View source for SSPS:Educational Plans


==Individual Educational Plan (IEP)==
The IEP is a written document designed to meet the individual needs of students with disabilities. Parents and staff are partners in the development of the IEP. The written document may be reviewed and amended as the needs of the student changes. An IEP meeting must be held at least annually to review and rewrite. The document is current for a calendar year.

'''Scheduling'''
The IEP meeting is scheduled at a mutually agreed upon time and place. The written Meeting Notice in PEER to the parent, student and/or agency includes:
* Purpose
* Time
* Location of the meeting
* Who will be in attendance
* Statement informing the parents that they have the right to invite individuals with special knowledge or expertise about their child.
* If neither parent can attend, the district uses other methods to ensure parent participation including individual or conference telephone calls or video conferencing.
* A meeting may be conducted without a parent in attendance. In this case, the student file contains a record of at least two reasonable attempts. These records include such items as: detailed records of telephone calls or attempts, and/or copies of correspondence sent to the parents. Parent responses should be recorded in the “Edit Comments” section for the Meeting Notice in PEER. Edited comments should be printed and filed with the Meeting Notice. 

Recording of IEP Meetings
The recording of IEP Team meetings is prohibited unless a parent, authorized representative of a parent, or IEP team member, is unable to understand or meaningfully participate in the IEP process or the planning of the relevant student’s education due to a disability, language barrier, or some other impairment.

A. If a parent believes that recording an IEP Team meeting is necessary, s/he should notify the principal or designee, or the Director of Student Support Programs and Services in writing, preferably at least two (2) school days before the IEP Team meeting, of his desire to record the meeting and the reason the recording is required. The principal or designee, or the Director of Student Support Programs and Services, will notify the parent at least one (1) school day before the meeting if s/he intends to grant or deny the parent's request to record the meeting.

B. If the District representative denies the request, s/he will state in writing the reasons for the denial. Authorized exceptions to the general prohibition against the recording of IEP Team meetings involve situations when a parent, or authorized representative of a parent, or other IEP Team member, is unable to understand or meaningfully participate in the IEP process or the planning of the relevant student’s education due to a disability, language barrier, or some other impairment. If a parent is permitted to record the meeting, s/he must use his/her own recording device and the District will similarly record the meeting.

For purposes of this policy, a recording is defined as the capture of moving visual images, voices, and other ambient sound electronically, digitally, or by any other means for the purpose of retrieval and review. Recording moving visual images at an IEP meeting is strictly prohibited. The requirements of this policy shall not be interpreted to be in conflict with the provisions of Policy 5136 - Wireless Communication Devices as it pertains to recordings. Moreover, the requirements of this policy shall not be interpreted to extend to school-sponsored public events where there can be no expectation of privacy. A school-sponsored public event is any school-related activity, whether free or at which an admission fee is charged, that members of the public may attend. These include, but are not limited to, athletic competition, plays, musical performances, awards ceremonies, and graduation. See Policy 9160 - Public Attendance at School Events for additional information about restrictions on recording at such events. If the District audio records an IEP Team meeting, the resulting recording shall become a part of the student's educational record and will be maintained in accordance with State and Federal law.
34 C.F.R. 300.322 and 300.501, F.S. 1003.57, F.A.C. 6A-6.03311, Adopted by FLDOE 4/5/16

IEP Team Participants
1.	Local Education Agency Representative (LEA): A representative of the school district who is qualified to provide or supervise the provision of specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of students with disabilities, is knowledgeable about the general curriculum, and is knowledgeable about the availability of individual educational resources of the district.
2.	The parent/guardian
3.	Student, if appropriate or required
4.	At least one regular education teacher of the student, if the student is or may be participating in any regular education environment including electives and specials at the elementary level
5.	ESE teacher(s)
6.	Staff member who can address evaluation data, which may be the ESE teacher
7.	Agency representatives, as appropriate
8.	Additional participants at the parent's request

The IEP Team Considers:
All relevant aspects of the student which include but is not limited to:
•	Academic and behavioral interventions
•	Strategies for the student
•	Medical documentation and impact
•	Classroom accommodations
•	Modifications
•	Related services
•	Supplementary aids and services
•	Supports for school personnel to be provided for the student

Considerations for Development and Review of the IEP
•	Strengths of the student and concerns of the parents for enhancing the education of their child
•	Results of the initial or most recent evaluation or reevaluation
•	As appropriate, results of the student's performance on state or district-wide assessments
•	Academic, developmental, and functional needs of the student
•	In the case of a student whose behavior impedes the student's learning or the learning of others, strategies including the use of positive behavioral interventions, supports and other strategies to address that behavior
•	In the case of a student with limited English proficiency, the language needs of the student as related to the IEP
•	In the case of a student who is blind or visually impaired, provision of instruction in Braille and the use of Braille unless the IEP team determines, after an evaluation or the student's reading and writing skills, needs including future needs and appropriate reading and writing media (Including an evaluation of the student's future need for instruction in Braille or the use of Braille), that instruction in Braille or the use of Braille is not appropriate for the student
•	The communication needs of the student
•	In the case of a student who is deaf or hard-of-hearing, the student's language and communication needs, opportunities for direct communications with peers and professional personnel in the student's language and communication mode, academic level and full range of needs, including opportunities for direct instruction in the student's language and communication mode
•	Whether the student requires assistive technology devices or services

