IEP CASE STUDY

IEP Case Study

Dion M. Chapman
Towson State University

IEP CASE STUDY

Part 1: Background Information
I.A. Student Background

T.K. is a twelfth grade student at Reservoir High School in Fulton,

Maryland. T.K. has been diagnosed with an intellectual disability. T.K. is
an only child and lives with his mother and father. He is a certificate
track student who will be attending school until he turns 21, which will
be 12/11/2018. His diagnosis of intellectual disability qualifies him for
special education services. T.K. is an academic life skills student who
receives 7 hours and 15 minutes weekly of classroom instruction
outside the general education setting. He receives instruction outside
the general education setting for ALS Math for one period daily. In
addition, on Monday's T.K. remains at school instead of attending
Enclave and participates in work experiences and vocational learning
opportunities for three periods outside of the general education
setting. He receives support in the general education in inclusion
classes for three periods daily. T.K. receives 8 hours and 30 minutes a
week of classroom instruction in the general education setting. While
participating in Career and Technology Education Services, T.K.
participates in Enclave. In this program he will go to work in the
afternoon 4 days a week under the supervision of a special education
teacher and Para-educator. He also receives 1 session for thirty
minutes a week of Speech and Language Services. His disability affects

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several areas that relate to his education. The areas affected are his
social interaction skills, reading, math, written language, and
study/organizational skills.
T.K. mother stated that she realized something wasnt quite right
about him when he was a toddler. She stated that he was initially
referred for special education evaluation through the Calvert County
Infant and Toddler Program. In May of 2002, he received his first
psychological assessment. The concern at this time was his
impulsivity/hyperactivity and inattention. The rating scale results were
based on his teacher input that suggested the presence of significant
difficulties with learning- related behaviors. At that time he met
eligibility as a student diagnosed with Other Health Impairment. At this
time he was attending school at Patuxent Elementary School. Later in
the spring of 2003 a psychological assessment was recommended in
order to assess cognitive and processing ability. After this testing the
examiner felt that the validity and reliability of the results should be
called into question due to the impact of his impaired sensory, motor,
and or oral communication. His skills appeared scattered at the time
with scores ranging from deficient to low average range. In
addition the rating scales completed by the teacher, day care staff,
and the parent indicated significant concerns for inattention,
hyperactivity, impulsivity, social skills, and both internalizing and
externalizing behaviors. There were significant concerns across

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settings regarding his adaptive functioning, particularly in the areas
related to self-care and health/safety. The examiner then
recommended that the reader refer to the records in his file for a more
comprehensive look at his background. He then attended Appeal
Elementary School up until his 2005-06 school year. His report card
from Appeal Elementary School indicated that he attended functional
skill classes that utilized a modified curriculum. At that time he was
withdrawn from Appeal Elementary School and enrolled at Gorman
Crossing Elementary School in Howard County Maryland.
Later in November of 2008 his mother recommended a
psychological evaluation to determine his level of functioning and help
with diagnostic clarification. As a result of this evaluation he was
diagnosed with Disruptive Behavior Disorder, Anxiety Disorder,
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Pervasive
Developmental Disorder (PDD) ruling out Autistic Disorder, and Mild
Mental Retardation. At that time he was also diagnosed with congenital
encephalopathy with microcephaly, hypotonia, and mild global
developmental delay with a superimposed communication disorder, as
well as attention issues.
Middle school, TK attended Lime Klin Middle School for grades 6
through 8. He obtained grades of As and Bs on his report cards. These
grades reflected his progress made on a modified curriculum. In August
of 2012 he began the ninth grade at Reservoir High School. It was at

