Page 8 - The Individual Education Plan (IEP) - A Resource Guide, 2004

and for developing an IEP that meets the requirements of the IEP Standards document. The text is structured according to the five phases of the IEP process, as shown in Figure 2, on page 10.
This revised resource guide is based on information gathered between 2001 and 2003, when the Ministry of Education conducted reviews of IEPs pre- pared by school boards across Ontario. It takes into account information gleaned from numerous consultations with educators and parents. The reader may notice some minor differences between the IEP Standards docu- ment and this guide. These slight differences came about as terms and pro- cedures were clarified for the purpose of developing a practical guide to meeting the requirements outlined in the IEP Standards document, and they in no way contradict the intent of the standards.
For the convenience of users of this guide, several key sections of Regula- tion 181/98 are reprinted on page 5 and quoted at relevant points throughout the text. However, principals and others who work with exceptional students are advised to refer to both the IEP Standards document and the regulation for a full description of responsibilities related to IEPs.
What Is an IEP? An IEP is ...
• a written plan describing the special education program and/or services required by a particular student, based on a thorough assessment of the student’s strengths and needs – that is, the strengths and needs that affect the student’s ability to learn and to demonstrate learning;
• a record of the particular accommodations2 needed to help the student achieve his or her learning expectations, given the student’s identified learning strengths and needs;
• a working document that identifies learning expectations that are modified from the expectations for the age-appropriate grade level in a particular subject or course, as outlined in the Ministry of Education’s curriculum policy documents;
• a working document that identifies alternative expectations, if required, in program areas not represented in the Ontario curriculum;
• a record of the specific knowledge and skills to be assessed and evalu- ated for the purpose of reporting student achievement of modified and/or alternative expectations;
• an accountability tool for the student, the student’s parents, and every- one who has responsibilities under the plan for helping the student meet the stated goals and learning expectations as the student progresses through the Ontario curriculum.
2. Accommodations are supports or services that are not provided to the general student population but that are required by individual students with special needs to help them achieve learning expectations and demonstrate learning.
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The Individual Education Plan (IEP): A Resource Guide