1. Discover Google
Chrome’s Free
Accessibility Features
And Add-Ons
Page 11
3-Step Plan Turns
Student-Led IEPs
From Goal To
Reality
Page 12
Many Schools Are
Failing To Meet Dyslexic
Students’Needs – Avoid
These Pitfalls
Page 14
Late Parent IEP
Notifications Lead
To State Investigation
Page 15
IDEA
July 2016 | Vol. 16 | No. 7 | Pages 9-16
Your Authoritative Guide to IDEA Regs, IEP Strategies & Effective Special Ed Interventions
COMPLIANCE ALERT
With This Tech-Savvy Approach
Cut Costs And
Make Learning
More Accessible
3. IDEA Compliance Alert To subscribe, call (800) 223-8720 11
programs you already own, such as Microsoft Word, says Bugaj,
who also hosts an AT podcast (http://www.attipscast.com).
Tips: Think about what you already have that can serve a
particular student’s needs. Answers might include:
Be a “Captions On” school, suggests Bugaj: Whenever a
video is shown in the school, the closed captioning option
is on. Pairing text with spoken word is a research-proven
strategy to improve literacy for everyone.
Encourage students to listen to free audiobooks and
podcasts. Studies show just listening to spoken word, and
then talking about the story afterward, helps students of all
levels become better readers. You can download free audio
online (under a creative commons license) and burn it to
CDs for students to take home, Bugaj adds.
If you don’t have the funding to get a device for every
student, start a “Bring Your Own Technology” initiative in
your district or school. In Loudoun County Public Schools,
many students come to school with their iPad Touch or a
similar device, which teachers incorporate into the instruc-
tional environment.
Bottom line: To serve learning disabled students with the least
restrictive option, you should first look to what you already
have in your school environment, says Bugaj. Up to 90 percent
of technology needs can be met by devising creative solutions
with devices already in the school, he estimates.
Use ‘SETT’ framework to select the right tool
Always think about how the individual student will be using the
technology when considering a purchase or designing a lesson.
A helpful way to choose the most appropriate tools for
differentiated instruction is called the SETT framework,
coined by Joy Zabala, Bugaj says. SETT stands for “Student,
Environments, Tasks, Tools.”
Another way to put it: “What is the tool that will let that
particular student, in that environment, do the task that we want
them to do,” Bugaj says.
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Example: If a learning disabled student needs to complete
a research project in the gen ed environment, he may need
certain digital organizational tools to complete the task, says
Stacy Driscoll, M.Ed., ATP, an assistive technology specialist
with the Assistive Technology in New Hampshire (ATinNH)
program and founder of LifeLong AT.
As you seek an individualized approach to AT support, she
says, ask:
What is the Student able to do the same as everyone else,
and what limitations does he have?
What Environments will the student be working in, e.g. at
home, at school, at the library?
Given that the Task includes research, organization, and
written or oral expression, which Tools will best serve the
student?
Keeping the SETT acronym in mind can help you make sure all
your bases are covered when it comes to tech supports.
Train teachers to take advantage of data
Ever-evolving educational technology allows students
unprecedented access to the curriculum, and it supplies teachers
with loads of data. Just make sure your teachers are up to speed.
Online learning helps teachers to collect real-time information
about how their students respond to tasks, allowing them to give
frequent feedback and retarget instruction, states the COLSD
report. Learning to use the data that digital devices collect is key.
Getting the most benefit out of technology really depends on
how tech-savvy your teachers are, Driscoll notes. While many
of the skills can be self-taught with a personal time investment,
doing a staff training is often the most efficient way to learn
how to maximize use of a new device or program, she says.
Takeaway: Not only does data allow for precise progress
monitoring and targeting of instruction, but students also feel more
engaged and motivated to complete additional tasks when they
track their growth through online programs, Smith sums up. v
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Tech Toolkit
Discover Google Chrome’s Free Accessibility Features And
Add-Ons
Look: Premium Read&Write subscription is free for teachers.
When cool accessibility features don’t come standard with a
program, you may have the option to make it more accessible
with third-party add-ons.
Many people are using Google Chrome apps and app extensions
as supports for students, shares Stacy Driscoll, M.Ed., ATP, an
assistive technology specialist with the Assistive Technology
in New Hampshire (ATinNH) program and founder of
5. IDEA Compliance Alert To subscribe, call (800) 223-8720 13
such as goals, accommodations, and the names of IEP
team members, writes Ellis in the article: “Empowerment
through Engagement: Implementing Student-led IEPs.”
IEP portfolio: A portfolio is a binder where students
collect and organize their thoughts on everything from
their strengths and academic progress to teacher feedback
and goals for the next year. It also acts as a presentation
template, allowing students to come to the meeting
prepared with relevant data and recommendations.
How to: For tools and templates, look for the “Resources” box
at the end of the article.
From the field: Now that you have some ideas on student
preparation, you may be wondering how to fit in the time to do
it. The schools participating in D.C.’s initiative each found their
own creative way to work in time for student preparation. Some
schools prepped students during their regular special ed resource
class, while another school pulled students during lunch, and
another folded student preparation into an existing “transition
services” meeting, Grime explains.
3: Let the student set the stage
The IEP document is highly individualized, and so is the
student-led IEP process.
While students from kindergarten through 12th grade can take
part, “meaningful” participation will look different for different
ages and ability levels, Grime points out. A younger student
might be involved by introducing the IEP team and stating a
few of her goals, while an older student might contribute to
the IEP development, decide who gets invited, or even lead the
meeting.
Tip: Think outside the box to help students contribute
– especially one who feels anxious, loses his train of thought, or
just doesn’t have a lot of experience participating in meetings
with adults. Grime suggests these creative alternatives to an
ordinary conference-table-style meeting:
Assist the student in creating a PowerPoint slideshow or
video ahead of time to show at the meeting.
