Developing Standards Based

Individualized Education
Program (IEPs)

Office of Special Education

Baltimore County Public Schools

WELCOME

OUTCOME
By the end of
this presentation, participants will
have an understanding of how
to write a high quality standardsbased IEPs

Seven Steps for Developing Standards-Based IEPs

(Modified from Marla Davis Holbrook; Project Forum)
1) Consider the grade-level content standards.

2) Examine classroom and student data.

3) Develop the present level of academic achievement and functional
performance.
4) Develop measurable annual goals and objectives aligned with
grade-level academic content standards.
5) Identify specialized instruction.
6) Determine the most appropriate assessment option.
7) Assess and report the students progress throughout the year.

Seven Steps for Developing

Standards-Based IEPs
Modified from Marla Davis Holbrook; Project Forum

1) Consider the grade-level content

standards

Standards Based IEPs

Aligned

to Maryland College and Career-Ready

Standards.
Connect a students learning to grade level
standards.
Contain goals to facilitate the students
achievement of grade-level academic standards.
Focus on essential skills that enable the student to
achieve.
Emphasize accommodations and supplementary
aids and services to ensure access to grade-level
content.

Which

standards are most essential

for student achievement?
How does each standard fit into the
learning progression?
What

is the content standard saying that

the student must know and be able to
do?

What

are the essential skills

associated with the content standard?

Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining

what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences
from the text.
4th Grade
Reading Literature

.
I can explain a story by referring to details
or examples in text
I can make conclusions about an
authors meaning by thinking about the
details and examples in the text
(drawing conclusions).

Core Purpose

Standard

Seven Steps for Developing

Standards-Based IEPs
Modified from Marla Davis Holbrook; Project Forum

2)Examine classroom and student

data

Sources of Student Data

Report cards, quarterly progress reports, IEPs
Classroom-based, district-wide, and state assessments
Recent evaluations (formal and informal)
Teacher/Parent/Student Input
Student Work samples, portfolios, running records
Classroom projects/activities/observations
Attendance, behavior, health, and/or medical
Transition Plan, if appropriate

Process for PLAAFP Development

Gather
Data

Interpret
Data

Write
PLAAFP

Present Levels of Performance

should tell a story

Message
You must examine a
variety of sources in order
to develop the PLAAFP

Seven Steps for Developing

Standards-Based IEPs
Modified from Marla Davis Holbrook; Project Forum

3)Develop the Present Levels of

Academic and Functional
Performance

Process for PLAAFP Development

Gather
Data

Interpret
Data

Write
PLAAFP

Components of PLAAFP
Instructional

Grade Level
(from either standardized or informal assessments)
Performance

on Grade-Level Material
(with accommodations and without accommodations)
Performance

on Pre-Requisite Skills

Areas

of Strength

Areas

of Need

Types of Data for PLAAFP

Instructional Grade Level
The grade level at which the student is currently
performing without accommodations.
This

is the grade equivalent that reflects the students

current level of functioning.

Grade Level Performance

The students present level of performance on material at
his/her actual grade level.
This

will most likely be reflected by a percent accuracy or

targeted trials on grade-level material.
Performance on Pre-Requisite Skills
The students present level of performance on skills that were

PLAAFP Page: Areas of Need

The

baseline for each area of need should

be the students current level of
functioning for that area without
accommodations.

Record

the baseline for each area of need

in parenthesis next to each area of need
on the PLAAFP page.

Instructional Grade Level (Formal Year)

Instructional grade level for formal assessment

years will come directly from the standardized
assessment that is administered.

Examples:
Woodcock Johnson-IV (WJ-IV)
Young Childrens Achievement Test (YCAT)
Kaufman Test of Education Achievement-III
(KTEA-III)
Test of Written Language 4 (TOWL-4)

Instructional Grade Level

(Formal Year)

Instructional Grade Level

(Informal Year)
Instructional

grade level for informal years will

come from informal assessment tools,
including curriculum based assessments.

