Let's Build an
Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
When a team builds an IEP, the team looks at the evaluations to determine the strengths and needs of the student. The building of the IEP uses the evaluation as the blueprint. The first items to determine are the present levels (foundation) of the student. The team looks at the whole child first and then as they build annual goals (roof), the present level in each area is addressed. So, if a child needs a reading goal, the present level would address the student's strengths and weaknesses in reading.
The short-term objective (interior supports) are the pieces of the IEP that build gradually toward the annual goal. These should be addressed in steps that build upon each other with dates and performance levels indicated.
The service providers (building crew) are those services such as Speech/Language, OT, para-educator supports as well as others, that assist students to achieve their goals. The monitoring (building inspector and homeowners) are parents, supervisors, Department of Education, and others who make sure that the IEP requirements and goals are being met.
Now, you see modifications (basement window, ramp, skylight, and fieldstone chimney and fireplace) may really be accommodations. The difference between a modification and an accommodation is that in a modification the curriculum is being changed but the standards of the curriculum are not being accessed. An accommodation could be adjusting the current curriculum so that books are read to the student or a different reading level is provided but the curriculum is essentially the same. A student could access the algebra standard through a hands-on approach.