This section will help you understand the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The key sections of the IEP are:

• Student Information

• Present levels of performance, baseline data and annual goals

• Special Education Instruction and Related Services

• Classroom accommodations and Statewide or alternate assessment participation

• Transition plan

 

Present Levels of Performance and Annual Goals:

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When developing annual goals for your child, the IEP team will:

• Use baseline data to support present levels of performance.

  • Baseline data measures how your child is currently doing across multiple skills or areas, including but not limited to academics, behavior, hearing, communication, fine motor, and gross motor.

  • Baseline data can come from a variety of places: standardized tests, observations, classroom-based assessments, student work samples, or statewide testing results.

• Ensure that the IEP has measurable goals for your child:

  • in the areas of mathematics, written expression, and reading;

  • for any related services in the IEP; and

  • for any functional skills addressed in the IEP.

• Goals are created using baseline data, evaluation and assessment information, teacher information, parent input, and student performance.

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In your child's IEP every goal has three important sections:

• Where your child is currently performing in the area

• What they are expected to achieve in one school year

• How and when the school will check if they are making progress

 

To see how well your child is doing, the school can use two types of data:

• Informal Data: This means looking at their work, quizzes, tests, and how they perform and present in class.

• Formal Data: This means using tests that many kids take, rating scales, reports about their progress, and big tests that the state gives.

 

Both types of data inform the school how your child is doing and if they are making appropriate progress on their goals.

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Special Education and Related Services

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In your child's IEP, there is a section specifically for special education and related services. This section lists the services your child gets, the setting for each service, and how often they receive it.

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Classroom Accommodations and Statewide or Alternate Assessment Participation:

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This section names accommodations and/or modifications required to support your child in the classroom and during Statewide Testing. Accommodations and modifications may include:

• Preferential seating,

• Extended time,

• Frequent breaks,

• Clarification or repetition of directions,

• Enlarged print material, and

• Read aloud.

 

If the IEP team determines that your child should to take part in alternate assessments, instead of taking District of Columbia Comprehensive Assessments of Progress in Education (DC CAPE, it will be included in the IEP.

 

Transition Plan:

 

Transition plans are developed for students ages 14 and older to prepare them for life after high school. Transition plans include the following:

 

• Age-appropriate assessment data,

• Your child's academic, functional, and employment interests,

• Your child's strengths and needs,

• Annual transition goals reflecting what your child will work on during the school year, and

• Long-term transition goals, including your child’s interests after high school graduation.