// **

(Michael) All transition services stated on the addendum are the school's responsibility to implement. According to the law this meets indicator 13 item # 4. Simply because the 2004 re-authorization of IDEA did away with schools being required to have agency linkages involved in transition plans. Instead schools are required to invite an agency if there is a chance they may provide services after graduation. Best practices state that there needs to be a linking component between the school and community so that the transition is successful. It appears this IEP was done in the "traditional way." This is a following the "spirit of the law" issue. Tom needs experience with the CLO agency while in school so that he may transition more smoothly with that support already in place after he graduates. Will he be able to make a reasonable transition and achieve his post-secondary goals with these current services? Maybe. Will his transition be smoother if he is already linked with an agency? Of course, yes. The question is what is best for Tom, and these current transition services do not effectively allow for him to achieve his transition goals fully.

(Jessica) The transition services listed on page 19 of Tom's IEP should enable Tom to meet his post-secondary goals. However, I believe that the "Needs and Activities" for each Transition Service could be expanded upon. Each transition service appears to only have one Need/Activity. The more activities that the team can provide, the more likely Tom will meet his post-secondary goals. For example, simply sharing "information about Life Care Planning topics with [Tom's] parents" isn't enough. And as far as Employment skills, the "instruction and practice on positive work skills" probably will not suffice. Tom needs to be more prepared and receive more instruction and education if he is going to be employed in the future. The Acquisition of daily living skills activities will definitely help Tom become more independent. By instructing him on self-care and daily living skills to increase his independence, the team will help him achieve his goal of living in a supported living situation one day. I believe that the strongest part of the transition services section falls under the Personal Management skills. The team will have Tom "practice self-determination skills by having opportunities to make choices." Choice-making is of HUGE importance to me. This is such a powerful ability for anyone, especially for individuals like Tom who have communication delays. I believe that if more activities were listed for each Transition Service, then Tom will surely meet his post-secondary goals.

(Kathy) I don't think the transition services on the IEP will be helpful in allowing Tom to meet post secondary goals. Again, these services seem like they could be applicable to any student. I agree with Jessica - there needs to be more activities in which Tom can participate. Tom has a great deal to accomplish and the plan doesn't seem to be thorough enough. He desperately needs to improve his communication skills and get behaviors under control so he can gain and maintain employment.


 * __//5. Do the transition services include courses of study that will reasonably enable the student to meet his or her post-secondary goal(s)?//__**

(Lynette) This documentation does not meet I-13 standards for Item #5, there is no description of a course of study or list of courses of study in Tom's IEP. This document does include that Tom's need 28.0 credits in order to graduate but does not indicate how these credits will be obtained. Under the "Service Plan," Tom participates in adaptive physical education, this should have been included in the courses of study, as a means in which Tom would obtain credits towards graduation.

(Michael) Tom's IEP does give descriptions of what Tom does in school in regards to learning activities on page 12 under the title "Description of specially designed instruction." It states that "Courses in general education are graded as pass/fail and his functional curriculum progress is based on data collection and observations." This indicates that within his alternate curriculum he is taking some general education classes. Despite this, there are no courses listed as to what he is taking on the course of study page. Most importantly there is not a shown link between courses and future post-secondary outcomes. The only linkage that can be inferred is between his annual goals as skills needed for employment and living in a supported environment separate from family.

(Jessica) This was a major pitfall in Tom's IEP. Under the "Description of Course of Study" nothing was listed. I found this rather disappointing. However, the IEP does state that he has a "functional curriculum" and that the gen. ed. courses are graded as a pass/fail. It would be beneficial if the general education courses that Tom will enroll in were listed. The Service Plan on page 12 clearly lists all of the different services that Tom receives. The description under the chart also does a good job of describing the instruction that Tom will receive. There will be a focus on vocational and transitional needs. Activities that Tom participates in are also listed.

(Kathy) There was no course of study as part of this IEP. Despite having participated in general education courses with a pass/fail grade, there is nothing to let us know about the courses he will take and how these will address his transition needs. Could it be that schools do not have enough classes for students with significant disabilities?


 * // __6. Is (are) there annual IEP goal(s) that are related to the student’s transition services needs?__ //**

(Lynette) There are annual IEP goals that are related to the student's transition service needs. For example, delivery routines, pickup routines, and using his AAC device to communicate with others through responding to questions. The annual goals also include specific conditions, measurable behaviors, and time frames. The conditions under which the delivery and pickup routines may be more specifically defined, in order to ensure environments are being controlled for and accounted for. The conditions, such as environment or with whom the use of his AAC device could have also been more specifically defined. There is also a need for more goals to be added in order to better meet his transition service needs.

