The 2017 Supreme Court decision "Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District" highlighted the importance of monitoring students' progress toward appropriately challenging individualized educational program (IEP) annual goals and making changes to students' educational programs when needed. The process for setting an IEP goal should be…

An IEP is an Individualized Education Program. When a child is identified with a disability under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) a child has a right to a Free, Appropriate, Public Education (FAPE). For a child to receive FAPE there has to be an IEP developed in order for the child to progress in the general education…

Although different authors define the SMART acronym differently, an IEP-related interpretation of the acronym is as follows: specific, measurable, action verbs, realistic, and time limited. In addition to these features, well-written IEP goals reflect students' unique strengths and needs. This article discusses how educators can produce specific,…

Student growth is one of two essential components of South Dakota's Teacher and Principal Effectiveness Systems. In the state systems, student growth is defined as a positive change in student achievement between two or more points in time. "The South Dakota SLO Handbook" provides support and guidance to public schools and school…

The report focuses on the objectives of the Preschool Instruction for the Exceptional (PIE) program, an early intervention program designed to help handicapped children function more effectively and help parents understand their child's special needs. It is explained that the primary goal of PIE is to have each child enter the mainstream of…

Addresses pitfalls in formulating individualized education program (IEP) goals and objectives for handicapped students as mandated by P.L. 94-142 (the Education for All Handicapped Children Act). Short-term objectives are subordinate to goals and should reflect a hierarchical relationship to goal. Some of the inadequacies of written objectives are…

A pilot study comparing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) generated with the assistance of the UNISTAR I microcomputer software program and teacher-written IEP is briefly described, and an IEP is appended. In addition, the time and costs associated with the development of IEPs and the interest in the application of microcomputers to develop…

The second part of a two-part publication, this material is designed to be used as a curriculum guide and progress record for the special education student who is unable to benefit fully from the regular school program. It presents goals and subgoals for students in six curriculum areas in grades one through twelve. The basic skills chapter…