Essay Example: Individualized Education Program

In response to my classmate’s post on the IEP, I would like to point out a few things. To begin with, an Individualized Education Program, otherwise known as an IEP, refers to a document that is written to qualify a child in a public school for special education services. The Individuals with Disabilities Act establishes that an IEP for any child between the ages of three to seventeen ought to be provided by public schools. This IEP is usually prescribed for students who have been determined to require special education services. Further, they are free and do not incur any costs for the parents (IEP, 2020). To fully realize everything entailed in the program, an IEP Advocate is usually present to help both the parents and the child.

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The Procedural Safeguards for Gifted and Exceptional Students requires that before making any referrals, the parents or guardians of the child ought to be well-informed so that they can adequately participate in making the decisions that affect the life of their child. Prior notice shall also be provided to the parents in good and reasonable time before anything regarding the IEP is done. My emphasis on the matter is on this part- that before any step is taken that directly affects the child, his parents or guardians ought to be notified, and consent to the same.

The stages in the IEP program include pre-referral, referral, identification, eligibility IEP development, implementation and evaluation and review. The pre-referral stage is the first stage within which the difficulties encountered by the child are first brought to light, and a determination on whether they can be solved within a standard classroom is made. A referral is the outcome of a failed pre-referral stage. It is made or sent out by the parents, public health nurse, etc. Identification involves a disability assessment test to determine the special education program (PSESWAG, 2020). The eligibility stage comes after the identification stage and involves the development of a plan that fits the child’s special needs. IEP development is largely guided by an IEP advocate, who does his duties together with the input of key stakeholders in the child’s life. The implementation stage is where the IEP commences. Finally, the evaluation and review of the IEP program ought to be done annually to ensure that the goals are attainable.

I therefore believe that my classmate’s thoughts on the matter were well founded and justified as well. This response only comes forward to lay emphasis on the points he did not quite bring out clearly.

References

IEP eligibility Florida. (2020, July 14). Retrieved July 15, 2020, from https://www.theiepadvocate.com/iep-eligibility-florida-295458/

Procedural Safeguards for Exceptional Students Who Are Gifted, PSESWAG (2020). Accessed from http://www.fldoe.org/core/fileparse.php/7690/urlt/0070112-giftgard.pdf