COLLEGE OF SOUTHERN NEVADA

EDU 203 Intro to Special Education

I picked the student #1 to do my review on.

I changed the students name to Max.
IEP Critique

Section: Student Information (9 points)

This section typically contains the information about the student.

Question
Is all of the student/parent information filled out?

Comments
Yes

What eligibility category does the student have? If an individual has a

disability, does that automatically mean s/he qualifies to receive special
education services? Why or why not?

Autism, Yes due to the IDEA

What type of IEP is this?

Annual IEP

Who is required to attend the IEP meeting? Are all of the IEP required
participants included?

Parent/ guardian, general ed teacher, special ed teacher,

representative from the district, an individual able to
interpret the instruction implication. Yes
To notify the parent/ guardian of child to be evaluated for
a disability and of their rights in their own native
language. Yes

What are procedural safeguards? Is the procedural safeguards section

signed/checked?

Section: Present Levels of Academic Performance (7 points)

This section contains information as to how the student is performing, both academically and functionally.

Question
List all of the assessments used (Look at the left-hand column). Briefly
state the name and purpose of each assessment. Why would these
assessments be good to use for this student?

Comments
Academic written language with his autism he has a
significantly affect on his verbal and nonverbal
communication. Academic-reading, math and socialemotional skill as well as PE.
When writing about the students current performance (center column), it Social-emotional skills in the IEP was mostly positive.
is good practice to start with positive statements, followed by deficit
Max can engage in a conversation, however, he has not
statements, then a statement about why the deficit is important to address, reached the skills of giving a compliment, expressing an
and finally a statement about what will be done. For example, Billy can opinion, and giving information. This skill is important to
count to 10. However, he is still having difficulty with skip-counting.
engage in an age appropriate conversation with a typical
This skill is important to learn because it will help him understand the
peer. Max will need to work on discussing at least 2 topics
number system. Billy will need to work on skip-counting by 2s and 5s.
while engaged in a conversation.
This provides his current performance, where he needs to go, and why.
Look at the center column in the IEP that you are critiquing. How does
the narrative address the students performance? In a positive light?
Mostly negative comments? Select one paragraph and rewrite it using the
format given above.
When writing about the effect of the students involvement in the general
education curriculum (right-hand column), it is good practice to begin
with a description about what typical students in that grade level are
expected to do. This information can be found in the Curriculum
Essentials Framework for elementary-aged students and the Course
Syllabus for middle- and high-school-aged students (Currently, the state
of Nevada is transitioning to the Common Core Standards program. It
will be fully integrated into the school system by 2014.). After stating
what typical students can do in that grade level, a statement about why
the student is unable to access the general education curriculum.
Look at the right-hand column in the IEP that you are critiquing. Is it
thoroughly written in a narrative format that addresses how typical

7th grade students are expected to engage in appropriate

communicative interactions with peers and adults. Max is
showing improvement in these skills and with him in the
general education environment he will have more practice
of these skills.

students should perform and why the particular student is unable to

perform? Select one paragraph and rewrite it.

Scholastic Reading Inventory- At the 7th grade level students are expected to come up with several pieces of the story and
understand the idea being discussed, they should be able to come up with 2 or more ideas and establish the course, and
consider the relationship between individuals, events, and ideas. Max is able to comprehend some of the text only when it is
modified from the general education curriculum.

Section: Student Strengths/Parent Concerns/Students Preferences and Interests (6 points)

This section contains more information about the student and what s/he likes. Its purpose is to give a broader picture of the student.

Question
Comments
After you read the strengths, what is your perception of the student?
I think Max is excelling in his social life and they have
From your limited knowledge of the student, do you think this adequately found moving him to a different environment for learning
reflects what the student is capable of doing?
is helping his academics.
What are the parental concerns? What does that tell you that the parents
think is important?

The parent does not have any concerns at this time

Does the student have any special factors that are checked (i.e., behavior
plan, deaf/hard of hearing, assistive technology, etc.)? If so, were any of
these areas addressed in the Present Levels section?

No

Section: Annual Goals and Benchmarks (7points)

This section contains the measurable academic and functional goals needed by the student. These should have been already identified in the present levels.

Question
When writing goals and benchmarks, one must remember to make sure
that they are measureable. This means that each goal/benchmark
addresses:
1. direction (increase, maintain, decrease, etc.);
2. area of need (reading, social skills, etc.);
3. level of attainment or success (grade level, accuracy, etc.);
4. how progress will be measured; and
5. the setting and responsible staff that will teach it.1

Comments
Yes, Yes, Yes,
By annual review date, Max will write informative papers
by applying the 5 stages of the writing process, achieving
criteria of 8 of 10 trials as measured by teacher made tests
and work samples as implemented by the special
education teacher.