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Ask the student to demonstrate how her assistive
technology works.
Use pictures about daily activities that the student can share.
Video record the meeting and debrief with the student
afterward about her successes and goals for the next meeting.
Even if a student isn’t ready to participate extensively in a
meeting, he can work on better understanding his abilities and
which supports help him most by tracking his progress in the
classroom, Ellis suggests.
Example: Use a graph to plot student accomplishments such
as reading a certain amount of sight words per minute, or help
them make a list of the skills they’re working on, checking off
successes as they occur, Ellis suggests.
Bottom line: Remember that student-led IEPs are focused
on skills critical for success in life. If hesitant, ask yourself:
“Does this student participate meaningfully in the classroom?,”
Hawbaker says. “If the answer is ‘yes,’ then that student is also
very capable of participating meaningfully in the IEP meeting
and should be both present and actively involved.” v
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Resources for Student-Led IEPs:
A video about the D.C. student-led IEP implemen-
tation project: www.ossesecondarytransition.org/
studentled_ieps
Student-led IEP toolkits for students, families, and
educators: http://dc-transition_guide.frameweld.com/
page/studentled_iep_toolkit_introduction_ (see bottom
of page)
“Student-Led IEP Meetings: Planning and Implemen-
tation Strategies” by Becky Wilson Hawbaker:
http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ967458.pdf , and
student-led IEP template: https://movingstudentsforward.
org/my-iep-meeting-template-by-becky-wilson-hawbaker/
“A Student’s Guide to the IEP” by Marcy McGahee-
Kovac: https://www.autismspeaks.org/docs/family_
services_docs/StudentsGuide.pdf.
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Sample document
Lay A Strong Foundation For Student-Led IEPs With This
Checklist
You can enhance students’ self-advocacy skills as early as this fall!
Want to establish or improve your student-led IEP initiative,
but not sure where to start? Get organized with this step-by-step
action plan:
Summer Action Plan: Research and Prepare
Recruit others who are interested in implementation of
student-led IEPs. Everything is easier when shared with a
7. IDEA Compliance Alert To subscribe, call (800) 223-8720 15
delayed speech acquisition and trouble producing speech
sounds
difficulty learning letter names and sounds
poor phonemic awareness and poor spelling
difficulty reading and spelling “sight” words
inaccurate and slow oral reading
poor reading comprehension but better listening
comprehension
poor handwriting and/or written expression
avoidance of reading and writing
overreliance on context and guessing
Now that you know what dyslexia looks and sounds like, you
are better prepared to serve those students with the right mix of
instructional and technological supports.
Use a multi-sensory approach: sound, sight,
and touch
Pitfall #2: Don’t rely on typical reading interventions to
boost the literacy skills of dyslexic students. You need a more
advanced approach.
“Students with dyslexia will not learn to read effectively
through approaches such as guided reading or ‘balanced
literacy,’” explains Alison Pankowski, M.Ed., LDT-C, reading
interventionist, teacher trainer, and 20-year veteran of New
Jersey public schools.
Key: To impact dyslexic students, reading instruction must
be explicit, systematically structured, and multi-sensory. The
Fundations K-3 program, part of the Wilson Reading System,
does an excellent job of using these techniques to help students
with encoding and decoding, Pankowski says.
Another widely used, research-proven method for supporting
dyslexic students is the Orton-Gillingham approach, says Diana
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Petschauer, M.Ed., ATP, founder of Assistive Technology for
Education. It is effective because it combines auditory, kinesthetic,
and visual components to support learning in a sequential manner.
Example: Students might learn the letter ‘B’ by seeing it,
saying its name, and sounding it out while writing it with their
fingers in sand or shaving cream.
Bridge the gap with read-aloud technology
The good news is if dyslexia students are able to hear text read
aloud, they can demonstrate typical grade-level comprehension.
And with the wealth of free or low-cost technology available,
text is more accessible than ever before.
Try it: The Voice Dream Reader app has extensive functions to
support students with reading disabilities, shares Stacy Driscoll,
M.Ed., ATP, an assistive technology specialist with the
Assistive Technology in New Hampshire (ATinNH) program
and founder of LifeLong AT. The app allows you to pull any
text from the web and have it read aloud. It also allows you to
change the font, color, and size of any web-based text to make it
easier to read.
Another idea: An additional resource is Learning Ally (www.
learningally.org), which provides free audiobooks so students can
access general education novels and textbooks, shares Pankowski.
Bottom line: Students with dyslexia are intelligent and can
succeed. However, it’s critical to recognize and diagnose their
dyslexia and combine systematic, multi-sensory instruction with
assistive technology, Petschauer advises. When these students
have the right tools in place, it makes a huge difference in both
their self-confidence and academic progress, she adds.
Resource: Access a free recorded webinar “Supporting Students
with Dyslexia: Standards, Accommodations, and Strategies” co-
led by Petschauer at http://ctdinstitute.org/cafe. v
News Briefs
Late Parent IEP Notifications Lead To State Investigation
Make sure you keep parents informed about IEPs and document your communication in a timely
manner – or you may end up violating IDEA.
The Iowa City School District is under fire for failing to
properly notify parents of IEP meetings and IEP changes.
During an audit last fall, 70 percent of the reviewed IEPs (114
of 163) were deemed not in compliance with the law, reports
The Iowa City Gazette.
The IEP violations included:
49 instances where the district notified parents of
educational changes after the implementation date, whereas
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the law requires these notices be made prior to educational
service changes.
18 cases where a school significantly modified a child’s
education plan without documenting parent agreement.
11 instances where meeting notices for parents were
created after the meeting date.
Additionally, the district did not provide an adequate
explanation for why some students did not participate in
regular physical education, art, media, and counseling.
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