Writing and Measuring IEP Objectives FEAT-Austin Training August 28, 2008

1. Writing and Measuring IEP Objectives FEAT-Austin TrainingAugust 28, 2008 Presented by: Rany Thommen, M.Ed., BCBA

2. Presenter Board Certified Behavior Analyst FEAT-Austin Advisory Board Member Bluebonnet Trails Autism Program rany.thommen@bluebonnetmhmr.org

3. Presentation Contents Proactive approach: Focus on the future, not the past and learn what you as a parent can do to write better IEP objectives starting today Facts not personal opinion: What special education law says about writing and measuring IEP objectives (Section 1414 of IDEA) IEPs serve as the roadmap for educational services.

4. Special Education Laws �I�m not a lawyer�I don�t know how to interpret the law� IDEA 2004 No Child Left Behind Texas Side-by-side

5. IDEA Individuals with Disabilities Education Act Changes made in 2004 Consistent with No Child Left Behind All state special education laws must be consistent with IDEA

6. IDEA 2004: Important Sections Section 1400: Findings and Purpose Section 1401: Definitions Section 1412: State Responsibilities Section 1414: Evaluations, Eligibility, IEPs, Placement Section 1415: Procedural Safeguards

7. IDEA 2004: Section 1400 Purpose of IDEA: �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.� 20 U.S.C. 1400(d)(1)(A) Purpose of education in special education is no different than in general education-to teach individuals the skills they need to lead a functional life

8. IDEA 2004: Section 1401 Definitions IDEA 2004 provides definitions for commonly used IEP terms Example: �Highly Qualified Teachers� �the teacher has obtained full State certification as a special education teacher (including certification obtained through alternative routes to certification), or passed the State special education teacher licensing examination, and holds a license to teach in the State as a special education teacher, expect that when used with respect to any teacher teaching in a public charter school, the term means that the teacher meets the requirements set forth in the State�s public charter school law�� 20 U.S.C. 1401 (10)(B)(i)

9. Before Choosing Goals Record priorities: write goals that are priorities to the family, reflect weaknesses from previous year, and help the child lead a functional life (socially and functionally significant) Baseline data: record child�s current performance level before writing goals so that you write in realistic expectations Review school evaluations to determine present level of performance IEP must include �a statement of the child�s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including how the child�s disability affects the child�s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum� (Section 1414)

10. School Evaluations Use objective tests and assessments Review to not only see present level of performance but also to see what accommodations are required for next year to address these goals. Independent evaluations Education agency �shall use a variety of assessment tools and strategies to gather relecant functional, developmental, and academic information including information provided by the parent� 20 U.S.C. 1414 (b)(2)(a)

11. Sample Evaluation Woodcock Johnson Tests of Achievement � Third Edition Administered by ___ LSSP Cluster Score 05-07-04 09-07-06 Letter-Word Id. 116 118 Word Attack 104 104 Basic Reading 111 111 Broad Reading 133 Reading Fluency 133 146 Passage Comp. 102 106 Reading Vocabulary 118 123 Reading Comp. 111 111 Spelling 118 121 Calculations 118 147 Math Fluency 110 114 Math Calculations 118 Applied Problems 140 Quantitative Concepts 138 Math Reasoning 135 Written Fluency 106 107 Writing Samples 136 Written Expression 120

12. What does IDEA say about behavior challenges? �in the case of a child whose behavior impedes the child�s learning or that of others, consider the use of positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies to address that behavior� 20 U.S.C. 1414(d)(3)(B) Cannot determine different placement without conducting a functional behavior assessment Section 1465 (NEW) Positive behavioral supports (PBS), research-based interventions

13. IDEA 2004: IEP Requirements Section 1414(d): �a statement of the child�s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance including how the child�s disability affects the child�s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum�and for children with disabilities who take alternate assessments align to alternate achievement standards, a description of benchmarks or short-term objectives� �a statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals designed to meet the child�s needs that result from the child�s disability to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum��measurable annual academic goals� �a description of how the child�s progress toward meeting the annual goal.. will be measured and when periodic reports on the progress the child is making toward meeting the annual goals (such as through the use of quarterly or other periodic reports, concurrent with the issuance of report cards) will be provided �a statement of the special education and related services and supplementary aide and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable, to be provided to the child, or on behalf of the child, and a statement of the program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided for the child

14. Let�s Write! IDEA mandates that teachers write measurable goals that include 4 components: Who, Behavior, Condition, Mastery Criteria (Who, What, When, Where, How) **SAME components that behavior analysts use to write goals

15. Behavior Behaviors are described in Observable and Measurable terms Section 1414

16. Demonstration

17. Observable Clearly defined so that any reader can understand what the behavior �looks like� Describe the behaviors you can actually see What is the person physically doing Be specific, state just the facts

18. Observable Not Observable Talking Flapping hands Standing up Clapping Hands Jumping Walking Pointing Labeling Understand Frustrated Learning Aware Participating Playing Fidgety Socializing

20. Described behavior should not be left to one�s interpretation Write goals in a way that anyone reading it could recognize the behavior Data is collected accurately

21. Example Johnny will increase communication. Observable Terms: Johnny will request the items book, movie, and toy by signing or by handing the corresponding picture to an adult OR Johnny will request a break by raising his hand and verbally saying �I need/want a break��

22. Example Edward will increase school organization. Observable Terms: Edward will read board and write down homework assignments written on the board into his planner OR Edward will open his binder, take out completed homework assignments, and place them on teacher�s desk

23. Conditions Under what conditions should the behavior take place: Examples: Edward will read the board and write down homework assignments written on the board into his planner when the last school bell rings. Johnny will request the items book, movie, and toy by signing or by handing the picture of the item to an adult after trading in tokens.