(Michael) If Tom's future employment goal were more specific to an actual type of job, annual goals could be better developed. The lack of specificity in his post-secondary learning/training and employment goals, allows for the team's ineffective development of annual goals. Additionally the transition service needs stated on the transition addendum are not fully met by the three goals created.

(Jessica) I also agree with Michael. Tom's post-secondary employment goal needs to be more specific so that his annual goals can be further developed to relate to his future career opportunities. There were only three annual IEP goals and in my opinion they really only related to employment and independent living. I also think that the annual goals need to be more specific. For example, what exactly is meant by "delivery routine" or "pickup routine"? Would an outsider be able to come in with no prior experience with Tom and be able to measure these annual goals? The communication goal relates to independent living (and from there can also be related to employment). I really like how the annual goal for his AAC device focuses on choice-making. This will really help Tom in the future. A strong point for the annual goals is that the different attainment dates were listed for progress monitoring. I just wish that the goals were a little more specific and that a couple more goals were included so that Tom is better able to reach his post-secondary goals. The annual goals should relate to and help Tom meet **all** of his post-secondary goals.

(Kathy) I agree with Michael as well. If we had more information about the type of employment that Tom could pursue, then goals could be written accordingly. It is imperative that he increase his AAC devise usage. The goal about pick up routines was vague. It doesn't pass the "stranger test" - if I got this IEP for a new student, I would have little idea about what the pick up routine should look like.


 * //__7. Is there evidence that the student was invited to the IEP Team meeting where transition services were discussed?__// **

(Lynette) This documentation does not meet I-13 standards for Item #7, for there is no evidence that the student was invited to the IEP meeting where transition services were discussed. This documentation lacks a means in which to indicate if a student was invited to the IEP Team meeting or document the date of the given invitation or by whom the invitation was provided by.

(Michael) Evidence could have be provided by staffing notes and or copies of invitations. This documentation, stand alone IEP, does not meet the state's requirement for documentation. A sole IEP cannot provide this information on its own.

(Jessica) No, there is no documentation that Tom was invited to attend his own IEP meeting where transition services were discussed. Either Tom was not invited or if he was, proper documentation is not included.

(Kathy) I did not see documentation that Tom was invited to the meeting. I don't think this IEP is in compliance with this standard.


 * //__8. If appropriate, is there evidence that a representative of any participating outside agency responsible for providing or paying for transition services was invited to the IEP Team meeting with the prior consent of the parent or student who has reached the age of majority?__// **

(Lynette) The CLO agency was invited to the IEP meeting, but there is no documentation of any parental or student consent of the invitation. Due to the lack of prior consent to contact adult agencies or release of student information, this documentation does not meet the requirements for I-13 standards for Item #8. (Michael) This could have been documented through the use of staffing notes and copies of invitations.

(Jessica) The only outside agency invited to the IEP meeting was CLO. I would have liked to see more than just one outside agency invited to attend the IEP meeting. There is also no documentation for the prior consent of the parent.

(Kathy) I think there should be more agency involvement. His transportation needs have not been addressed, nor has his recreational needs been explored. There must be agencies that could help Tom and his parents. There was no documentation of prior written consent for CLO to be present.

**Part 2 Summary and Reflections (Here put your summarization of your analysis and reflections on the strengths/weakness of the IEP).**

(Lynette) Introduction and Strengths: After thorough review of Tom's IEP, we as a team of reviewers feel that the IEP is a mediocre transition IEP. Many of the key elements of best practices are missing. Overall the IEP was written with vague descriptions of present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, courses of study, specifications of annual goals, and responsibilities of the transition agency. Overall the annual goals were written in a generic way, that did not fully met the interests and needs of Tom. One of the largest concerns is the lack of integration of Tom's interest, likes, and future hopes into his annual goals, and transition services. Tom's IEP team did attempt to include Tom's love for interacting with others into his future goals of ability to use a AAC device, and keeping in mind to include Tom in school wide social activities. The team also included annual goals to increase his independence with daily living routines, a skill needed for independent living and a desire of Tom's parents. Although the present level of skills lacked age appropriate assessments, the wording did paint a informal observers opinion of Tom's skills. After reviewing the IEP, we as a group did not the IEP team fully integrated Tom's interests fully. The attempt to do so and have Tom's desires in the overall theme of the IEP is one strength of this IEP. Another strength is the specificity in terms of percentages for use of his device or percent of time in which an annual goal would be deemed as being met. Although more description would have included the location of where the goal would be implemented and with whom. It was also good that the IEP team invited an outside agency in order to begin the bridge between school and the community. Tom's IEP team attempted to cover the aspects of Indicator 13 and to create a comprehensive IEP, there are many parts in which the team could improve upon.