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this time he started taking Academic Life Skills (ALS) classes for Math
and English. His teachers described him as a student who was very
engaged in class and sought approval from his peers and adults. He
was involved in various school activities such as Allied Sports and Best
Buddies. He participated in Alternate Maryland School Assessment (Alt.
MSA). Currently, he is in the 12th grade and is working toward a
Maryland High School Certificate of Program Completion. He qualifies
for special education services as a student with an Intellectual
Disability. His current IEP includes goals and objectives in the areas of
Reading, Math, Written Language, Study/Organization Skills, and Social
Interaction Skills. The service hours on his IEP include special
education instruction in the general education environment for
Leadership and Strength & Conditioning and special education
instruction outside of the general education environment for ALS
classes. He also receives the related services of speech/language
therapy and occupational therapy.
TKs annual review was held on 2/04/2016. His Case Manager at
Reservoir High School schedules an annual review once a year. The
annual review is a meeting to develop, review and/or revise a students
Individualized Educational Program (IEP). Although these meetings can
be reviewed or revised anytime during the year, they have to be held
within one year from the last completed IEP meeting. This current
meeting included a review on his psychological, educational, and

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speech/language assessments as part of his reevaluation to gather
updated information and to determine if he continues to qualify for
special education services under the educational disability of
Intellectual Disability. It was determined that he achieved his current
goals and objectives and new goals and objectives were created to
work on for the next twelve months he will attend school. This meeting
also included addressing the lack of achievement in any areas and the
anticipated needs for the upcoming school year.
I.B. IEP Process
The Howard County Public School System offers a continuum of
special education services for all students who are identified as eligible
for services. These services range from consultation to general
education teachers. All decisions regarding the placement of a child
with a disability will be made by an Individualized Education Program
(IEP) team along with the input/consultation of the parents or
guardians of the student. This will be consistent with the Least
Restrictive Environment requirements if the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA) 2004. At Reservoir High School the all IEP teams
include the general education teacher, special education teacher (Case
Manager), IEP chairman that is usually the Instructional Team Leader,
and an Administrator or designee. Based upon the childs
services/disability other members of the team could include the

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Speech and Language Pathologist, Physical Therapist, Occupational
Therapist, school Psychologist, and/or the Counselor. When the
timeline gets closer to the students annual review, I meet with the
other specialists that are labeled on TKs IEP as providing services. I
meet with the Speech Pathologist, the OT, and the schools
psychologist in preparation for the meeting. We discuss the progress
that TK has made throughout the year, items we still need to work on,
and specific objectives that they think should be adjusted or changed.
In reference to prior written notice, the secretary must send home
written notice of the meeting 10 days prior to the meeting. I must then
send a copy of the students new draft IEP 5 days before the scheduled
meeting. This is to allow the parent time to review it and make
suggestions. I like to send the paperwork home in a large manila
envelope in students' backpacks and make a phone call to the parents
to let them know to be expecting the paperwork.
The parent is an important member of the IEP team. Each school
need to take steps to ensure that one or both of the parents of the
student with the disability is present at each IEP team meeting. Under
certain circumstances the parent may participate in the meeting by
phone. Parents need to be notified of the meeting early enough to
ensure that they will have an opportunity to attend, and meetings
should be scheduled at a mutually agreed on time and place. The
written notice must include the purpose, time, location of the meeting,

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and who will be in attendance. The notice must also inform parents
that at the discretion of the parents or the public agency, other
individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the
child, including related services personnel, as appropriate, may
participate on the IEP team. The determination of the knowledge or
special expertise of any individual will be made by the party (parents
or public agency) who invited the individual to be a member of the IEP
team. Upon the student turning 14 years of age, the notice must also
indicate that one purpose of the meeting will be the development of a
statement of the transition services needs of the student and the
agency that will be invited to send a representative. However before a
public agency can invite another agency representative, parental
consent is required. The parent must receive written notification at
least 10 days before any meeting that involves the development,
review, or revision of a childs IEP.
The IEP Process is a very involved and detailed procedure. As the
Case Manager, I have the responsibility to prepare the paper work for
the annual review. Each special education student at Reservoir High
School is assigned a case manager at the beginning of the school year.
I was told that I was assigned five students to my caseload within the
first couple of days of school. The first thing I do as a Case Manager is
to review the records of each student that is assigned to my caseload.
It is at this time I look at the cover page of the current IEP. I then

