tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post6450611158919674288..comments2024-03-26T23:57:42.268-04:00Comments on SpeEdChange: What a good IEP looks like...irasocolhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01412837280249622430noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-88340872441335284532010-09-12T14:33:05.070-04:002010-09-12T14:33:05.070-04:00Excellent post...lots to think about here. I do n...Excellent post...lots to think about here. I do not write IEPs, but as a HS teacher in inclusion classrooms, I sure do read a lot of them (30/140 students I teach each semester are on plans. I will say over time, the ones I see are getting better--they do describe strengths as well as weaknesses--and I'm seeing less and less "use of abacus" as an accommodation, irrelevant in HS history class.<br /><br />However, I do see too many instances of kids being limited by their ed plans. I have one student whose plan says "do not call on." Now, in my classes, I never put kids on the spot. If I ask the whole class a question...they are instructed to write their responses first. And the questions I ask are opinion questions, not right or wrong. But the IEP assumes the worst of the teacher.<br /><br />Also, this year I found several ed plans now include "enjoys working on the computer" as a strength. But, when I took these kids to the lab and asked them to post on the class blog, each one had a near panic attack. Here I thought I was playing to an area of success. But again the IEP and real classroom situations are not jiving. <br /><br />In all--I find ed plans much too vague, and as you say, not individualized enough to really help the regular ed teachers who work with IEP kids.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08961918965733544135noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-39967707537220876492010-09-11T12:03:46.660-04:002010-09-11T12:03:46.660-04:00Love your post. I find ridiculously written IEPs a...Love your post. I find ridiculously written IEPs all over the place and perhaps circulating your post will help. It's about the student. It's not about what the teacher wants or the "teacher's time." <br /><br />I often hear teachers say that every student in the school should have an IEP. Sure. Why not? Ask the students to write their goals. Then ask HOW. How will you get there?<br /><br />I would love to collaborate with you or be able to email/blog/tweet more with you. I'm inspired by many of your posts.<br /><br />My blogs are- <br />http://mlkolis.blogspot.com<br />and<br />http://staff.bbhcsd.org/kolismMorganhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08347476640230086170noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-28902401866163966662010-09-10T17:50:23.148-04:002010-09-10T17:50:23.148-04:00The idea that this type of plan would take too lon...The idea that this type of plan would take too long to write and implement is preposterous in relation to the amount of time we spend testing these students in class or through HS testing. <br /><br />The thing that is really bothering me is that we should not be targeting disabled students with this type of plan, we should be doing it with each student. While some parts may not be necessary for all students, most of it has inherent value for all of them. <br /><br />How about a post on a universal IEP? Something I can implement right now with my 8th grade students and in the spring with the 7th graders? Not only would this give me a much clearer picture for where I need to guide them, but it would also give them a clear picture of where they need to go.Wm Chamberlainhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06692221214846665588noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-33412849802860741502010-09-10T14:20:02.842-04:002010-09-10T14:20:02.842-04:00I have never seen an IEP which was anything other ...I have never seen an IEP which was anything other than a plan to trick the kid into doing what the teacher wanted.paul bogushhttp://blogush.edublogs.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-45271069108003115282010-09-09T21:26:02.078-04:002010-09-09T21:26:02.078-04:00These are brilliant ideas, all reasonable and prac...These are brilliant ideas, all reasonable and practical on many levels. Implementing them in 'the system' will, unfortunately, not be so easy, I'm afraid, because of all the people who've made careers out of maintaining the current language/style.<br /><br />I'm personally interested in using the Google form for feedback; I'd much rather do that than the mostly meaningless behavior contracts that I pick up off the floor in the hall after school. If you have a link to an elementary example, please share.<br /><br />Thanks for your very useful and transformative work.Dan McGuirehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17165245665212961209noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19457872.post-72383578303488260502010-09-09T20:24:52.279-04:002010-09-09T20:24:52.279-04:00""Homer" is one of the smartest peo...""Homer" is one of the smartest people I know, and one of the most acute observers of the world. Yet I have no doubt that those facts were not "front and centre" on any IEP written for him."<br /><br />Golly. Ira says I'm smart. :-)<br /><br />But I can tell you that what you say about my IEP is correct, because there was no IEP. My grades weren't abysmal, and I wasn't a discipline problem, so clearly there was no problem from the school's perspective. All the numbers were reasonably good, so no one asked: Are you having trouble?<br /><br />Even after I stopped going to school, the calls my parents were getting had more to do with my parents' legal responsibilities than what kind of services the school could offer. They were more threatening than helpful. My assumption through the whole thing was that any problem I might be having with school was my responsibility and no one else's.<br /><br />Apparently, things are better now.<br /><br />--htbAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com