Examples:
Brigance Comprehensive Inventory of

Basic Skills II (CIBS II)

Informal Reading Inventories
Advanced Decoding Survey

Instructional Grade Level (Informal Year)

Grade Level Performance

Grade

level performance for both formal and

informal years comes from curriculum-based
assessments as well as other informal
assessment measures related to the identified
areas of need.

Examples:
Probes
Writing Rubrics
Brigance

Grade Level Performance

Performance on Pre-Requisite Skills

Skills

not linked to grade level

performance or determining instructional
grade level
Additional information (baseline) for prerequisite or back-mapped skills for a
particular subject area
Ex: basic computation, counting, decoding skills

Performance on Pre-Requisite Skills

Example of PLAAFP Page for Behavior

Collaborative for Academic,

Social and Emotional Learning

Please click
the CASEL
logo above to
access their
website.

PLAAFP Page: Areas of Need

Areas

of need can be addressed through

IEP Goals, Supplementary Aids and
Services and/or Instructional and
Testing Accommodations.

It

is recommended that case managers

write the quantitative baseline and how
the area of need is being addressed in the
parenthesis next to each area of need.

PLAAFP Page: Areas of Need

Learning Activity

Learning Activity Instructions

Impact Statement
Clear written description of
how
the child's disability affects (impacts)
his/her
involvement
and
progress
in the curriculum
35

Sample Impact Statement

Anns specific learning disability in the area of auditory
processing and auditory memory causes her to have
difficulty processing problems and remembering
information presented orally. This impacts her ability to
follow multi-step directions, comprehend what she hears,
and recall complex concepts. This also impacts her
academic success in all instructional settings with oral
presentations, reading, written language, and math, and to
a lesser degree, science and social studies.
What skills or process are affected by the disability
How does the students disability impact the student's
involvement in the general education curriculum ?
What academic areas are impacted due to the disability?
36

Incomplete Impact Statements:

What is missing?
Lisa has difficulty organizing her materials
and beginning assignments because she
has an attention deficit disorder.

Ethans learning disability negatively

impacts his phonemic awareness.

Seven Steps for Developing

Standards-Based IEPs
Modified from Marla Davis Holbrook; Project Forum

4) Develop measurable annual

goals and objectives aligned with
grade-level academic content
standards

IEP Annual Goals

A SMART statement of what a student
can reasonably be expected to
accomplish within twelve months.
Specific
Measurable
Action Oriented
Realistic (Attainable) and Relevant
Time limited (within one year)

Writing Standards Based Goals

Goals

should be aligned to the College and

Career Ready Standards.
There must be at least one goal per
academic area affected by the disability (ex:
Reading, Math, Writing) that is written at the
students actual grade level.
Ex: A 4th grade student must have at least one
(1) Reading goal aligned to a 4th grade Reading
standard if Reading is an area affected by the
disability.

Writing Standards Based Goals

(Contd)
An

IEP goal can be considered aligned to the grade

level standard as long as it contains one of the
components listed in the overall grade level standard.
Additional IEP goals written for the area affected by
the disability may be aligned to standards from
previous grade levels.
3.RI.2 Key Ideas and Details
Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details
and explain how they support the main idea.

Goals for Certificate Bound Students

IEP

goals for certificate bound students

should also be aligned to the College and
Career Ready Standards.
Prioritized Core Content Connectors
(CCC) and corresponding Essential
Understandings (EUs) can provide
additional foundational skills or
prerequisite skills that are linked to grade
level standards.

Social / Emotional Goals

Aligned to Collaborative for Academic, Social,
and Emotional Learning (CASEL) standards.
CASEL has five interrelated sets of cognitive,
affective, and behavioral competencies.
Self- Awareness
Self-Management
Social Awareness
Relationship Skills
Responsible Decision Making

Components of a Standards
Based Goal
Must contain:
Representation
Expression
Specific Criteria
and
Address potential barriers for the student
utilizing principles of Universal Design for
Learning (UDL)

Representation
How

information or materials will be

presented to the student
Addresses potential learning barriers for
students being able to obtain information

Examples of Representation
After independently reading a grade level
article,
After listening to a grade level article read
aloud and then reading independently,

Expression
What

the student will produce to

demonstrate achievement of the skill
Addresses potential learning barriers for
students being able to demonstrate their
learning

Example of Expression
Linus will write a brief summary of the
article (5-8 sentences) which describes the
authors main idea, includes at least three of
the authors key points, and use at least
three quotations from the text.

