According to guidance provided by the Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) on November 16, 2015, in the form of a “Dear Colleagues” letter, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) must be aligned with state standards to ensure that high expectations and rigorous academic standards are maintained for all students with disabilities (OSERS, 2015). In support of this guidance, the Virginia Department of Education has revised its document around SBIEPs (March, 2016), as provided on its website.
Giving Students the Tools to Grow: Lifelong Learners and Productive Members of a Global Society
Posted 11/13/2015 - Author
How would educators reply if asked why they originally entered and remain in their professional positions? Most likely, their answer would be that they care deeply about the success, happiness, and safety of their students in school and in life. A word cloud, like the one pictured below, prominently displays those words in a group that occur with the highest frequency. This word cloud was created by pasting mission statements of school divisions from across the Commonwealth of Virginia into a word cloud creator. As one might expect, the word “students” appears as the most important focus in schools.
Developing Self-Determination Skills Through Student-Led IEPs
Posted 11/13/2015 - Author
The purpose of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act is “… to ensure that all children with disabilities have available to them a free appropriate public education that emphasizes special education and related services designed to meet their unique needs and prepare them for further education, employment, and independent living …” (IDEA, 2004, §601(d)(1)(A)). In order to prepare students for these future endeavors, IDEA requires the development of an Individualized Education Program (IEP) defined as a written statement for each child with a disability that is developed, reviewed, and revised in a meeting in accordance with 34 CFR 300.320 through 300.324, and that must include:
Follow Us!