If school removed an area of support/need from IEP should that be reflected on PWN/NOREP?

[AM23]

Hi,

We're in PA. My son's draft annual IEP shows he met his writing goal and says due to the goal being met the school thinks he no longer has a need in writing/written expression, and therefore there's no goal and no instruction in the new draft. We disagree with this, because he did not meet the goal independently. His work was edited and used teacher conferencing with no data showing what his writing looks like on his own. We've provided staff writing  samples that show my son still needs extra help with writing and spelling. Additionally, at two previous IEP meetings, school staff agreed to add a goal for on-demand writing, to provide data on writing done independently, and to provide data as to what teachers are correcting/suggesting in his drafts, and school staff will not provide any of these now. Also removed from the IEP were instruction in executive functioning and social skills. Similarly, the IEP showed he met his executive function goal, but there was no data showing this other than some vague language that he checked his work. Is it reasonable to ask the school to explain on the PWN/NOREP why they feel my son no longer needs instruction in writing, social skills, and executive function?  In other words, should it based on data other than meeting a goal?

Thanks!

 

[Carolyn Rowlett]

I'm not in PA, so hopefully others with chime in regarding PA specifically.  In general, I would look at the language of the goal - does it say anything about writing independently?  Of course, even if it doesn't, that's the assumption - that supports are put in place in the gen ed setting UNTIL the goal can be met independently without support.

When you say "at two previous IEP meetings, school staff agreed to add a goal for on-demand writing," etc., why didn't that happen after the meeting(s) in which it was agreed upon?

With respect to the executive functioning goal, it would be necessary to also look at the language of this goal - was it only about checking his work?  If there was more, then the goal wasn't met.

To answer your question about data versus meeting a goal, they are intertwined.  It IS based on whether or not the goal is met (although a different goal may be needed, i.e., if he met a sentence-writing goal, he needs to more on to a paragraph goal), BUT the only way to tell if a goal is met is with DATA.  Have you been receiving quarterly progress monitoring reports?  The annual IEP can't just "show" he met his writing goal without data in the present levels.

Here are my suggestions:

1. In response to the PWN/NOREP, because it should be set forth on this document why a goal was removed, I would definitely request an explanation, but more importantly, the data behind the explanation.  Also cite the previous meetings in which a goal and data were agreed upon but never added.

2.  Since you are entitled to an evaluation every year, I would request one in the areas which have been removed - writing, executive functioning, and social skills.  They have to have data before they can remove these, and it sounds like they don't have it.  So request an evaluation.