Look at the annual goals. Are they discussed in the present levels? Are
they related to Nevada State Standards? Are they written in measureable
terms? Give an example of a goal from the IEP.
Look at the benchmarks for each goal. When writing benchmarks, they
should be in sequential order, contain concrete timeframe, and adhere to
the principles discussed above. Are the benchmarks related to the goals?
Are they written in sequential format? Give an example of the
benchmarks for a goal.

Yes, Yes
By the end of the 2nd quarter of the 2011- 2012 school
year. Max will identify a sentence with clear information.

1 Clark County School District, (2010). Special Education Procedures Manual. Same as author.

Section: Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) (3 points)

This section refers to what type of instruction the student will receive throughout the length of the IEP.

Question
Are all areas of the SDI addressed by a goal and reflected in the present
levels?

Comments
Yes

Is the SDI thoroughly explained with beginning and ending dates, correct
percentages of time and location of services? Would you know where to
deliver this instruction?

Everyone gives quarterly dates except the PE its just by

the annual review. All states to deliver instruction in the
classroom but the PE is to be in the PE classroom.

Section: Related Services (5 points)

This section discusses the supportive services that are required for the student to benefit from special education.

Question
What types of related services does this student receive? Was this need
addressed in the present levels and in the goals/benchmarks?

How often does the student receive said services? Do you think it is
enough? Why or why not?

Comments
Maxs related service is bus transportation. He has to be
picked up and dropped off in front of his house and not at
a bus stop for safety reasons because he has limited
communication ability at this time and is unaware of
common danger.
Everyday he attends school, Yes if he didnt have this
service he wouldnt receive an education.

Section: Accommodations and Modifications/Supplementary Aids and Services (6 points)

This section lists the different accommodations and modifications the student needs in order to obtain her/his goal(s).

Question
What accommodations are listed? (Remember, accommodations provide
access to the curriculum.) List them. Do they seem appropriate? Were
they listed in the present levels?

Comments
I believe there were no accommodations and they were all
modifications.

What modifications are listed? (Remember, modifications change the

See below not enough space in this box
curriculum.) List them. Do they seem appropriate? Were they listed in the
present levels?
- When preparing a manuscript, use a graphic organizer to help organize thoughts and ideas. Yes, Yes
-While reading a passage, use a graphic organizer to help recall details from the text. Yes, Yes
-When computing a math problem, use a multiplication chart to help him solve the problems. Yes , Yes, but he needs to start
memorizing the chart.
-When demonstrating elapsed time, use a clock graphic organizer to help him visually see the amount. Yes, Yes
-When engaging in conversations with peers, use a conversation script to help remember the steps. Yes, Yes

Section: Placement Considerations/Justification (10 points)

This section explains why the student is being placed in a particular environment.

Question
What placement is the student given? Having read the IEP, do you think
it is appropriate? Could the student perform in another environment with
appropriate accommodations and modifications? Explain.
Look at the justification paragraph. Read it and try to see if the following
questions were answered:
1. What specialized instruction, modifications of the curriculum or
accommodations does this student require to participate in the
general education environment?
2. Why cant the specialized instruction, modifications or
accommodations be provided in the general education
environment?
3. Describe the students unique needs and why those needs cannot
be met in a general education environment.
4. Describe the non-academic benefits (i.e., self-esteem, social,
behavioral, observational learning effect, communication) that
this student failed to demonstrate in the general education
environment.
5. Describe how this students needs impact the teaching and
learning in the general education environment.
6. Describe any potential harmful effect of this recommended
placement.

Comments
Max is placed in a self contained program. It seems to me
that his academics have improved since being in this
learning environment and to change that now would do
more damage then good I believe.
1. Max specialized instruction and modification to the
curriculum in order to participate in general education.
2. It can not be provided in general education due to the
type of instruction and amount of modification needed.
3. Max is a student with autism, and as such has social and
communication barriers that limit his participation with
typical peers and the curriculum.
4. His deficits in social and communication skills. Max
needs specialized instruction that specifically focuses on
these skills in order to help him interact with his typical
peers.
5. Primarily because his deficits in social and
communication skills would, at this time, be to difficult to
produce.
6. Is the inability to generalize the social and
communication skills he is learning to his typical peers.