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identify the annual review date of each student. The date is very
important because I have to schedule the students next annual
meeting within a twelve-month period of that date. We try to schedule
our meetings a month before the annual due date is required. This is to
allow us time in case the meeting has to be rescheduled due to
weather or unforeseen problems. I then contact the parents of the
student to let them know I will be the Case Manager of their son or
daughter. I then fill out the form to let the IEP secretary know of my up
and coming annual review date. She needs to be aware of this date to
schedule the meeting so the IEP team members can be notified of the
date. She then sends an email to all the team members so that they
are aware of the time and place of the meeting. The parents are then
informed of the planned meeting and are asked if that time is allowed
in their schedule. If the meeting time is not appropriate for the parent
another date is scheduled. This is why planning the meeting a month
before the annual due date is important. The Case Manager is
responsible for reviewing and documenting the students progress
each quarter up until the next annual. After the data is recorded on the
childs progress report in the students IEP, a copy is placed in the
students file and one is sent home to the parents.
In developing the new IEP, I must consider and document:

The students strengths and weaknesses and parental concerns

for the students education;

Results of the initial or most recent evaluation of the child;

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The academic, developmental, and functional needs of the child;

Results of the childs performance on State or district-wide

assessment programs;
Communication needs;
Assistive technology devices and services needed for the

student;
Consideration of special factors, specific to the child

In addition to these items, I have to collect data from all the

members of the IEP team. As the Case Manager I start the process of
getting teacher reports from all of his teachers. This includes current
data on the progress of his current goals and objectives. The goal is
that he has made progress and has achieved the goals identified on his
current IEP. If the goals have not been met the criteria of achievement
may need to be changed or modified. I then conduct an Informal
Reading Inventory (IRI) to help determine the students reading
instructional needs. This will help me assess the students strengths
and needs in the areas of word recognition, word meaning, reading
strategies, and comprehension. I then go to his teachers to collect
work samples and ideas about the students use of his current
accommodations. I then conduct a transitional interview with the
student. This interview is conducted to get the students current
postsecondary goals. These goals must be age appropriate and related
to training, education, employment, and where appropriate,

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independent living skills. This must also include transition services
needed to assist the child in reaching those goals.
During the IEP meeting, the IEP team must adhere to specific
IDEA regulations. One example is the first IDEA regulation: Identify the
members of the IEP team. At the beginning of the meeting, each team
member introduced him or herself and identified their position on the
team. Another example of the teams adherence to IDEA regulations
includes transitional goals. Transitional goals must be included in the
IEP beginning when the child turns 14 years old. Another regulation
that the IEP team followed was requiring that the IEP be accessible to
teachers and others educational staff responsible for its
implementation. As the teacher and Case Manager I must provided
copies of the draft IEP to everyone who attends the IEP meeting. Some
IDEA regulations were not touched upon because they did not pertain
to the meeting.

Part 2: IEP Content of the IEP

II.A. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Performance
(PLAAFP)
The IEP is a document meant to address each childs unique
learning issues and include specific educational goals. It is a legally
binding document. The school must provide everything it promises in
the IEP. The IEP must include, by law:

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A statement of the childs present level of performance (PLAAFP)

The childs annual educational goals
Special education supports and services that the school will

provide to help the child reach his/her goals

Modifications and accommodations the school will provide to

help the child make progress

Accommodations the child will be allowed when taking

standardized tests
How and when the school will measure the childs progress

toward annual goals

Transition planning that prepares teens for life after high school.

