Wrightslaw: From Emotions To Advocacy - The Special Education Survival Guide

A Tactics and Strategy Session with Pete Wright
IEP Goals and Objectives

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Question: As an LDA State President from the Midwest, I coach parents on how to write Present Levels of Educational Performance (PLEP) for their children's IEPs. We tell parents that standard scores from evaluations and reevaluations should be included in the PLEP.

Some schools are resistant. They insist on documenting PLEP statements by "teacher observations," instead of using objective information from standardized tests. Teachers often "observe" a higher level of performance than tests show. If parents find themselves in due process, does it matter if the PLEP has objective "measurable facts" or subjective "teacher observations?"
Pete's Response: It's great to hear what you are doing. It is so important for parents to become involved with disability organizations. When parents are involved, they learn from the journeys taken by other parents. When parents have fought their own battles, afterwards they can be so helpful to other parents who may not yet realize how to be effective advocates for their children, and other children.
In regard to your particular question, I wouldn't fight a battle over this issue. If parents get measurable facts in the record (into evidence) and the school insists on using subjective data, then an independent observer will draw the conclusion that the school is not interested in tracking educational progress. This is exactly the conclusion you want this person to draw. (BTW, PLEP is also referred to as PLOP.)
Question: We usually suggest that parents consult with a private educational specialist to help them write meaningful goals and objectives for the IEP (for example, a reading specialist if the child has a reading problem). This specialist will usually avoid dictating that a specific program must be used but will write IEP goals and objectives requiring a specific type of instructional method.
The consultant will also suggest what tools to use to measure educational progress - mastery of the IEP goals and objectives. Do you have additional thoughts on measuring progress and writing meaningful goals & objectives?
Pete's Response: I definitely recommend that parents consult with an independent specialist to get good goals & objectives in the IEP.
Often, the school staff want the IEP goals to track their regular curriculum. So the school may use the Brigance to measure progress because this is how they will re-assess later. The school usually wants IEP goals that are related to the school curriculum (e.g., a Brigance-related goal about ‘map reading skills’ for a 9th grade student.) They often lose sight of the fact that this child is reading three, four, or even five years behind his or her peer group. This is exactly what happened in James Brody's case (you'll find a LINK to the Brody Decision at the end of this article )
When children learn to read, they will be independent learners for life. What is that story about the fish?
"Give a person a fish and you feed him for a day . . . Teach him how to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime?" Isn't this the same concept?
Should we read TO these children and give them "talking books" to help them "master the curriculum?" Should we provide accommodations and modifications so that the child will learn the subject matter (history or science)? Or, should we use our time to provide good quality one-on-one remediation in the acquisition of reading skills?
Private schools that specialize in teaching children with learning disabilities take children who are several years behind in basic skills and push the kids very hard. These schools focus intensively on teaching basic reading, writing, arithmetic and spelling skills. In most cases, after two or three years of hard work, the children are up to grade level in basic skills. At that point, the focus shifts. The school focuses on subject matter and content and the children thrive.
Public school staff often lower their expectations, feel sorry for the children, don't know how to teach the children, don't know how to teach basic skills. The children are then exiled to a life of inadequate skills.
Often, I say, "There, but for the grace of God, go I."
If Diana King had not intervened in my life and insisted that I acquire basic reading, writing, arithmetic, and spelling skills (and insisted that my parents have high expectations for me), I could have easily been a smart, angry, drop-out with low self-esteem.
Question: We tell parents to avoid asking for a specific program (Orton-Gillingham, for example), but instead give the LEA a selection of acceptable possibilities (i.e., Wilson Language, SPIRE, Orton, Project Read, etc.) which becomes a list of "Whatever best suits the needs of the LEA."
We also arm our families with a list of tutors. Often, the school doesn't have anyone who is trained to implement appropriate goals and objectives. This way, the child can begin to receive appropriate services immediately. Any other thoughts on this?
Pete's Response: Excellent way to do it! If a parent insists on a specific method, this insures that the school will NEVER provide this method, come hell or high water. If a method needs to be recommended, I have the outside expert recommend it, not the parent.
This is part of the "school culture" problem - parents are not allowed to be knowledgeable about education or what their children need.
Question: We have no private remedial day schools in our community and the nearest residential school is seven hours away. Parents are often reluctant to send their children so far away from home.
To combat this issue, we teach parents to negotiate for school-paid private reading tutors for Extended School Year (ESY) and even during the school year itself. We've found that some large schools of over 1,000 students say that they "do not have any children who qualify for ESY." How can this be true?
Pete's Response: You bring up two very important issues - private tutoring and extended school year services.
For most families, getting one-on-one tutoring by a private specialist is a much better option than sending the child away to a residential school. Good tutoring insures that the child will receive the remediation he or she needs. It is much less disruptive and much less expensive than sending the child away, especially for younger children. The tutoring has to be intense and of good quality. Too often tutors working with a child with dyslexia are not well trained and a lot of quality time is wasted. Five times a week, focusing on the basic reading, writing, arithmetic and spelling skills is what is needed. I would much prefer to see quality tutoring an hour a day one on one, for one of my clients in lieu of a baby-sitting self-contained or resource class.
Many people don't realize that individualized tutoring, one on one, in lieu of a "special education classroom" is permitted under IDEA-97. At our website, look up Title 20 Section 1401 Definitions, subsections 22 and 29, related services and supplementary aids and services and you can see the statute that permits that service.
You say "some large schools of over 1,000 students say that they 'don't have any children who qualify for ESY. How can this be true?"
It isn't true. Schools will often fight huge battles to avoid any ESY. Most school staff don't know what the law requires in Extended School Year services. The law requires that schools provide children with the educational services they need - not just what is convenient for the school administration. Children with learning disabilities need repetition - they don't get repetition when schools take long breaks in the summer and other holidays. The Reusch case that is posted at our website does a good job explaining the standards and requirements for ESY.
Question: Many parents are doing all the work in writing good PLEP statements and meaningful IEP Goals & Objectives. They are asking the LEA members of the IEP team to include their requests in the IEP.
Most parents who are new to the IEP process really struggle to write a PLEP and don't know how to write appropriate IEP Goals & Objectives. Might we might damage a case by coaching parents to write the PLEP & IEP Goals and Objectives?
Pete's Response: As to "damaging " a case - your first objective is always to get the help the child needs. Everything else is secondary.
Remember - it is the school's responsibility to educate. Often, the school doesn't do a good job. In a way, parents are watchdogs. The new law gives parents more power in all special ed decisions. Check the proposed regs about IEPs - we have them at our web site.
For example, the new regs say that -
"The parents of a child with a disability are expected to be equal participants along with school personnel, in developing, reviewing, and revising the IEP for their child. This is an active role in which the parents
Provide critical information about their child’s abilities, interests, performance, and history,
Participate in the discussion about the child’s need for special education and related services and supplementary aids and services, and
Join with the other participants in deciding . . . what services the agency will provide to the child and in what setting. "
The new regs also say that the IEP team must consider the parents' concerns and information that parents provide about their child when they develop and review the child’s IEP. The new regs say that parents must be advised about their child’s progress toward the annual IEP goals and must be advised if the child is making enough progress to meet the IEP goals by the end of the year.
The bottom line is that parents must learn how to write IEP goals and objectives and how to measure educational progress objectively.
Be sure that your parents read and understand our article about tests and measurements and learn how to chart and graph test scores. Charts of progress - or lack of progress - are very powerful tools at IEP meetings. And tell them the story about the fish.
In this article are references to the following articles on this site:
Understanding Tests and Measurements for Parents and Advocates
Reviewing Officer's Decision - Brody