Matrix Parents Presents: Practical Special Education
Matrix Parents, a program of the Marin Center for Independent Living, is a Parent Training and Information Center (PTIC) in Marin County, California.
Matrix, along with almost 100 other PTICs around the country, provide training, advice and guidance to parents of children with disabilities. helping them navigate the systems that serve them.
This podcast series is designed to provide information on topics that our parents have told us they need.
The program is researched, written and recorded by one of our Parent Advisors, David Poeschl, a retired school district special education director and Cal State University lecturer.
We see every day the difficulty parents have trying to access systems initially, and the struggles to get and maintain a good special education program for their children over time.
We also know that knowledge is power, particularly when one is facing a complex and sometimes incredibly frustrating system. Studies consistently show that parents who are better informed are more satisfied with their children's IEP programs.
The podcasts in this series are designed to provide you with both the facts and, more importantly, the context and meaning that our experience with parents bring to us.
In addition, most of our Parent Advisors and staff have children with disabilities themselves, so they understand the deeply profound challenges and joys you face.
We hope you enjoy the series, and let us know if there are topics you want us to research for a possible future podcast.
Matrix Parents Presents: Practical Special Education
SMART Goals
IEP goals are the most important part of the entire IEP process. It is vital to write goals that clearly and concisely describe what progress a student should make on a specific skill over the course of a year.
The services a student receives is directly relarted to goals in an IEP. The IEP team determines what services are needed to provide a reasonable chance of meeting the goals.
While the implementation of goals is the purview of the professional staff working with a student, the goal drives that teaching.
The SMART (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time Based) goals concept is the most effective way of guding an IEP team on the content and wording of goals. It is an invaluable tool that every IEP team should be using.
Listen in to hear the whys and hows of SMART Goals.
Here are the goals that are used in the podcast:
Behavior:
When his classroom teacher invites participation by students by being called on after raising their hands quietly, John will call out with an answer or comment in 5 of 10 opportunities.
Goal:
By (one year), in a classroom setting, When his teacher asks the class to answer a question or make a comment by being called on after raising their hands quietly, John will do so 4 out of 5 opportunities with 80% accuracy.
Academic:
Marie’s reading level in the area of oral reading as measured by standardized testing is 85 words per minute, she is 4th grade, should be 100-120 per minute.
By (one year) in a one-one setting with an assessor, Marie will read a 5th grade passage at 100 words per minute with accuracy and age-appropriate expression 4 of 5 opportunities.
Thanks for listening!