International School of Brussels

Individual Learning Plan Guide

High School Learning Support

Stephanie Hepner 8/21/2009

Contents
Communicating Student Need to Teachers ........................................................................................ 3 Learning Need and Accommodations Email: Week 1...................................................................... 3 Invitations to ILP Meetings ............................................................................................................ 4 ILP Meeting Format ....................................................................................................................... 5 ILP Meeting Follow-up ................................................................................................................... 5 Preparing Students for their Meeting ................................................................................................ 6 Rationale ....................................................................................................................................... 6 Types of Student Activities............................................................................................................. 6 Creating Goals ............................................................................................................................... 6 ILP Script ....................................................................................................................................... 7 ILP Documentation ............................................................................................................................ 8 Evaluation Documentation Required ............................................................................................. 8 Meeting Minutes ........................................................................................................................... 8 Recording Progress Toward Goals .................................................................................................. 9 Sample ILP....................................................................................................................................... 10 ILP Template................................................................................................................................ 10 Present Levels of Performance .................................................................................................... 10 Goals ........................................................................................................................................... 11

Stephanie Hepner

High School Learning Support Department

Communicating Student Need to Teachers

Learning Need and Accommodations Email: Week 1
During the first week of school, it is important to inform subject-area teachers which of their students have diagnosed learning disabilities and are eligible for certain classroom and testing accommodations. Therefore, Case Managers should send a confidential email to all subject area teachers working with their students informing them that the student is eligible for support through Learning Support, what accommodations are required as per the ILP, and more information about the upcoming ILP meeting. The text below may be used as a template for this communication, modified as necessary according to individual student need. Hello, Students enrolled in the high school learning support program have been diagnosed as having a learning disability which impacts their learning. The learning support department will be scheduling Individual Learning Plan meetings with the parents and teachers of each student to explain each students unique learning profile in the coming weeks. Until that time, we wanted to ensure that all teachers are familiar with the accommodations their students are eligible for. Your student ________ is eligible for: List accommodations from updated ILP/evaluation At the upcoming ILP meeting we will be discussing _____s unique learning profile and needs. In light of those, we will be discussing which accommodations he will continue to need and outlining some annual goals to help him be most successful. If you have any questions about _____s learning, academic needs, ways to implement the above-mentioned accommodations, or classroom strategies, please do not hesitate to contact YOUR NAME HERE in the resource department in H217.

Stephanie Hepner

High School Learning Support Department

Invitations to ILP Meetings

Generally ILP meetings are held before or after school in order to ensure that all teachers can attend. As a department, we will work out a schedule for the meetings, prioritizing meetings so that 10th graders, new students and moderate students generally have earlier meetings, with seniors generally meeting later in the fall. All ILP meetings should be completed by October 23, 2009. In order to ensure that all professional personnel who interact regularly with the students are aware of their needs, accommodations, and goals for improvement, we invite the follow people to all ILP meetings: The student The parents All teachers on the time table (if a student is taking an IB tutored language the tutor should also be invited) Advisory teacher Guidance Counselor Academic Advisor Administrative Representative If student is full IB, Tom Smith The text of the invitation may be based on the following template: Dear Parents and Teachers, The High School Learning Support Department and FULL STUDENT NAME cordially invite you to attend NAMEs annual Individual Learning Plan meeting. NAME will chair this meeting, sharing insight into his learning and goals for the year, then asking the teachers for feedback about progress in specific classes. This is an important meeting for NAME, his teachers, counselor and parents to share valuable information to understand his needs and to set up collaborative work around common goals to ensure a successful year. Please join us on DAY, DATE from 8:15-8:40 am in H212, the high school conference room. In addition, Case Managers will send out a draft of the ILP prior to the meeting. Based on the information presented at the meeting, the Case Manager will finalize the draft and create the formal Individual Learning Plan. Since this is a new element in the procedure, we will work together as a department to create a draft of the email accompanying the ILP draft document.