(Kathy) Weaknesses: Tom's IEP is not strong enough to ensure that he will have a successful post secondary experience. The team needs to conduct an age appropriate assessment of Tom's likes, dislikes, preferences and interests. The goals need to show a progression of skills Tom will need to get and maintain employment, independent living, and leisure activities. The IEP does not seem to be individualized; it is rather generic. There is not a clear picture of who Tom is and where he is headed. This IEP also needs a course of study that outlines the courses and training necessary to build a foundation for the skills he needs. The IEP seems incomplete and lacking the common threads that link areas of concern and goals to achieve success. Another weakness of this IEP for Tom is that it seems that none of the skills necessary have been addressed prior to high school, although there is no way of knowing that for sure. It seems that Tom has a great deal of work to do and very little time left before his post secondary life begins. The IEP doesn't really show collaboration among team members and there is no real connection from goal to goal. The lack of assessment data may explain the reason that this IEP seems so generic.

(Jessica) Indicator 13: The Indicator 13 Checklist is a great resources to use to make sure that proper transition services are being provided and that appropriate goals are set for the student. By using this checklist, anyone (parent, educator, case manager, etc.) is able to review the student's IEP and see if: 1)the post-secondary goals are appropriate, measurable, and updated annually; 2) age-appropriate transition assessments are used; 3)the transition services and courses will allow the student to reach his/her post-secondary goals; 4) the annual goals relate to the post-secondary goals and will help the student meet said post-secondary goals; 5) the student is invited to attend his/her IEP meeting; and 6) outside agencies were invited to attend the meeting. By going through this checklist, our group gained a deeper understanding of the importance of transition services and the importance of having appropriate goals and services for each student that relate to education/training, employment, and (when appropriate) independent living. In regards to Tom's IEP, it DOES NOT meet the requirements of Indicator 13. There were a few areas that it fell short. Our group felt that the post-secondary goals could be a bit more specific. There also appeared to be no documentation that his post-secondary goals were updated annually. The IEP is lacking evidence that age-appropriate transition assessments were used. There are definitely transition services listed in the IEP that will reasonably enable Tom to meet his post-secondary goals, however our group felt that this could be expanded upon and could use more specific details. More activities for the transition services could be listed as well so that Tom is better prepared for life after graduation. The annual IEP goals were related to Tom's transition services needs, but we felt that (once again) the goals could be more specific so that they better relate to his needs. A huge pitfall to Tom's IEP in regards to Indicator 13 is that there is no documentation of his invitation to attend his IEP meeting. Students should always be invited to their IEP meetings and should attend as much as possible. Hopefully the team invited him to the meeting. There is evidence that a representative from an outside agency was invited, but there is no evidence of prior consent of the parent. Overall, Tom's IEP fell short when it came to Indicator 13. There are several things that need to be expanded upon and need to be described in more detail. The more specific that the goals, services, assessments, etc. can be the more they can relate to Tom's needs, interests, strengths, preferences, interests, weaknesses, etc. and the better able the team will be able to prepare him for life after graduation.

(Michael) Recommendations: Using best practices in creating transition plans can strengthen Tom's IEP. Because transition is the focal point of Tom’s ultimate success after graduation, the entire IEP must relate in all aspects to post-secondary outcomes. Tom’s post-secondary goals need to be more specific. His learning/training goal is not measurable, but all other post-secondary goals are. The goals themselves, even those that are measurable lack specificity needed to define clear outcomes. Additionally, the team should provide documentation of previous post-secondary goals being updated annually. This will ensure progress is being made and inform the team of any adjustments that may need to be made to his plan. The use of transition assessment is stated within the IEP, however the results of the assessments are not. Because assessment is so crucial in providing a baseline to which form and design a plan around student interests, preferences, and strengths; the results of which need to be documented to ensure effective planning. All transition services listed on the addendum cover the 6 domains. The services listed will reasonably enable Tom to meet his broadly defined post-secondary goals. However it is recommended that there be inter-agency linkages also responsible for transition services. Tom’s IEP needs to include a course of study to be in compliance with indicator 13 item #5. His annual goals relate vaguely to his post-secondary outcomes. These goals need to be better defined to bring more focus to Tom’s education plan. Finally, documentation of the student being invited to the meeting needs to be attached to the filed IEP.