Parents often ask us how they can get their child with special needs more or different services. We can do this through changing your IEP plan! There are four basic things that have an affect on IEP plans: assessments, goals, services, and placement. Assessments drive goals, which in turn drive services, which drive the student’s placement.
In order to create a solid IEP plan, your child needs a thorough assessment. It’s the most crucial part! If a student’s challenges are not documented, it is impossible to write a specific, individual goal to address and overcome each of those challenges. Some schools may perform generic assessments that may or may not follow protocols; the assessor may not be properly trained or experienced to give the test(s) correctly.
Getting a thorough and well done assessment is the most crucial part to creating a solid IEP document. If a student’s challenges are not specifically and uniquely documented, how can a specific and individual goal be written to address that particular challenge? Most schools do cursory assessments that are fairly generic. They often do not follow the protocols that the test requires and often the assessor is not even trained or experienced enough to give the test correctly.
How can I get a great IEP plan with inaccurate assessments?
If you start with a less-than-amazing assessment, the goals that accompany are often generic and unpersonalized. Writing measurable, functional goals is difficult. If the goals are not measurable or functional, the student’s individual meets will not be met! The first thing you must do is rewrite the goals. By rewriting the goals, you can strengthen your child’s IEP plan and move on to improving their services and accommodations.
If your child’s IEP plan is weak in many spots, your child is unlikely receiving the services and accommodations they need. This is where accurate, well-written assessments help determine what services and accommodations your child will find most useful. Remember, a generic IEP 
plan is not geared to any individual and makes it more likely your child will receive a less-than-useful set of services and accommodations that will not help further his/her/their education. As far as placement options: as you strengthen your child’s IEP plan, your child will end up in a placement that is the best suited to him/her/them.
What is the best way to quickly strengthen your child’s IEP plan? The first thing any great advocate or attorney will tell a parent is to get another assessment. An outside assessment that is given by someone with no vested financial interest in its outcome is always the best way to go.
Aspire Advocacy takes pride in our ability to quickly strengthen IEP plans to get your student back on track! Call us today.
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