The following are TKs Present Level of Academic Achievement and

Functional Performance in social interaction skills, reading, math,
study/organizational skills, and written language.
For social interaction skills, TK is performing well below grade level
in his social interaction skills as determined by SLP data and classroom
observations. He is very social and interacts with peers and staff
appropriately with most of the time. However, he tends to display
negative manners socially such as passing gas in front of people
around him. He tends to belch loudly in order to gain attention. He also
interrupts conversations without excusing himself or noticing that a
conversation was taking place. He tends to disregard the fact that the
person he wants to speak with may be on the phone or addressing
another student. TK will say, Im sorry not only when he is being
corrected but also in anticipation of being corrected. This shows that
he is self-aware in most instances but too impulsive to prevent this

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behavior. During his speech/language sessions, he is able to solve
basic social/life-skills problems with 70% accuracy, independently. He
is able to solve basic social/life-skills problems with at least 80%
accuracy when given minimal verbal support/prompting. Teacher
reports indicate that he is willing to participate in class discussions.
Within the area of Reading, TK is performing below grade level in
reading as determined by classroom-based assessments and
observations. He enjoys reading books, magazines related to cars,
horses, and airplanes. This year he has started to check out books of
interest from the library. He is able to read and answer basic questions
about the story that he has read. He can read the alphabet, months of
the year, and days of the week correctly and in sequence. Currently he
is able to state and read his home address and telephone number.
When reciting the alphabet he tends to make mistakes around the
letters L, M, and N. While working with his Enclave teacher he was able
to fill out several job applications with his name, address, and parents
names and numbers.
Math is another area that TK needs support to improve on. Based
on work samples, classroom observations, and classroom based
assessments he is below grade level. He can identify pennies, nickels,
dimes, and quarters by name and value. He has also shown the ability
to identify dollar bills correctly up to $100. He has shown the ability to
correctly count pennies at 100% accuracy. He continues to show

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difficulty when counting other denominations. When counting multiples
of coins or bills, he tends to guess. He has shown that he still has
difficulty determining if he has enough money to make a purchase of
an item in a store such as a piece of candy or a soda. When asked to
identify patterns such as locating days such as the fourth Saturday or
the first Thursday he was able to answer with 30% accuracy. While
using a calculator, he is able to complete two digit addition and
subtraction problems with 90% accuracy. When asked to do the same
using multiplication and division problems, his accuracy drops to 50%.
He was able to complete two-digit addition and three digit subtraction
problems with 100% accuracy with the use of a calculator. Using a
calculator, Tommy answered one-digit multiplication and two digit
division problems with 100% accuracy. Working with time continues to
be a difficult area. He can identify the hour but displays frustration
when asked to determine the minutes. TK was unable to state the
correct time to the half-hour.
The last area of concern was with his written language. He is
performing below grade level according to work samples and teacher
reports. He will continue to work on his writing skills when filling out job
applications and personal information forms. He has difficulty when
forming letters and numbers. He tends to write above and below the
lines on a sheet of lined paper. He can dictate complex sentences on a
given topic but his writing is not very legible. He still requires

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prompting from the teacher as to where he should write his answers.
Spacing of letters and numbers are inconsistent. He will display proper
spacing about 50% of the time.
II. B. Instructional and Testing Accommodations
TK will continue to pursue a Maryland H.S. Certificate. He has
presentation accommodations that cover auditory and multi-sensory
presentations. He is allowed the use of a human reader or audio
recording for verbatim reading of the entire test. He can also have the
use of visual cues for testing. The basis for this decision is due to TKs
difficulty with decoding. In the area of response accommodations he
can have the use of an electronic word processor. In the area of
devices that he can use to solve or organize responses TK can
mathematical tools and calculation devices. The basis for this decision
was that his disability affects his mathematics calculation, but not
mathematic reasoning. The last area of accommodations includes the
timing and scheduling of his work. He has extended time with the use
of frequent breaks. The basis for this decision is due to the fact that
breaks allow him to refocus and get back on task when he is
distracted. In addition he requires extended time in order to support
his processing of information. He also has setting accommodations in
order to reduce distraction to him as well as reduce distractions to
other students. The basis for this decision was due to his attention
problems.

