Comments on: IEPs – WHAT A WASTE OF TIME http://resource220.com/2009/11/23/ieps-what-a-waste-of-time/ A Special Education Teacher's Views on... Fri, 30 Jul 2010 01:08:53 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: valdiane http://resource220.com/2009/11/23/ieps-what-a-waste-of-time/#comment-341 valdiane Tue, 29 Jun 2010 13:02:36 +0000 http://resource220.com/?p=60#comment-341 FINALLY, someone with enough courage to speak the truth. I've been writing IEP's for 25 years and also had a special needs child. Teachers either write them with a 'vision' for the students future and realize they may have to deal with unmet annual goals or write them to reflect skills the student has already mastered. In our school we have to keep documentation on IEP goals at least bi-weekly. I review IEP's now and it makes me sick to see an IEP that is just re-worded from the previous year. But....I don't think there is an answer for teachers that are being buried in paperwork and spend more time with data than they do with their students. FINALLY, someone with enough courage to speak the truth.
I’ve been writing IEP’s for 25 years and also had a special needs child. Teachers either write them with a ‘vision’ for the students future and realize they may have to deal with unmet annual goals or write them to reflect skills the student has already mastered.
In our school we have to keep documentation on IEP goals at least bi-weekly.
I review IEP’s now and it makes me sick to see an IEP that is just re-worded from the previous year.
But….I don’t think there is an answer for teachers that are being buried in paperwork and spend more time with data than they do with their students.

]]> By: Top 40 Special Education blogs http://resource220.com/2009/11/23/ieps-what-a-waste-of-time/#comment-335 Top 40 Special Education blogs Tue, 22 Jun 2010 02:31:27 +0000 http://resource220.com/?p=60#comment-335 [...] 8. I Will Make a Difference – Will You? [...] [...] 8. I Will Make a Difference – Will You? [...]

]]> By: resource220 http://resource220.com/2009/11/23/ieps-what-a-waste-of-time/#comment-47 resource220 Tue, 08 Dec 2009 02:00:06 +0000 http://resource220.com/?p=60#comment-47 I come from both sides of the plate as a former parent and current Special Education teacher. There is a place for written documentation of the agreement of what the school/parent will do in the education of the child, but the current IEP process is more of a CYA process than a useful one. There needs to be changes to the IEP so that it meets the legal requirements, but at the same time not be burdensome for either side. I would love to see the time I spend developing an IEP be well utilized and be considered useful to all that need to use it, but for the most part once it is written it becomes a paperwork document that sits in a file and only comes out during the quarterly reviews and each time there is a PET. I would be in favor of a document that can be *use*ful also, but getting parents and teachers to use the IEP is not always successful. It has been my experience that ultimately it depends upon the parent involved, as to how the IEP is actually used. Thank you for commenting I come from both sides of the plate as a former parent and current Special Education teacher. There is a place for written documentation of the agreement of what the school/parent will do in the education of the child, but the current IEP process is more of a CYA process than a useful one.

There needs to be changes to the IEP so that it meets the legal requirements, but at the same time not be burdensome for either side.

I would love to see the time I spend developing an IEP be well utilized and be considered useful to all that need to use it, but for the most part once it is written it becomes a paperwork document that sits in a file and only comes out during the quarterly reviews and each time there is a PET.

I would be in favor of a document that can be *use*ful also, but getting parents and teachers to use the IEP is not always successful. It has been my experience that ultimately it depends upon the parent involved, as to how the IEP is actually used.

Thank you for commenting

]]> By: Samantha - Parent of 2 special needs children http://resource220.com/2009/11/23/ieps-what-a-waste-of-time/#comment-43 Samantha - Parent of 2 special needs children Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:53:32 +0000 http://resource220.com/?p=60#comment-43 Unfortunately, this is the case far too often, but it doesn't have to be. Parents who remain engaged and educators who are willing to work with parents *can* use the IEP process and document as a great tool to work through a child's needs and design a program that is both educationally sound and reflective of the longer-term goals parents have for their child. That's a lot of if's, I agree. But it would be a shame to eliminate a tool that can be *use*ful, if it is *used*. Unfortunately, this is the case far too often, but it doesn’t have to be.

Parents who remain engaged and educators who are willing to work with parents *can* use the IEP process and document as a great tool to work through a child’s needs and design a program that is both educationally sound and reflective of the longer-term goals parents have for their child.

That’s a lot of if’s, I agree. But it would be a shame to eliminate a tool that can be *use*ful, if it is *used*.

]]> By: shawn williams http://resource220.com/2009/11/23/ieps-what-a-waste-of-time/#comment-42 shawn williams Mon, 07 Dec 2009 00:29:08 +0000 http://resource220.com/?p=60#comment-42 oh my god.....someone who agrees that iep's are useless...thank you oh my god…..someone who agrees that iep’s are useless…thank you

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