Stephanie Hepner

High School Learning Support Department

ILP Meeting Format

The Case Manager is expected the chair the meetings for her students. The students begin by welcoming the participants, explaining the purpose of the meeting, and describing their unique learning profile. Students inform teachers about strategies they find successful, their own goals for the year and the accommodations they need to meet success. Finally, the students ask teachers to comment on how they can work towards meeting their goals in each class. During the meeting, the Case Manager acts as secretary, taking minutes to ensure all relevant information is incorporated into the final version of the ILP. The goal of the meeting is for it to be a productive, positive exchange of information about the students learning profile and for teachers to provide constructive ideas for ways the student can work towards their goals in their various classes.

ILP Meeting Follow-up

As a follow-up to the ILP meeting, the Case Manager will send a secure (non-printable) pdf version of the final ILP no more than two school days after the meeting to all meeting participants. In addition, the Case Manager will print a hard copy of the final ILP and file it in the students permanent file. Depending on the accommodations the student is eligible for, the Case Manager may want to also send supporting documentation to all teachers, providing information about the accommodation and suggestions for ways to implement it. Currently, there is documentation for the following accommodations: Chunk assignments Partial outline In addition, Case Managers may want to send brief, lay-person descriptions of the identified disability if she feels it is a less common and possibly less-understood disability.

Stephanie Hepner

High School Learning Support Department

Preparing Students for their Meeting

Rationale
As students prepare for the transition from high school to their next step, one of the main predictors of success is their level of self-advocacy. As a way to increase self-advocacy in students with learning disabilities, the high school has student-led ILP meetings. In these meetings, the students present themselves, explain their learning profile and how it impacts them in the classroom, and then provide strategies that work to help them be successful. In learning these skills, the students are practicing essential skills in communication and confidence and learn early the importance of advocating for themselves and their needs.

Types of Student Activities

To prepare students for their ILP meetings, Case Managers assist students with a variety of activities geared towards self-reflection, understanding self as a learner, and goal-setting. These activities may include, but are not limited to: Identifying personal learning style preferences Identifying production style preferences Identifying classroom and study strategies that help gain success Completing a time-management survey and reflecting on the results Identifying positive personal traits Identifying long-term educational and employment goals Brainstorming and polishing academic goals for the year Practicing explaining how testing and classroom accommodations assist them

Creating Goals
Based on the students identified positive personal traits and their long-term educational and employment goals, students brainstorm various academic goals which will help them get closer to achieving their long-term goals. With coaching from the Case Manager, students will work to make sure these goals meet actual student need (as identified in evaluations and reports) and that they are specific, measurable, and can realistically be achieved in one academic year. Using the idea of SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, Timely), these goals will be drafted on the ILP goal template, with students assisting Case Managers in identifying the steps they need to take in order to achieve their goals.

Stephanie Hepner

High School Learning Support Department

ILP Script
Students may choose to use a script to help them run a structured, constructive meeting as they convey important information about themselves. The following script template may be used or modified as necessary: Hello. I want to welcome and thank you all for coming to my Individual Learning Plan meeting. The purpose of this meeting is to ____________________________________ ___________________________________________________. Would everyone please introduce themselves? At this meeting Id like to tell you a little bit about my plans for after high school and describe myself as a learner. Then Ill ask you for some feedback about how Im doing in your class and ways we can work together toward my goals. ___________________ will be taking notes to use to write up my Individual Learning Plan. I am receiving learning support services because I have been identified as having _____________________. This means that when I am in class I struggle with _________ ________________________________. I am a (learning style) _____________________ learner and have found that (strategies) _______________________________________, _____________________________, and ______________________________ help me be successful in my classes. After high school I am currently thinking about pursuing _______________________ as a career. In order to do that, I will need to go to (type of school) _________________. I have identified three goals to help me be prepared for (type of school) ______________. My academic goal for this year is ____________________________ _____________________________________________________________________. My study skills goal for this year is _______________________________________________ _____________________________________. My community participation goal for this year is __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________. Based on my psycho-educational evaluation and past experience, I need (accommodations) _______________________________________________________ to be successful. I also use (assistive technology) ________________________________. If you have questions about these accommodations, my resource teacher and I would be happy to explain how they help me. Based on my plans for after high school and my goals for myself, can you please share feedback on how Im doing in your class and how we can work together to meet my goals? (At the end of the meeting)Thank you for sharing this feedback with me and for participating in my meeting.

