Thinking about using AI in your special education classroom? Odds are that you have been using it already! Here are 25 ways to integrate it!
Writing IEP transition goals can be difficult for special educators but using resources and hacks can make this process a lot easier.
Writing a strengths-based IEP can be challenging if you are only looking at academic achievements. Here are some other ways of doing it.
Figuring out the perfect IEP goals for young children can be both challenging. Here are 5 of my favorite preschool special education IEP goals that I believe set my students up for success.
Have you ever wondered why parent, student, teacher input is so important when writing IEP forms? Today we're going to talk about the different types...
An effective IEP is developed based on accurate comprehensive information about the student during an IEP meeting. Parents, General Education Teachers, and the Student, along with the Special Education team play an important role in the development of the IEP. Your download will include links to Google Forms to add to your Drive. This resource includes an efficient and confidential way to gather information from parents, students, and teachers to use when writing an IEP. Included in this resource is: IEP Input form for Parents in Google Forms IEP Input form for Students in Google Forms IEP Input form for Teachers in Google Forms This resource is fully editable. Are you a special education teacher that is looking for more than just this IEP parent guide? Get the entire Ultimate Co-Teaching Start-Up Kit or check out this Special Education Bundle: The Whole Kit & Caboodle to get the entire ultimate co-teaching kit and everything else that you will need as a special education teacher! Your purchase of this product is for personal use only. If other teachers would like to use this product, please direct them to my Teachers Pay Teachers store to purchase the appropriate licensing. If you are a district interested in purchasing several licenses of any of my special education products, please contact me for a district-wide quote.
...and an IEP goal for that, that, and that one too!
As a parent, heading into an IEP meeting is overwhelming. Even well-seasoned parents of children with special needs get nervous before walking into a meeting where the sole purpose is to dissect what their child can and cannot do. There are some things that special education teachers can do for parents to elevate some of the anxiety that comes with attending IEP meetings. Be honest with all communication. Communicate with parents often. When you talk with parents throughout the year, do not sugar-coat everything. There is nothing worse than feeling blindsided when you have been told that "everything is fine" all year long only to hear a more realistic description during the IEP meeting. Phone calls, emails, and daily communication logs are all options, depending on the level of need. If you have a student that needs daily communication, this communication log saved me loads of time at the end of the day. Give as much unofficial notice as possible. The law says you need to give written notice five business days before an IEP meeting. However, for a lot of parents, that may not be enough time to make arrangements with their places of employment or for childcare. When you find out the date, even if you don't know the exact time, let the parents know so they can plan ahead. Supply a draft IEP and call home ahead of the meeting. Giving a draft IEP ahead of time allows parents to really review the IEP and come up with questions. Adding a brochure about IEPs like this one is a nice touch too. Do not tell the parents to call you with any questions because that can be too intimidating for some personalities. Instead, call home a few days after you send home the draft to go over the IEP with them. Set a positive mood in the meeting room. Many of the meeting spaces I have attended meetings in have been very formal conference rooms. One way to make the meeting space feel less formal and more inviting is to add a centerpiece and a small tray of snacks. A simple vase of fresh flowers along with a plate of cookies in the middle of the table can turn a cold boardroom into an inviting space. Have a familiar person collect the parent from the waiting area. When possible, have a familiar face walk the parents back to the meeting. Engage in casual conversation on the way to the meeting room. Chances are, the parents are really nervous and chatting with a familiar person can calm their nerves a bit. Have everybody introduce themselves. At the start of the meeting, have everybody introduce themselves and give their role in the meeting. Even if the parents are seasoned and have been to several meetings, they may only see the people at the table once a year. Introductions are important. A warm smile and a hello can go a long way to help a parent feel at ease. Give an overview of the meeting. For parents attending an IEP meeting for the first time, not knowing what the meeting will look like is a major concern. Sharing a meeting agenda is helpful, even for parents that have attended IEP meetings in the past. I love this one that also includes space for the parents to take notes if they would like. Share growth and positives. When each person takes their turn to talk about the student, make sure everybody begins with positive qualities and growth. After you share growth, then go into detail about struggles, concerns, and goals. Always remember who you are talking to. You are talking to these parents about their greatest love of all time. Put yourself in their shoes and show those parents the same compassion and honesty you would hope for. Check in after the meeting. Call the parents within a few days of the meeting to go over the decisions made and to answer any additional questions. Remind the parents that you are always available to answer questions about the IEP and about their child's educational programs. These are just a few things that you can do to make an IEP meeting less overwhelming for a parent. What else do you and your team do to make parents for comfortable with the process?
Progress reports are an essential part of the IEP process. Get tips and tricks for writing them and how to showcase your students' progress.
There's an IEP goal for that...