24. Measurable What exactly do you want to increase or decrease? Items you can measure Frequency (how many times) Duration (how long) Rate (percentage) Latency (how long it takes individual to begin behavior once given an instructional cue) Prompt Level (verbal, gestural, physical) Topography (shape the behavior takes)

25. Example Johnny will request the items book, movie, and toy by signing or by handing the corresponding picture to an adult after trading in tokens Measure: frequency, topography, prompt level Edward will read the board and write down homework assignments written on the board into his planner when the last school bell rings : Measure: rate, latency, prompt level

26. Mastery Criteria Mastery criteria should be unique to each goal Percentage alone does not tell you all the information you need for each goal Examples: 17 out of 20 responses for 5 minutes within 1 hour for 5 consecutive days Social validity (age appropriate, functionally appropriate)

27. Mastery Criteria cont. Prompt Levels: determine how many, if any prompts will be acceptable when a goal is considered mastered Types of prompts: Verbal Gesture/model Partial Physical Full Physical (hand-over-hand)

28. Example: Mastery Criteria Edward will read the board and write down homework assignments written on the board into his planner when the last school bell rings within 5 minutes for 5 consecutive days Johnny will request the items book, movie, and toy by signing or by handing the corresponding picture to an adult after trading in tokens 10 or more times per day with no more than one model or gestural prompt for 5 consecutive days.

29. Don�t forget about Maintenance and Generalization Write annual goals that reflect maintenance and generalization of skill Maintenance=skill maintained over time Generalization=skill maintained over time and across different settings, people, and materials (natural environment)

30. Putting it all Together Remember to include: 1)Who 2)Behavior -observable -measurable 3)Condition 4)Mastery Criteria

31. SMART S: Specific M: Measureable A: Action Words R: Realistic and Relevant T: Time-limited www.wrightslaw.com

32. Data Collection How do you know if you�re making progress if you do not take data? Data should be taken daily �Procedure Codes� How often and how will you review data? �a description of how the child�s progress toward meeting the annual goal.. will be measured and when periodic reports on the progress the child is making toward meeting the annual goals (such as through the use of quarterly or other periodic reports, concurrent with the issuance of report cards) will be provided� Section 1414(d) Progress notes Do not wait too long before making curriculum changes. Would you wait 9 weeks before making changes to a typically developing child�s curriculum if the child is failing?

33. Probe sheet Begin each day with probe data Easiest form of data Yes/No or +/- Taking probe data daily helps team members focus training on only the items that need training

34. Prompt Level Probe Data

36. Frequency and Duration Video tape Worksheets

37. Be Proactive: If you are not in agreement you must know what you want What do you want? How will the child demonstrate mastery? What do you want school to do to make? sure goal is addressed and mastered? You as the parent will always be the greatest advocate for your child.

38. Good Examples Math: When presented with a penny, nickel, dime, and quarter, Johnny will touch or point to a penny when verbally asked �show me penny � with 80% accuracy for 3 consecutive classes. Reading: Given a 3-5 paragraph 5th grade level short story, Johnny will write the names 2 or more characters in the story when asked to write characters with no more than 1 verbal prompt for 5 consecutive reading classes. Science: Given a worksheet with pictures of 5 different items, Johnny will circle the items that are liquids and square the items that are solids with 80% accuracy for 3 consecutive science classes.

39. Good Examples cont. PE: Given a bat, Peter will swing a bat from right to left when tossed a baseball from a distance of 5 feet, 8 out of 10 trials for 3 consecutive PE classes. Communication: Given a field of 3 items (ball, car, block), and given the instruction �give me ___,� Mary will hand the teacher the named object 4/5 trials for 5 consecutive sessions. Motor: Johnny will lift his finger and touch his nose when instructed �do this� by teacher who is modeling touching nose behavior for 4/5 trials for 3 consecutive sessions.

40. Good Examples cont. Self-help: Given the instruction �snack time is over,� or �time to clean up,� Amy will stand up, pick up her plate, walk to the trashcan, and throw all snack materials away within 10 seconds for 3 consecutive days. Social: Jim will verbally request a turn using the phrases �my turn,� �turn please,� or �I want turn� when playing a boardgame with 2 peers with no more than 2 verbal prompts by teacher in a 15 minute period for 3 consecutive play periods.

41. For more information www.wrightslaw.com Special Education Law, 2nd Edition by Peter and Pamela Wright From Emotions to Advocacy by Pam and Peter Wright Texas Education Agency: http://www.tea.state.tx.us/special.ed/rules/comm.html

42. Thank You!!! rany.thommen@bluebonnetmhmr.org