IEP hours
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Anonymous
Hi, I am an IEP newbie and have some questions. We just finished my DD's meeting for her entry into kindergarten and I was completely overwhelmed- I had no idea there would be that many people. I should have asked questions, but I just sat quietly. 
She has just over 20 hours on her IEP, but what does that mean? Does that mean she will have someone helping her for 4 hours a day? She will be fully mainstreamed, so I don't really get how the hours work. I think they said that some of the hours would be just with her classroom teacher, some would be with the special educator, and that there might be a paraeducator. How do they count the time? If the classroom teacher is covering some of the hours, how is that different than all other students? I am sure these are ignorant questions, but I just feel so confused and nervous for DD! Thanks for any help. |
Anonymous
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Op, there is never an ignorant question when it comes to IEP. So let's break it down:
She may be pulled out during certain periods of the day to be in a smaller classroom with special ed team. For example, they may pull her during Language Arts or Math & Science. Or she may have a special ed teacher/IA in the gen ed classroom who will help her in case she needs any assistance. She may also have extra services such as speech or OT. Some specialists come to the gen ed classroom and work with your child or maybe with a group of 2-3 children. And don't be afraid to ask follow-up questions with the IEP team. |
Anonymous
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Some school write inclusion right into their IEPs. This would mean that her services would take place inside the general education classroom. However, beware. In DCPS some of the IEP hours can be met if the Gen Edu teacher and SPED teacher 'plan' together. That is, the SPED teacher does not have to show up for the full 20 hours. Its shady, IMO.
My only concern is their assertion that a para can fulfill the hours. This simply cannot happen. It must be a certified teacher. |
Anonymous
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I think they do it for funding mostly. My DS currently has 20 hrs a wk in his IEP last yr in first grade, it basically meant that he was in the same classroom with the Sp Ed teacher in addition to the Gen Ed teacher. It did not mean that he had her full attention during those times. She helped as needed. DS has no academic issues and his IEP only addresses social/communication and fine motor issues (OT).
Two of those hours a week was for pull-outs, 1hr for OT and 3/4 for social skills classes with 1/4 hr for classroom observation and pointers to the Gen Ed teacher. It's notable that DS had 7 IEP hrs in preK, 10hrs in K, and 20 in 1st grade. DS in fully mainstreamed. DS has ASD/Asperger's and his symptoms have improved as he got older too. There is a link somewhere that shows how much money the schools receives for the amt of IEP hours. A little shady yes, but we've been very happy with the services and supports so no point in complaining. |
Anonymous
Not exactly. If a child is doing something that is substantially different from what the other kids are doing, and that something has been planned by a special education teacher, then that's "specialized instruction". If a paraeducator is supporting or implementing the individualization, it's allowable, although the para needs to be working under the supervision of a teacher. That's DC's interpretation. Some schools are more strict about what makes an activity "different", and what it means for a teacher to plan an activity. As part of federal law, every IEP, regardless of state, needs to specify which hours are delivered in a general ed (inclusion) setting, and which are delivered in a special education setting. |
Anonymous
| How do hours relating to behavior goals work? Can they just respond to behaviors as they occur or should there be instruction to teach proper behavior? |
Anonymous
Ideally, if a para is providing behavioral support, they should be preventing behaviors, responding to behaviors, and instructing in behaviors, according to a plan that was put together in advance by a specialist (behaviorist, counselor, teacher etc . . . ). |
Anonymous
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Yes. To be clear I was talking about a common practice at my old school. I was the inclusion gen edu teacher and the school put an aide in my room to meet several kids hours . No planning, just an aide. That is what I meant when I said a para cannot fill the role of a teacher.
Also OP if there are several kids in the class the SPED teacher can cover multiple students hours at once. So if 3 kids have 20 hours, then she could come in 4 hours a day and hit all the kids hours at once. |
Anonymous
| You can always call the department of Special Education at your school district or call the central office that conducted your meeting - they will gladly have someone call and explain the specifics. Those meetings do have a lot of people and can be overwhelming and they get that. |
Anonymous
| OP here- thank you all for your help! It is pretty scary. I am most concerned with how they will deal with her behavior, but I am optimistic! They said they would email the IEP next week so then I will be able to look at it and hopefully understand it better. |
Anonymous
| IME, the number of hours means the number of hours per year, not the number of hours per week. Unless your child has very intense needs, it is extremely unlikely that she will get 20 hours a week. |
Anonymous
| I have taught kids with different behavioral needs and some have had high hours on their IEP's. They may not have needed academic instruction presented differently, but they did need a lot of support implementing behavior plans and redirecting behaviors. This can add up during the day, and can come from the special educator or general educator, with directions from the special educator. If a child does need a lot of support behaviorally, we do tend to bump up the hours so the staffing is there. Yes, it can be deceiving, but it can increase the number of bodies in the classroom to help bring more individualized attention to the students. |