Special Education teachers are the masters of data collection! At times, collecting data can be overwhelming, especially when you sometimes have to outsource the collecting to other teachers, specialists, or teaching assistants. Tracking accommodations is necessary to make sure an IEP is being followed and can be helpful in determining which accommodations should be added to or removed from the IEP. Believe it or not, collecting data on accommodations and modifications does not have to consume your life! Share Information Be sure to share vital information with all teachers and assistants that work with your students. I have an accommodations organizer that I organize all of the information of my class. The information is in one place which is helpful for sharing information with assistants, special area teachers, and substitutes. When I first began teaching, I did not bother sharing such information with special area teachers until it was brought to my attention that a student of mine did not complete a test in physical education class. That student had trouble reading and was supposed to have his tests read. The PE teacher was unaware of his accommodations and therefore did not deliver them. I use a special form that reminds me of who needs to be informed of accommodations and modifications at the beginning of the school year and after an IEP annual review. Train Your Team If you have paraprofessionals in your classroom working with students, it is important to train them in how to deliver and how to track accommodations and modifications. Some interventions are more detailed than others. Observe your team while they are working with students and provide feedback as needed. The time you put in to properly train your team to record data the same way you would is so well spent! Use Checklists When I first started teaching, I used to write notes on a post-it that included which accommodations and modifications were used on assignments along with their effectiveness. It was very time consuming and often times, I forgot to add some things. Finally, I came up with a few checklists and forms to help the process. Level of Support One of the forms I use tracks the level of support a student needs from an adult. I use this one to determine the need for a 1:1 teaching assistant. It is useful before adding a TA and to collect data to see if continuing the intervention is a necessity. The adult that works with the student at that time fills it out while working with the student. Accommodations and Modifications Tracker I use this form two ways, depending on what I am collecting data for. As an IEP meeting approaches, I like to review the need for the interventions on the IEP. I can track the types of interventions are needed for different types of assignments and activities. More importantly, I can track the effectiveness of such interventions. I can also cut this tracker apart to staple it onto work samples. The work samples can be to show the Committee on Special Education the student's growth or regression. I also like to send work home with students with the form filled out from time to time so parents can see what kind of help the student needs in order to complete assignments at school. Frequency Tracker Another way I like to track the use of accommodations and modifications needed in school is with a frequency tracker I created. This gives me a quick visual of which interventions are being used and which are not. I focus on this during the weeks before a meeting so I can determine which accommodations and modifications need to remain, be added, or be removed from an IEP. Data collection is so important but it doesn't have to take over your entire life. Once you create a few checklists that fit your classroom or purchase one of the many checklists and charts from my TpT store, you will save yourself a ton of time and will have more data than you've ever had before!
Track IEP goals easily while students become accountable documenting their own progress, too! Data tracking made easy! With IEP goal and objectives tracking, these Special Education data tracking sheets make it simple to document IEP progress monitoring for students with autism, behavior IEP goals, speech therapy, social skills, independent functioning and more! Easy to track data for IEP Goals. Editable data collection sheets included to add IEP Goals, objectives and student information. ADDITIONAL EDITABLE (easy to type) DATA SHEETS for academic, social/emotional, independent functioning, and behavior goals added! Special Education IEP Goal Data Sheets for Teachers & Students: NOW FULLY EDITABLE! Just begin typing in the highlighted areas when Adobe opens and begin! If you need help, please let me know and I will help you. You may also print these and fill the data in by hand (my preferred method for a busy autism classroom!). Tracking IEP Goal data has never been easier or more convenient. Choose from monthly data sheets with objectives or yearly sheets without objectives. The data sheets are in PDF format and all data and goals will be entered manually. Have your classroom assistant take an active role in tracking data, too, and place these handy IEP Data tracking cards with holders near a Center or areas where the assistant will be working one-on-one with a student. Best of all, watch your students beam with pride as they can record their own data and take ownership of their goals! Color in green for a job well done, yellow for some great effort, and red if behaviors or compliance interferes with task completion. For assistance writing IEP Goals, visit our FREE IEP Goal Bank at AutismEducators.com. Please feel welcome to contact me at: [email protected]. For easy LESSON PLAN templates and CLASSROOM forms, check this out! NO FRILLS Editable Forms and Schedule Templates for Special Education AUTISM To View our BRAND NEW Student Assessments with DATA sheets, IEP GOALS, PLP (Present Level of Performance) SENTENCE STARTERS and fun STUDENT ASSESSMENT booklets, click here! FOR ADDITIONAL DATA SHEETS, PLEASE CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW: Special Education Student/Parent DAILY SNAPSHOT Communication Notes with Data Enjoy! Debbie For more FREE activities Go to AutismEducators. com
Thinking about using AI in your special education classroom? Odds are that you have been using it already! Here are 25 ways to integrate it!
An IEP is made up of many different parts. Each part has a specific purpose within the IEP. Let me teach you about the basic parts of an IEP.