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II.C. IEP Goals and Objectives
An IEP must include goals and objectives that are related to the
area of concern. These goals should be SMART (specific, measurable,
achievable relevant to the needs of the student, and time-bound) and
incorporate the principles of Universal Design for Learning (UDL). The
first area is in reference to his social interaction skills. The goal states
that he will use appropriate communication skills to interact with peers
and adults. The objectives state that given a basic social situation, he
will state the perspective of the other person (e.g., When you do/say
xyz how does it make the other person feel towards you?) and/or
solve a basic social problem, independently, with an average of 80%
accuracy, across 3 trials. The second objective states that during times
of frustration, he will use appropriate coping skills (i.e. taking a
breather) to deal with his frustrations on 3 out of 5 trials.
The next area of concern deals with the students Reading ability.
The Reading goal states the student will answer questions, identify
new vocabulary, identify main idea, and sequence events on 4/5
occasions. The evaluation method will include informal procedures and
observation records. The first objective states that given a structured
task, the student will answer inferential questions (how and why),
through expanding his response and giving a reason with 80%
accuracy. The second objective states given a variety of community
signs in the school and work environment (exit, stop, caution, etc.) TK

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will verbally identify the sign and state the meaning for that sign on
4/5 occasions. The third objective states that when given step-by-step
directions for a vocational task, TK will restate what is expected of him
and complete the task with 80% accuracy.
The third area of concern on the IEP involves the students Math
skills. The goal states that the student will increase his functional math
skills in the areas of time and money to become a more independent
consumer. The objectives include that the student will count and use
various coins and bills, up to $5.00, to correctly purchase items using
the following on 8 out of 10 occasions. The student will (a.) count out
correct coins and bills to make a purchase, (b.) confirm that he has
enough money to make the purchase, and (c.) confirm if the change is
correct. The second objective is during a vocational task, the student
will determine the elapsed time he has been working on the task on 4
out of 5 occasions. The last objective states that TK will use the next
dollar up strategy to estimate the total of no more than four items he
would like to purchase on 4 of 5 trials.
The fourth area on concern includes study and organizational
skills. The goal states that the student will demonstrate organization
and study skills in order to participate successfully in vocational and
academic classes. The evaluation method includes observation records
and informal procedures. The objectives state the student will
complete assigned tasks by following oral and written directions. The

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second objective states the student will complete assigned tasks by
beginning within a reasonable amount of time and finishing within a
specified time frame. The third objective states that the student will
work towards effective task completion by remaining on task, ignoring
distractions and working independently for a specified period of time.
The fifth and last area of concern is written language. The goal
states that the student will improve the quality of his written
responses. He will show this by completing four objectives. First, given
a writing prompt, the student will verbally express the details, which
will connect related ideas that maintain a topic. The second objective
states the student will revise his writing by adding and deleting text on
4 of 5 trials. The third objective states that the student will write simple
sentences in a variety of forms (e.g., statements, questions and
commands). The fourth objective states that the student when given a
sentence, he will edit the sentence and add at least on detail/adjective
on 4/5 occasions.
II.D. Supplementary Aids and Services, Program Modifications,
and Supports
The supplementary aids and services, program modifications,
and supports are designed to aligned to the students needs and
impact of the disability, as outlined in the students PLAAFP. TK is
currently working with the use of additional supports. These supports
will be used in both his general and special education classes. The

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supports allow the student to access the curriculum. The instructional
supports include:

Allow use of organizational aids

Provide assistance with organization
Check for understanding
Other Instructional Supports Reminders to leave spaces between words when writing

sentences and to skip lines

Provide alternative ways for students to demonstrate learning
Frequent and/or immediate feedback
Monitor independent work

Program modifications include:

Use pictures to support reading passages whenever possible

Altered/modified assignments
Modified content (Providing modifications to classroom
instruction and/or classroom assessments may have the
unintended consequence of reducing their opportunity to learn
critical content. If this occurs over multiple years, students will
miss a cumulative amount of critical content. If students have
not had access to critical, assessed content, they may be at risk

for not meeting graduation requirements.)

