Throughout this practitioner-oriented paper, we provide a rationale, framework, and supporting materials to promote the development and implementation of personalized, contextualized, and holistic individualized education plans (IEPs) with a strength-based orientation. We believe that adopting strength-based IEP writing practices is vital to…

All students deserve research-based, systematic support and a team that is committed to their success. In this book, Lee Ann Jung lays out a growth planning process that integrates seamlessly with existing IEP and Response to Instruction and Intervention (RTI2) structures and is also suitable for any student who has individualized or personalized…

What is Goal Attainment Scaling? In this article, Lee Ann Jung defines it as a way to measure a student's progress toward an individualized goal. Instead of measuring a skill at a set time (for instance, on a test or other assignment), Goal Attainment Scaling tracks the steps a student takes over the course of a year in a targeted skill. Together,…

Transition for students with disabilities has been the focus of educational policies for several decades. Still, students with disabilities, including those with a specific learning disability (SLD), continue to experience difficulties transitioning to post-school environments, particularly post-secondary education (PSE). The Individuals with…

The science behind the mechanisms and mediators that lead to successful goal accomplishment has been a focus of research since the 1970s. When an individual desires to make a change or accomplish an outcome, research shows that he or she will be more successful if he or she attends to a number of variables that are key in goal setting.…

Pam Shanks describes Raintree Montessori School, an exemplary inclusion school, and gives credit to the legacy of Dr. Montessori. An inclusive Montessori community begins with "physical integration of all children, progresses to functional inclusion, and finally culminates in the highest level, social inclusion." Each of these levels is…

Having a disability can be one of the most marginalizing factors in a child's life. In education, finding ways to meet the learning needs of children with disabilities can be challenging, especially in schools, districts, regions, and countries with severely limited resources. Inclusive education--which fully engages all children in quality…

Learning disabilities are among the most common disabilities experienced in childhood and adulthood. Although identifying learning disabilities in a school setting is a complex process, it is particularly challenging in low- and middle-income countries that lack the appropriate resources, tools, and supports. This guide provides an introduction to…

When considering developing educational programs for students with disabilities, one often thinks first of the annual goals and short-term objectives that are included in the individualized education program (IEP). It is important, though, to connect the short-term objectives (the "now") to long-term goals and dreams (the "future"). Making that…

Over the past decade, there has been an increased emphasis on transition planning for students with exceptional needs. This is in part the result of the mandates contained in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004. This increased emphasis has revealed a number of shortcomings with how transition planning is done…

This article describes a program at the Dallas (Texas) Regional Day School for the Deaf for multihandicapped elementary and secondary students. The program utilizes the Functional Skills Screening Inventory to identify current skills, develop objectives, monitor student progress, facilitate long-range planning, and evaluate the instructional…

Project LIFE (Lifelong Impact From Education) was a 3-year federally funded program to develop, field test, and disseminate a collaborative model that increases the capacity of neighborhood schools and local education agencies to provide appropriate educational services to children with deaf-blindness in general education settings and improve…

CAMEO is a system that combines computer technology with a resource of objectives to provide a flexible, time-saving solution to the workload created by individualized education programs (IEPs) for handicapped students. Results of a field test demonstrated that CAMEO reduced preparatory and clerical time without compromising the ability to address…

This paper describes the use of the Individual Career Plan (ICP) with students having disabilities at the University of Massachusetts (UMASS) at Amherst. The ICP is a career development tool that encourages self-determination. First, a summary of the barriers to career achievement for students with disabilities in higher education is presented.…

Microcomputers can store and retrieve thousands of goals or objectives and can be an enormous help in developing individualized education programs (IEPs) for handicapped students. An IEP retrieval software system developed with a menu of 24 curricular areas has generated more than 400 IEPs. (CL)