There comes a time in every special educator’s life when writing IEPs leads to feelings of being burned out. And trust me, IEP writing burnout is real. The constant pressure to make sure your students’ needs are addressed in detail with the appropriate accommodations and interventions can weigh on even the most experienced of teachers. […]
As special education teachers, we are constantly needing to assess students. Sometimes, we are assessing new students for move-ins or evaluations, while other times, we are assessing before an annual case conference. Either way, you need something that is quick, easy, and effective. Letters & Sounds For our younger learners, we might need to know […]
Teaching reading has always been a struggle for me. The curriculum I was using needed something more. I needed something more hands-on, more engaging so that my students made better progress. I also wanted to provide the main instruction instead of my paras or peer tutors. Throughout the time I was teaching, I continually added and changed how language arts and reading instruction in my classroom looked, and it's been a successful change!
🔬 Science Present Level of Performance Form - For IEPs Simplify your IEP writing process with this easy-to-use Science Present Level of Performance Form! 🎯 Designed for general education teachers, this 2-page PDF helps you gather valuable insights on student strengths and areas for growth, ensuring that special education teachers can create meaningful and measurable Present Levels of Performance for IEPs. What's Included: 📝 2-Page PDF: A clear, organized form for math teachers to provide feedback on student performance. 📈 Comprehensive Input: Get detailed insights on student strengths and challenges. 🔄 Improve IEP Quality: Use this form to enhance the accuracy of IEPs and progress reports. Make your IEP process more efficient and effective - download this Math Present Level of Performance Form today! 🚀 You might also be interested in: Present Levels of Performance Forms Bundle _____________________________________________ If you have any comments or suggestions, I'd be happy to hear about them. I make my resources for you, so if you need anything, feel free to let me know! It helps me learn which products you'd like me to make next. ☺️ Terms of Use: Please note that this product is for personal classroom use by a single teacher. You have permission to copy for SINGLE classroom use only. Electronic distribution is limited to SINGLE classroom use only. (Thanks for understanding!) All rights reserved by Jodi Bree Romero.
Writing quality IEP goals is an important skill that every special education teacher should have. Learn a process for writing SMART IEP goals that support students with disabilities in being successful with grade level curriculum.
One of the toughest tasks as a special education teacher is to create an effective pull-out schedule that works for all. This post explains how to make it work.
IEP goals, IEP goal banks, special education, sped goals, writing sped goals
IEP Annual Review Process CHECKLIST Are you a New York City special education teacher who writes IEPs and enters information into SESIS? Then this checklist will be your best friend when IEP writing time approaches! I made this checklist to help me remember all the steps that are required before, during, and after I write my IEPs. The checklist is broken down into sections: Before IEP meeting IEP Meeting After IEP Meeting Ready to Finalize Prior Written Notice with steps, in order, of all the things that need to be scheduled, confirmed, updated, completed, contacted, printed, scanned, created, saved, changed, edited, set, and recorded as events in SESIS. This checklist is NOT a guide on how to write an IEP! It is to help you through the process from scheduling to finalizing an IEP for Annual Review. I printed this checklist and put it in a page protector so I can use a dry erase marker to check all the boxes (so satisfying!) as I complete each step. Then I erase it and use it over and over as I start each IEP! I hope this helps to make the IEP process a bit quicker for you! :) XOXO
Developing measurable goals for an effective Individualized Education Program (IEP) is vital for supporting the educational needs of special education students. When it comes to spelling IEP goals, setting clear and achievable objectives can significantly enhance a student’s language skills and overall academic success. In this blog post, we’ve got a comprehensive goal bank for… Read More »Spelling IEP Goals (Measurable Goal Bank for Writing Objectives)
In this article, I outline survival tips for first-year special education teachers. My survival guide includes advice about planning, IEPs, networking, prioritizing, and more with lots of resources.