Modified grading system

Social/Behavior Supports includes:

Reinforce positive behavior through non-verbal/verbal

communication
Physical/Environmental Supports include:
Other Physical/Environmental Supports
Clearly define writing space

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Part 3: Reflection
I attended TKs annual IEP meeting on February 4, 2016 at
Reservoir High School. The meeting was scheduled to take place in the
front office conference room at 8:30AM. As with all of my IEP meetings,
I was feeling very anxious to get the meeting started. I waited for the
parents to come into the building and met them as they entered the
door of the main office. I said good morning and asked them to take a
seat while I checked to see if the team was ready to begin. After I
walked the parents into the room, I went to get their son from his
second period class and returned to begin the meeting. The meeting
started on time and was attended by several members of the IEP team.
The members there were the student, mother, Case Manager, Speech
and Language Pathologist, IEP Chair, General Educator, and the
Guidance Counselor. At the last minute the father was unable to attend
the meeting. Although I had sent home a draft copy of the IEP five
business days before the meeting, I gave them another copy of it when
the meeting started. I sat at the head of the table close to the entrance
of the room. The parents sat to my left and the student sat across from
the parents on my right. I started the meeting with introductions and
the IEP Chair gave the mother a copy of the Parents Rights: Maryland
Procedural Safeguards Notice. She declined and said she had enough

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of them at home. The Chair asked her to take one anyway. In accordance
with IDEA regulations, everyone who attended the meeting was a member of the IEP
team. The Speech and Language Pathologist offered to take notes on the IEP team report
and mentioned that she may be asking for clarification because of note taking. The Chair
asked if the General Education teacher could speak first due to her having a class this
period. The mother said that was acceptable and she spoke about the progress he was
making in her class. After she spoke, the student spoke to how he enjoyed her class. I
then asked if I could present next. I began by stating that although she (the mother) had
received a copy of the draft in advance, I wanted to go through it thoroughly. I began by
stating that the student was seeking a Certificate of Completion and asked for
clarification that he will be attending school until his 21st birthday. I started going through
the IEP page by page. I wanted to make sure that the parent understood what information
was changed from the previous year. After the cover page I referenced for everyone to
turn to the PLAAFP (Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional
Performance. I read the updated form and continued to go through the IEP. As I read the
IEP, I kept checking with the parent for understanding. I went through the Special
Considerations and Accommodations, Instructional and Testing Accommodations,
Supplementary Aides and Services, Transitional pages, Goals and Objectives, Services,
and the Least Restrictive Environment. The Speech and Language Pathologist spoke next.
She spoke about his progress in the sessions they have together. She then spoke to the
new goals and objectives that she created and asked if the mother agreed with them. The
IEP Chair asked the mother if she needed clarification on any of the information
presented. The mother agreed with everything and thanked us for making this meeting

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easy for her to attend. We told her that it wasnt possible without her. I then asked the
mother about graduation procedures. I was checking in with her because I wasnt sure
about her son buying graduation materials after she agreed that he would be coming back
until he was 21. She said, she was allowing him to participate in all the graduation
activities but that he was still coming back in August. This was new to me but the Chair
explained that he, the student, was allowed to walk the stage at graduation this year. The
state allows students to do this once in the students school career. The meeting lasted an
hour and ten minutes. At the end of the meeting the parent thanked all of us for the time
and energy we put into her son. She spoke about how he comes home everyday talking
about me, Mr. Chapman, and what we did in Enclave for that day. I told her how much of
a pleasure it was working with her son and that he encourages me as well. I then
informed the mother that we would finish finalizing the IEP later today and that I would
send it home with her son that afternoon.
I really enjoyed the meeting. It was nice to go through the IEP and see that all the
time and energy that I put into the paperwork was correct. After the mother left the room
I walked her to the exit and she thanked me again. I then went back to the meeting room
to check with the IEP Chair to see if all my paperwork was in order. She agreed and I
went to my next class. During the meeting everyone was very pleasant and at ease. I have
been to several meetings when this was not the case. I have learned to ease my anxiety
about the annuals by speaking to the parents several times before the meeting. They are a
very important part of the IEP Team and I try to include them as much as possible in this
process.

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