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In this issue the Promising Practices Forum we have been asked to provide an issue directed toward the students. Below is a guide that can be given to middle and high school students to understand their Individual Education Plan (IEP). Better still, it is a great guide for all teachers on items that should be included in an Individual Education Plan.

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Understanding your Individual Educational Plan

Nine Things to look for in Your IEP

When you ask to see your IEP, it may seem confusing at first because it may have many parts and big words. It helps if you know what to look for. Following are descriptions and explanations of the most important parts. An IEP should include all or most of these items; the specifics of your IEP will depend on your needs and circumstances.

1. A statement about your present level of educational performance.

For example, let's say that you are in the 9th grade, but you are reading at the 5th grade level. Your present level of educational performance in reading would be stated on your IEP as "5th grade."

Your present level of performance is usually determined by achievement test scores or by class work, such as written assignments and tests. It should be stated for each class in which you need special help or modifications. Ask your teacher to look at your IEP with you, show you what it says about your present level of performance, and explain what the numbers mean. What if you disagree with what your IEP says about your present levels of performance? Tell your teacher and ask to take some more tests. You have the right to see your IEP, to have it explained to you, and to ask for changes to be made.

2. Long- term learning goals.

Your long- term learning goals, also called annual goals, should be written as clear statements. They should spell out specific things you will accomplish by the end of the year. You need to be able to read and understand them thoroughly.

For example, let's say that the IEP team decides that you should learn how to balance a checkbook. Your IEP will include a statement something like this: " [YOUR NAME] will be able to balance a checkbook by the end of the year."

Check to see that the long- term goals included in your IEP are right for you. Maybe you would like more goals written into your IEP. Maybe you believe that you can accomplish some of the goals before the end of the year, but others will take longer than a year. Tell your teacher and ask for a revision of your IEP. The more you agree with your long-term goals, the more you will want to work to achieve them.

3. Short- term learning objectives with measurable goals.

These are like the long- term goals, except that they take less time. Short- term objectives are the small steps you take on the way to achieving your long- term goals. For example, the long- term goal, Learn How to Balance a Checkbook, might include these short- term objectives:

learn how to record checks in a checkbook, and

learn how to balance a bank statement.

Measurable goals that go along with these short- term objectives might be:

Student will record checks correctly 90 percent of the time over a three-month period. This includes recording the date of the check, the check number, the person or business it was written to, and the amount."

Student will get the same balance on the checkbook and the bank statement 85 percent of the time over a three- month period."

Each long-term goal included in your IEP should have several short- term objectives with measurable goals.

4. Any special education help you will need.

You and your parents may believe that you can learn in a regular classroom with special help. That help might come from the regular classroom teacher, or from the special education teacher. For example, maybe you would like to tape record classroom lectures so you can review them later. Or perhaps you think it would help to read written outlines of the lectures ahead of time and follow along in class. These ideas should be written into your IEP.

You have the right to make sure that your teachers follow the instructions in your IEP. For example, if your IEP says, "The science teacher will provide reading materials written at the 5th grade level," then that is what should happen. If it doesn't, try reminding your teacher -- respectfully -- that this is written in your IEP. For example, you might say, "I really need the special reading materials for science -- the ones listed in my IEP. How soon do you think I can get them?" If the teacher still doesn't give you the materials, tell your parents or make an appointment to talk to the principal.

Some teenagers with LD don't know their rights. They just sit in the classroom and feel angry or sorry for themselves because they aren't learning anything. They know they could learn, if only their teacher would make a few changes to help them. Now that you know your rights, we hope you will use them to learn as much as you can while you're in school.

Rhoda says, "I once attended an IEP team meeting for Sam, a 17- year- old with LD. Sam and his mother were at the meeting. Some of the teachers started saying that Sam was lazy and didn't want to work, but I knew better. Sam had a good part-time job after school. His boss liked him very much and described him as one of the best workers he had ever hired. Also, Sam knew he wasn't lazy. He stood up for himself at the IEP meeting and told the teachers how they could change things in the classroom to help him learn. Some of his teachers didn't want to make the changes, but Sam and his mother insisted. Sam's mother wouldn't sign the IEP until the changes were written into it, and she asked that the IEP team meet every three months to make sure the changes were being carried out."

5. Any special services you will need.

These might include speech therapy, transportation, or counseling. Gary says, "Marietta is a 16- year- old with LD. She has a speech problem and needs to see a speech therapist every day, but she goes to a school where the speech therapist only comes once a week. So Marietta's IEP includes a written statement saying that she will receive speech therapy every day from a therapist who works in another school several blocks away. A school bus comes to get Marietta at 2:00 p.m. every day and takes her to the other school."

The law says that you have the right to special services if you need them. You have the right to as many of those services as you need, for as long as you need them. If you have to go somewhere else to get those services, you have the right to ask the school to provide transportation.

6. A statement describing how much time you will spend in the regular classroom.

The law says that students with LD should be included in the regular classroom as much as possible. If you will be in the regular classroom, your IEP should say exactly how much time you will spend there. It should say how much time you will spend in the other places you go to learn, such as the resource room or the special education classroom. The goal, written in your IEP, should be for you to spend more and more time in the regular classroom, if that is right for you. If you learn best with students who are not LD, you have the right to be educated with them.

7. Reasons why you are not receiving all of your education in the regular classroom.

If some of your learning is taking place in the special education classroom and some in the regular classroom, your IEP should give reasons why. For example, let's say that you go to the special education classroom for math. Your IEP should explain why you can't learn math well in the regular classroom.

8. All of the people who will be responsible for making sure that your educational goals and objectives are carried out.

If you spend part of each day in the special education classroom and part in the regular classroom, your IEP should include the names of both the special education teacher and your regular classroom teachers. All of the teachers you will be working with should receive a copy of your IEP. Each of them is responsible for following the IEP requirements.

9. Goals and objectives for helping you plan for life as an adult.

Your IEP should include specific goals and objectives for helping you to prepare for life after high school. These might cover such areas as getting a job, preparing to live on your own, and taking part in school activities that build life skills. Because these goals and objectives are related to the transition between being a student and being an adult, they are called an Individualized Transition Plan (ITP). Your ITP may be a separate document, or it may be part of your IEP.

The law says that all teenagers with LD must have a written ITP by the time they are 16 years old. We believe this should happen as early as elementary school. It's never too soon to start planning for your future success. If you are younger than 16, ask for an ITP to be written for you. Make this request at your next IEP meeting.

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