Supporting kids with special needs works best when both regular education and special education staff work together. That's why it is helpful for all teachers to understand how they can modify and accommodate for students in their classrooms. For newer teachers, learning that you need to modify work
IEP Sample Language for AAC and AT, including Assessment Plans, Present Levels, Special Factors, Accommodations, Services Statements, and more! If you’re an AAC specialist, AT specialist, SLP, OT, or Special Education Teacher, you will LOVE this 100% editable document, with my time-tested, school district lawyer-approved, example language for compliant and clear IEPs. Every IEP is individualized, but having some ideas can jumpstart your writing process. Don’t struggle with writer’s block, and definitely don’t resort to AI! Get this product instead, and you’ll have a reference you know you can count on. From now on you’ll breeze through all of your: Assessment Plans for AAC and AT AAC Screening Results Present Levels Pages for AAC and AT Special Factors Pages for AAC and AT Accommodations Sections for AAC and AT Services Statements for AAC and AT Plus you’ll get a framework for goal writing, some sample AAC goals, and a short list of links to my favorite goal writing references. - Brianna Hughes, SLP & AAC/AT Specialist www.briannahughesSLP.com www.aacscreening.com https://www.instagram.com/brianna.hughes.slp/ https://www.facebook.com/brianna.hughes.slp Looking for an AAC/AT Specialist to coach you as you're learning more about AAC/AT? I've been there and I can help! Let's work together: https://www.briannahughesslp.com/coaching Terms of Use: Sharing is not always caring! Thank you for respecting the work and experience it takes to make a unique product like this one. This single-license resource is for your use only. You may edit the document as needed and use it in your IEPs. If others are interested in getting a copy, please refer them to my site or TPT Store so they can purchase their own license. You may not resell this resource, nor should you represent that it is your own. For full terms of use, please see https://www.briannahughesslp.com/terms and click "Digital Products Terms of Use". If you have any questions you may reach out to [email protected].
Technology is around our students everywhere. At school, at home, in the community. These are apps that I have used in my self-contained classroom and are loved by all of my students. List of 10 educational apps for sped, at Mrs. D's Corner.
So you’ve taught your students to write sentences. Now what? In the beginning of my career, we worked HARD on writing sentences. When it came time to take the next step into writing paragraphs, I found this was even harder for my students. We were able to write 2-3 sentences about a topic or picture, ... Read More about How to Scaffold Paragraph Writing for Special Education
It is back to school season again! Special education teachers around the country will have a stack of IEPs in front of them with various dates and loads of information to process and remember. Don't get overwhelmed. Get organized! I have a couple of little tricks that helped me stay organized and prepared for upcoming meetings. I hope you'll be able to pull something and make it work for you! Due Dates The first thing I do is look at when meetings are due. A few years ago, my district went from having all of our meetings in the spring to having them stretched out over the entire year. Yes, that means we could potentially have a annual review or triennial review during the first month of school! Since I am a visual person, I print out a one-page calendar and fill in the names in the months. Color Coding Color-coding makes my life so much easier! Once I know dates, I look at the types of meetings students will be having. I like to sort out the triennial reviews from the annual reviews since there is so much more that needs to go into preparing for them. In this case, I have my annual reviews in the green folders and my triennial reviews in the orange folders. I can quickly and easily see which kids I need to evaluate and when those evaluations are due. Post-Its I use a lot of file folders. Like more than anybody probably ever should. I like to reuse my file folders but I hate having messy labels. Post-its totally solve my problem! I can label my file folders without ruining the folders. I write the student's name, birthdate, and the month their meeting is due on the post-it. You can write other important information on the bottom of the post-it such as medications or ID numbers. Sometimes, I use more than one post-it on the inside of the folder for information that I may quickly need to access. Once the folder is closed, you can keep confidential information hidden if you put it low enough or on a separate post-it. Fill the Folders At the beginning of the year, I fill the folders with what I will need. I like to keep a checklist of what I will need for the meeting. I can check off what is included and easily see what I am missing. If a student has a triennial review, I also load the folder with the testing protocols. There is nothing worse that getting ready to test a student and finding out that you are out of protocols and need to order more! When I load the folders, I will know right away if I need to order more and can do so before I need them. Since I bring the folder with me to the meeting, I also put a notes sheet in each folder so I won't forget it. My notes sheet helps my stay organized and on-task during the meeting as well as helps me document what happened during the meeting for my own records. During the school year leading up to the meeting, I throw in work samples, notes from parents, doctors, or teachers, assessments, and anything else that may be needed at the meeting. I treat these folders as working files. They are for my own records and I can put things in and take things out as needed. At the end of the year, I sort through each file to determine what needs to be saved in their folder that I keep from year to year before passing it along to their next teacher. The other contents will either be shredded or sent home with the student. It certainly isn't a perfect system but it helps me out a ton! You can find all of organization sheets I use along with all of my other special education resources in my Special Education Bundle in my TpT store. Thanks for stopping by!
Don’t stress out about running the best IEP meeting you can. I’ve got 7 steps to get you headed the right direction! Yes, I’ve been checking in on Facebook groups and see there is some anxiety and stress around running a successful IEP meeting. I see people worried about how long it takes to write, ... Read More about 7 Steps to Running an A+ IEP Meeting
Technology is around our students everywhere. At school, at home, in the community. These are apps that I have used in my self-contained classroom and are loved by all of my students. List of 10 educational apps for sped, at Mrs. D's Corner.
As a special educator, it can be difficult to gather the information needed to write a student's IEP. I found this especially difficult for remote learning. This Google Form was created to gather important Present Level of Performance data from my student's (on my caseload) teachers. Questions asked: general performance, independent functioning, social/emotional, communication, use of accommodations, areas of improvement, etc!