Content of the IEP
Each IEP must contain the following:
1.	Identification of Domains or Transition Services Activity Areas (for students who will turn 16) that will be addressed in the IEP.
2.	For each Domain or Transition Services Activity Area identified, a statement of the student's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including strengths, current levels of functioning, and how the student's disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum.
3.	Measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals designed to meet the student's needs that result from the student's disability to enable to student to be involved in and make progress in the general curriculum; or for preschool children, as appropriate, to participate in appropriate activities and meet each of the student's other educational needs that result from the student's disability.
4.	Benchmarks or short-term objectives for students with disabilities who take alternate assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards, or any other student with a disability.
5.	Special education services, related services, and supplementary aids and services.
6.	Classroom accommodations, modifications, or supports for school personnel that will be provided for the student to advance appropriately toward attaining the annual goals. A parent must provide signed consent for a student to receive instructional accommodations that would not be permitted on the statewide assessments and must acknowledge in writing that s/he understands the implications of such accommodations.
7.	An explanation of the extent, if any, to which the student will not participate with non-disabled peers in the regular classroom.
8.	Individual appropriate accommodations necessary to measure the academic achievement and functional performance of the student on the state or district assessments. If the IEP team determines that the student will take an alternate assessment instead of the regular state or district assessment of student achievement, the IEP must include a statement of why the student cannot participate the regular assessment and why the particular alternate assessment selected is appropriate for the student. If a student does not participate in the regular state assessment, the district must notify the student's parent and provide the parent with information regarding the implications of such non-participation.
9.	The projected date for the beginning of the special education services and accommodations and modifications described including the anticipated frequency, location, and duration of those services.
10.	Identification of how the student progress toward meeting the annual goals will be measured and when the periodic reports on the progress the student is making toward meeting the annual goals (such as through the use of quarterly or other periodic reports, concurrent with the issuance of report cards) will be provided.
11.	During the student's eighth grade year or during the school year of the student's 14th birthday, whichever comes first, a statement of whether the student is pursuing a course of study leading to a standard diploma or a special diploma.
12.	Beginning no later than age 14, IEP teams shall begin the process of identifying transition services needs of students with disabilities, to include consideration of the student's need for instruction or the provision information in the area of self-determination to assist the student to be able to actively and effectively participate in IEP team meetings and self-advocate, so that needed postsecondary goals maybe identified and in place by age sixteen (16).

For students who will be age 16:
1.	Measurable postsecondary goals based on age-appropriate transition assessments is required. It needs to relate to training, education, employment and, where appropriate, independent living skills and the transition services (including courses of study).
2.	Beginning at least one year before the student's 18th birthday, a statement that the student has been informed of his or her rights that will transfer from the parents to the student on reaching the age of majority.

IEP Amendments
Generally, changes to the IEP must be made by the entire IEP Team at an IEP Team meeting and may be made by amending the IEP rather than by redrafting the entire IEP. However, in making changes to a student’s IEP after the annual IEP meeting for a school year, the parent and the school district may agree not to convene an IEP Team meeting for purposes of making those changes, and instead may develop a written document to amend or modify the student’s current IEP. If changes are made to the student’s IEP without a meeting, the school district must ensure that the student’s IEP Team is informed of those changes. Upon request, a parent must be provided with a revised copy of the IEP with the amendments incorporated.

In summary, there are some situations in which a minor change to the IEP is required that does NOT change placement, more restrictive services, and/or graduation options. In these cases, the team can consider an amendment without a meeting with the entire IEP team.

Accessibility
The IEP will be accessible to all teachers and providers. They will be informed of their specific responsibilities related to the implementation of the IEP and the specific accommodations, modifications and supports that must be provided for the student.

==Educational Plan (EP)==
The EP is a written document designed to meet the individual needs of students determined eligible for gifted services. Parent (or provided written input), a teacher of gifted, a basic education teacher(or provided written input), and the student, when applicable, are partners to develop the EP. The written document may be reviewed and/or revised at any time. The EP must be updated at least every 3 years unless the student will be graduating at the end of the current school year. EPs should be reviewed and updated when the student transitions from 2nd to 3rd grade, 5th to 6th grade, and 8th to 9th grade. EPs may be written to cover the four (4) year period a gifted student is expected to attend high school.

The EP must contain:
•	Present Level of Performance (PLS) 
•	Two or more measurable goals that are related to the priority needs identified in the PLS
•	Description of service, frequency, and location
•	Description of how student progress toward goal mastery will be reported and frequency of reporting

==Service Plan (SP)==
Part B of the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA 2004) requires that school districts locate, identify and evaluate at public expense students who are parentally placed at private schools and who are suspected of having disabilities and needing special education and related services. This part of the general school district responsibility is known as Child Find.

The requirement to make available a free appropriate public education (FAPE) does not extend to private school settings when children with disabilities are parentally placed in those settings.

There is no individual entitlement of parentally placed private school students to receive special education services. However, some students may receive services under a Service Plan.

Please note that these services are only available to parentally-placed students with disabilities (ESE) who attend nonprofit private schools within Pasco County.

A Service Plan is a written statement that describes the special education and related services that a school district will provide to a parentally-placed student with a disability enrolled in a private school. An IEP cannot be used as a Service Plan as it contains additional information that might imply that the student is entitled to FAPE services. The Service Plan contains only information relevant to special education and related services to be provided to the student.

Service Plans should only be written after a request for ESE services has been submitted to and approved by the Office for Student Supports and Program Services at the District Office.

After such a request is approved, the contract therapist will write the Service Plan and hold the meeting at the non-profit private school site. The only exception is if a school-based SLP is serving a student for Clinic Speech Services (e.g., Home Ed request).

A Service Plan must parallel the IEP content requirements and must be developed and amended consistent with the requirements for the IEP. The plan needs to include information related to those specific services that the school district has determined the student will receive.

The school district ensures that a representative of the private school attends each meeting for development of a Service Plan. If the private school representative cannot attend, then other methods, such as individual conference, telephone class should be used.