Specific Criteria
States

exactly what is required for the student to demonstrate

mastery of a skill

Specific Criteria Must Include:

The amount of times the skill must be appropriately demonstrated to
be considered mastered.
A date for when the IEP Goal should be mastered (Ex: month, year)

Specific Criteria Could Include:

List

of requirements that need to be contained in the final product.

An overall accuracy level needed to consider the skill demonstrated
appropriately.

Examples of Specific Criteria

student will write a brief summary (5-8)
sentences, which describes the authors main
idea, includes at least three (3) of the authors
main points, and uses at least two (2)
quotations from the text for two out of three (3)
articles.
student will produce primary sounds of all
consonants with 90% accuracy in 8 out of 10
trials.

Standard Verbs

Analyze

Evaluate

Interpret Explain
Determine Identify

Is this Measurable?
By Feb 2014, Linus will use
quotes when explaining a text
with 80% accuracy in 2 out of 3
trials.

When to use Targeted Trials

Use

when the individual skill is being measured one

time per interaction with the student.
When criteria for mastery of the skill is clearly
identified in the expression portion of the IEP goal.
Example:
Student

used a self-regulating strategy when he

got upset.
Student will identify the main idea, 3 supporting
details, and use two quotes from the story.

When to use Percent Accuracy

When

presenting the student with multiple examples of

the specific skill to complete within one sitting.

Example:
Student

is presented with 10 consonant letters and needs

to produce the sounds of each letter.
Student is presented with 5 Math word problems to solve.
Student is presented with 5 Reading comprehension
questions.
Student demonstrating on-task behaviors during a lesson.

Using Percent Accuracy and

Targeted Trials
Targeted

trials must be added to any

goals that use a percent accuracy.
This allows stakeholders to know how
many times a student needs to
demonstrate a particular level of accuracy
before the skill would be considered to be
mastered.

Example of a Standards Based

Goal

Identifying a Core Purpose

The most essential component/ skill identified

within a College and Career Ready Standard.

It is the skill that the student would demonstrate

to show proficiency for the overall standard.

Typically stated in more simple terms than the

overall College and Career Ready Standard.

There may be more than one core purpose for

some College and Career Ready Standards.

Interpret products of whole numbers, e.g., interpret 5 7 as the total

number of objects in 5 groups of 7 objects each. For example, describe a
context in which a total number of objects can be expressed as 5 7.

3th Grade
Operations and
Algebraic Thinking

Standard

Understand multiplication
as groupings of objects

Describe how a particular storys or dramas plot unfolds in

a series of episodes as well as how the characters
respond or change as the plot moves toward a resolution.
6th Grade
Reading Literature
Standard 3

Describe changes
in plot and characters

Core Purpose Using Goalbook

Core Purpose

Standard

Developing Objectives
Refer

to the Standard Staircase in

Goalbook
Task Analysis
Decreasing UDL supports
Refer to the Essential Understandings in
the prioritized Core Content Connectors
(Certificate Bound Students Only)

Sample Diploma Bound IEP Goal

College and Career Ready Standard:
7.EE.3 Solve real-life and mathematical problems using
numerical and algebraic expressions and equations.
Core Purpose:
Solve real-life math problems.
IEP Goal:
By November, 2016 given 5 multi-step, real-life problems
involving all forms of rational numbers (e.g. whole numbers,
fractions, and decimals), Sample Student will use the properties
of operations and a calculator to solve problems with 80% for 4
out of 5 trials.

