Academic and Functional Strengths and Needs

Another Cairo pic. I shopped a store called Spinney's to get staples for my daugher's dorm. It was pretty much like our Walmart on Black Friday...very crowded with long lines. Keep in mind I was by myself and the only Arabic I know is "hello", "yes", and "thank you". I was so glad to make instant friends while waiting to pay the bill. One of them spoke English and wanted a picture of me. I kept the receipt as a token although I can't read it!

Section II of the EXCENT IEP is where case managers provide a description of the academic and functional strengths and needs of the student and how the disability affects involvement and progress in the general curriculum. For preschoolers, involvement in appropriate activities and desribed. This section is very important as it provides the starting point for all decisions regarding an IEP. It might be helpful to think about this section as an opportunity to explain in words what the student is like in the event they transfer to another teacher who needs to learn about their new student without the luxury of a phone call. When doing IEP Folder Reviews, I make a 4-square grid at the top of the section and write AS (academic strengths), AN (academic needs), FS (functional strengths), and FN (functional needs) in the boxes. I check them off as I read a description of each in this section to make sure all four are addressed. This section must provide rationale for the unique need for special education by comparing the student's performance to that of his/her classroom peers. An example of a FN description of behavior might read like this "Hannah has difficulty staying on task during instruction. During three structured onservation periods, she was on task an averge of 54% of the time observed. Her peers were on task an average of 88% of the time observed. Hannah's difficulty remaining on task results in low achievement in classes that require sustained attention to task.

I'll continue this section on the next entry...