Implementing an Individual Education Plan IEP

Running Head: UNDERSTANDING SCHOOL PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

UNDERSTANDING SCHOOL PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT

Understanding School Personnel Management: Implementing an Individual Education Plan (IEP)

An Individual Education Plan is a document developed for learners who require special strategies and services and measures to follow up on achievement. Learners who require individual education plans need extra support and plans to make them feel included in the school and the learning process. Such learners have a variety of needs from an IEP helps to provide them with quality education since they are better understood. The goal of IEP is to ensure that every child learns in the least restrictive environment, and so efforts to help the student stay in the regular class should be made. However, when individual needs are best catered for in a special class, students must be placed there (Siegel, 2017).

Why Educators May Fail to Deliver Quality Education to Learners

Many schools think they deliver to each learner what they need. The reality is that most schools don’t understand what this means, and neither do they implement ways of accomplishing that. In most cases, educators fail to deliver what learners need because they don’t comprehend what learners need most. As such, obstacles exist that may lead to educators not understanding their students (Bertrand, Roberts & Dalton, 2009).

Educators may also fail to deliver quality education to learners because they don’t think about the possibility of some learners needing extra support in their learning. Students exhibit different learner characteristics. The implication of this is that every learner’s need must be catered for individually if meaningful learning is to take place to bring about positive change and experiences in learners. Most educators lack the diagnostic sophistication necessary to identify these needs, and they don’t think it is relevant, neither do they see the need. As a result, the curriculum mostly drives the education and not individuals.

Implementation of a Student’s Education Plan

The services and goals stipulated by Julia’s IEP can be provided in a standard learning environment. Julia’s teachers can implement the requirements of the IEP in the regular classroom. Activities involving the implementation process include a reading teacher offering Julia extra assistance with reading while the rest of the class works on normal tasks with the teacher. This may need additional resources to be put in place, for instance, a resource room within the regular school (Bertrand, Roberts & Dalton, 2009). This room can serve students like Julia that require special attention and extra strategies.

However, if Julia needs intense intervention, she may be taught within a special environment like classrooms with fewer learners per teacher. This will allow the educator to pay more individualized attention. Also, Julia’s teachers may require special training to equip them with skills that would allow them to implement the IEP specifications effectively to generate positive results regarding the expected learner outcome. For educators to handle students like Julia effectively, extra training is necessary.

During the day, Julia should be allowed to spend most of the time in a special classroom while being taken through the special learning as stipulated by her education plan. However, for activities that are not academic, she could join the regular classroom. Such activities include gym, sport, and music and activities where she doesn’t require much help from the educators.

This is essential for the development of her mental and physical health. Activities that allow her to interact with other students also help her create a positive relationship with her peers. This is necessary for her social environment. Education should bring about mental, physical, social, and academic development to learners. Therefore, this step is critical.

Another critical area of any student’s IEP is to ensure parent involvement, and the case should not be any different for Julia. Parents are usually involved in the development process of an IEP to help their children become successful in school. The plan describes the strategies and goals set for the student and any extra support to achieve those goals. Involving Julia’s parents would help provide feedback to determine whether the IEP for Julia is working and whether the expected outcomes are achieved (Bertrand, Roberts & Dalton, 2009).

When planning classroom activities, the teacher should keep the goals of the IEP and the expected outcomes in mind. The goals determine the evaluation criteria of the student’s progress towards attaining the educational goals. This will determine the effectiveness of the approaches used in facilitation and identify any need to change them.

The recommended course of action when accommodation of Julia’s Individual Education Plan is not followed:

The fact is that following an IEP is not optional for an educator. Educators don’t choose whether to adhere to a student’s IEP or not. It’s a necessity of the law (Clarke, 2000). The following are some things that can be done both by Julia’s parents and the school administration if her IEP is not adhered to.

Meeting with the teacher

As soon as the problem is detected, the next step should be to meet the teacher to discuss this problem. Ensuring that the teacher has a copy of the IEP and renewed it, a copy of the IEP is then taken to the meeting (SIEGEL, 2020). At the meeting, the parents and the school administration can engage in a conversation with the facilitator to determine if the teacher understands Julia’s educational needs and IEP. The pertinent sections of the IEP can then be looked at individually while conversing about why the specific information is helpful to the student.

This first step is critical because understanding the school management understands that issues don’t always have to be confrontational. Conversational approaches to handling any issues within the school sometimes work the best and result in positive results. This, of course, has to be carried out while following the ethical requirements. Having such a meeting might be enough to remind the teacher why she has to follow the IEP and why it’s necessary for the student's achievement. If this approach does not work, other measures are employed.

Taking the Matter to the IEP Team

The IEP team is usually responsible for a student’s IEP plan development. The team comprises the school administration, a team of professionals based on the learner’s needs. Sometimes, the regular teachers may also generate some ideas that can be included in the IEP. The learner’s parents are also involved in the implementation process since they have the final say.

If it’s discovered that the IEP is not followed, the case may be taken up to the IEP team. The team should know how to intervene to ensure the plan’s compliance and ensure that every step is followed. The team can also assign a member to monitor the situation and report back if the teacher is doing what is required (Siegel, 2020).

Filing a Complaint with the District’s Education Administrator

If the previous step proves unsuccessful, then a complaint might be filed with the district’s education administrator, stating that the teaching has broken the law. In many cases, the cases are handles here through mediation. Everyone is allowed to voice their concerns and come to an agreement. The district education administrators can look at the case and determine the way forward.

Filing a State Complaint

At this stage, the issue becomes federal as the case is addressed to the Individuals with Educational Disabilities Act (IDEA) for further action. The parents also have a right to file a complaint with the State Department of Education or the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) if the teacher or the school fails to implement the IEP. Once the complaint is made, a neutral investigation will be assigned to investigate the complaint. This shall be done by reviewing student records and any other relevant information and conducting interviews (Etscheidt, 2006).