Sample Diploma Bound IEP

Objectives
IEP Objectives:
Objective 1: By February, 2016 after independently reading a
real-life Math problem, Sample Student will highlight
all of the relevant information needed to solve the
problem for 4 out of 5 problems in 3 out of 4 trials.
Objective 2: By March, 2016 after independently reading a reallife Math problem, Sample Student will list all of the
mathematical operations needed to solve the problem
for 4 out of 5 problems in 3 out of 4 trials.
Objective 3: By October, 2016 after independently reading a reallife Math problem, Sample Student will write a
mathematical expression that can be used to solve
the problem for 4 out of 5 problems in 3 out of 4 trials.

Sample Certificate Bound IEP Goal

College and Career Ready Standard:
11-12.RL.1 Key Ideas and Details
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text, including determining
where the text leaves matters uncertain.
Core Purpose:
Cite strong and thorough textual evidence to support
analysis of what the text says explicitly as well as
inferences drawn from the text.

Sample Certificate Bound IEP

Goal
Multi State Alternate Assessment (MSAA) [formerly NCSC] Core
Content Connector (CCC)
1112.RL.b1 Use two or more pieces of evidence to support inferences,
conclusions, or summaries of the plot, purpose or theme within a text.
Essential Understanding: Identify a summary of the plot of a literary
text.
IEP Goal:
By October 22, 2016, after listening to and looking at portions of an
adapted literary text with picture supports, Student will select a
summary of the text from a field of three and select at least two pieces
of evidence from a field of five to support the summary for 3 out of 5
targeted trials.

Sample Certificate Bound IEP

Objectives
IEP Objectives:
Objective #1: By October 2016, given 5-10 details,
adapted with pictures, some from the text,
some not from the text, Student will correctly
sort the details by those in the text and those
not in the text in 4 out of 5 targeted trials.
Objective #2: By October 2016, given two details from the
text, adapted with pictures, Student will select
the summary from a field of three that is directly
supported by the details in 4 out of 5 targeted
trials.

Learning Activity

Learning Activity

Overview of Goalbook

Seven Steps for Developing

Standards-Based IEPs
Modified from Marla Davis Holbrook; Project Forum

5) Identify specialized designed

instruction

Specialized Instruction

70

Specialized Instruction
Adaptations to the

content, methodology, or delivery

of instruction in order to:
Address the unique needs of the student that result
from the disability
Ensure access to the general education curriculum

Standards-Based IEP
PLAAFP
Goals and Objectives
Specialized
Accommodations

Supplementary
Aids and Services

Instruction
Special Education

Related Services
72

Accommodation Considerations
What

are the students learning preferences?

What

are the barriers to accessing the general

education curriculum?

What

will remove or reduce the barriers to the student

learning and demonstrating skills and knowledge?

How

can the student best access the general

education curriculum?

What

scaffolds or strategies have worked or not

worked in the past?

Supplementary Aids and Services and

Instructional and Testing Accommodations
Must

be linked to areas of need on the

PLAAFP page.

Should

be clearly explained in discussion

box.
Documentation

must exist to show how

often students are accessing these
accommodations and supplementary aids.

Planning for the Use of

Accommodations
Adequately describe location and manner for
each support.
Plan how students will learn to use each new
accommodation.
Ensure that all team members understand the
accommodations.
Plan for the ongoing evaluation and improvement
of accommodations use.
75

Supplementary Aids and Services

Supports and strategies that may not be allowed in testing
situations but are critical for the students access to academic
and non-academic aspects of the school environment.
Includes things:
Provided directly to the student (like an extra copy of
textbooks to be kept at home or teacher review of the
assignment planner).
Things provided to/for the adults (like consultation between
the general and special educators or sign language training).
Program modifications that document changes to the learning
expectations and outcomes for the student.

Methods for Documenting Use of

Accommodations

Seven Steps for Developing

Standards-Based IEPs
Modified from Marla Davis Holbrook; Project Forum

6) Determine the most appropriate

assessment option

Instructional and Testing

Accommodations
Supports that apply in the classroom AND are
approved for state-mandated assessments.
These accommodations must be used both
during every day instruction and on
assessments.