Stephanie Hepner

High School Learning Support Department

ILP Documentation
Evaluation Documentation Required
As Case Managers review the documentation on file in preparation for the ILP meeting, they should ensure that the documentation is sufficient. Documentation should: Be no more than 3 years old Include a table of scores from administered tests (this is required when applying for accommodations on external exams) When Case Managers draft Individual Learning Plans, pertinent information about the actual diagnosed disability, expert-recommendation accommodations, and levels of performance should be based on standardized evaluations and reports.

Meeting Minutes
During ILP meetings, Case Managers take minutes to ensure that all pertinent information presented is included in the final version of the ILP. These minutes should be saved in the students folder (either electronic or paper, depending on type of minutes taken) as a reference in case of future questions.

Stephanie Hepner

High School Learning Support Department

Recording Progress Toward Goals

Throughout the academic year Case Managers report on student progress towards meeting their goals. This is done during Parent-Teacher-Student Conferences in October and March and also through written reports in January and June. In order to provide accurate reports, it is essential to collect data on student goal progress. Case Managers may want to use the following template to chart student progress toward their ILP goals. Name: NAME GOAL 1 FROM ILP.

Date

Observation

Date

Observation

GOAL 2 FROM ILP.

Date

Observation

Date

Observation

GOAL 3 FROM ILP.

Date

Observation

Date

Observation

Comments:

Stephanie Hepner

High School Learning Support Department

Sample ILP
ILP Template
The ILP template can be found on the Learning Support Shared Drive (L:\ISB Learning Support\LS FACULTY\HS Learning Support\High School Learning Support\Form Templates\ILP and Monitor\ ILP Template.dotx). A sample completed ILP can be found on page 12 of the Learning Support Guide Book. It includes information about and descriptions of: Biographical and educational background, Recommended levels of support (academic, emotional, etc) Present levels of performance, including o A description of the exceptionality and its impact on performance o Previously identified strengths o Previously identified weaknesses o Learning style Testing and classroom accommodations necessary Annual goals, including o Statement of goal o Persons responsible o Strategies for achieving that goal o Assessment of the goal

Present Levels of Performance

A description of a students present levels of performance should provide a snapshot of the students current academic and, if necessary, social-emotional functioning. This description should be objective and based on data from evaluations (full psycho-ed evaluations and annual WoodcockJohnson evaluations). Although it is based on educational testing jargon, the present level of performance should be written so that all teachers and parents can understand the students functioning. In addition to a description of current functioning, this section of the ILP describes how the students exceptionality impacts performance in classroom settings. This is an essential part of the ILP, as it allows teachers to understand the behaviors and responses they observe in the classroom. In addition to descriptions of how the student may perform in the classroom, it is useful to provide strategies which assist the student in learning, providing a direct link between the students learning needs and strategies for success. A sample present level of performance description can be found in the High School Learning Support Guidebook on page 13.

Stephanie Hepner

High School Learning Support Department

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Goals
Individual Learning Plan goals in the high school are student-created and address their personal learning needs. This means that students take ownership of their goals and earnestly work towards achieving them. In addition to meeting a need identified in professional evaluations, ILP goals in the high school are transition goals. This means that they should help the student grow from their current level and work towards their long-term educational and employment goals. In addition, student goals should be specific and measurable. As such, it is better if they are not tied to a specific class, but rather focus on an interdisciplinary skill which will provide future success, such as note-taking, analytical writing, public speaking, etc. Student goals should be reviewed regularly, at a minimum at the beginning of the spring semester. Based on student reflection and teacher observation, the student should evaluate whether the goals s/he set are still the goals s/he believes are necessary for future success. If goals are updated, the electronic and paper version of the ILP should be updated and any affected professional should be alerted about the update.

Stephanie Hepner

High School Learning Support Department

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