Verbatim Reading Appendix D Slide

In making decisions on whether to provide a student this
accommodation, IEP teams and Student Support Teams are instructed
to consider whether the student meets the criteria outlined in the
Appendix D document. The profiles of students qualifying based on a
decoding need must include the following:
Significantly limited decoding skills
Documentation of consecutive years of evidence-based
decoding interventions/strategies
Decoding goals written to address limited decoding skills
Current decoding data obtained through reliable sources

Accommodations and
Supplementary Aids and Services (SAS)

Seven Steps for Developing

Standards-Based IEPs
Modified from Marla Davis Holbrook; Project Forum

7) Assess and report the students

progress throughout the year.
Examine classroom and student
data

Progress Monitoring
Documents progress toward IEP goal achievement
On-going process of collecting and analyzing data
Informs instructional decisions
Guides revision of supports and goals as needed
Keeps families informed

Measuring Progress
Common Methods for Measuring Progress:
Test results (formal and classroom-based
assessments)
Informal procedures (work samples, portfolios)
Teacher/service provider observation checklists
Behavior Observations, observation record

Quarterly Progress Reports

Must contain the following:
Coding for progress towards the IEP goal
o Achieved
o Making sufficient progress
o Not making sufficient progress
o Newly introduced skill; Progress not measurable
at this time.
A quantitative measurement of current progress
towards the IEP Goal (using the same wording
as the with section under the IEP Goal).

Making Sufficient Progress

Making Sufficient Progress indicates that
the current amount of progress, if continued
throughout the course of the IEP, would
result in the IEP Goal being mastered by the
annual review date.

Graph to Highlight Student

Progress
Knowledge of Number Relationships 6.C.1
100.0%
15 minute pullout 1 time per
week to review strategies

90.0%

Increased pullout to 3 times

per week

80.0%
70.0%
60.0%

60.0%
50.0%

50.0%
Percentage
40.0%
30.0%
20.0% 20.0%
20.0%

35.0%

39.0% 39.0% 40.0%

35.0%

38.0%

42.0%

48.0%

50.0%
45.0%

28.0%
22.0% 22.0%

10.0%
0.0%

41166 41181 41192 41224 41238 41257 41278 41306 41320 41336 41365 41379 41393 41408 41440 41509 41527 41531

Reporting on IEP Objectives

Although not required by law, it is expected that
you document progress towards IEP objectives
on quarterly progress reports.

Quarterly Progress Reports

Learning Activity

Learning Activity

Creating an IEP Service Page

Service hours address access to grade level curriculum and remediation
of skills
When completing the service hours for an IEP the case manager should
consider the following questions:
1. For which subject areas does the student require support?
2. How much time is required in each subject area to provide
the student with the accommodations/modifications
necessary to access grade level curriculum?
3.How much time is required to provide direct instruction to the
student on the remedial skills identified in the IEP?
4. Does the student require any special intervention programs?

Service Page Example

Facilitating the LRE Discussion

Discuss the amount of time for each subject
area for which the student is able to access
the general education curriculum without
requiring specialized instruction.

Facilitating the LRE Discussion

Discuss the amount of time for each subject
area for which the student requires
specialized instruction above and beyond
what can typically be provided through
differentiation for all students in the
classroom.

Creating an IEP Service Page

Discuss all options for what services could
look like for the student.
Can services be provided in a group
containing students without IEPs?
Can someone other than the special
educator provide these services and
supports?

Creating an IEP Service Page

Identify which service hours will be inside
general education and which services will
take place outside general education.

Creating an IEP Service Page

Clearly explain what service hours will look like in the
discussion box.
For what subject areas will the services be provided?
What portion of the subject area requires support? (ex:
direct instruction, small group re-teaching, independent
work, etc.)
What skills will be focused on during the service time?
(ex: accessing the general education curriculum,
addressing IEP goals and/or objectives, etc.)

Office of Special
Education