IEP Explained: When one student needs their own roadmap

What happens when Universal Design for Learning (UDL) isn't enough? For most students, a well-designed, inclusive classroom provides the pathways they need. But some learners—those with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, or other learning differences—require something more targeted: an individualized roadmap.

In this episode, we explore the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Learn what a IEP is, when it's appropriate, and how it differs from UDL. Discover the neuroscience of neurodiversity—why variations in brain wiring are not deficits but natural differences that require specific supports. We also provide practical guidance for language teachers on implementing accommodations, collaborating with support teams, and maintaining high expectations with appropriate scaffolding.

This is the first of a two-part series on inclusive education. Next week: Can UDL and IEP work together?

Subscribe to build truly inclusive classrooms.
Follow Paola on LinkedIn @PaolaPandoDiaz

#PEI #IEP #InclusiveEducation #Neurodiversity #UDL #SpecialEducation #MindfulFacilitator #TeacherPD

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:00

Hello, hello everyone, and welcome back to Teaching English to Kids, a Journey of Fun Learning. As usual, I'm your host, Paola Pando, and this is like 25th episode or something like that. We are in season 2, episode 8, but this is our like 25th uh episode. So this is a milestone for our podcast, you see. If you listened to the last episode, you might remember that I talk about curriculum or something like that for the podcast today, for this new uh episode. But you know, last week one of my students uh asked me about something that I haven't considered discussing in this podcast, and I think it's important, and it's about special needs of students and some programs, some plans, something that teachers can do in the classroom. See? So let me paint a picture for you. You have a student in your English class. Let's call her Sophia. Sophia is bright, is curious, and tries her best. But week after week you notice something. When you give instructions, she looks around to see what others are doing before she starts. When you ask a question, she needs extra time to process before responding. When you hand out a worship, she completes only half of what her peers finish. You've tried differentiation, see, you have tried scaffolding, everything that we have discussed in this podcast. You have tried peer support, but Sophia still struggles to keep pace with the group. What does Sophia need? She doesn't need you to lower your expectations. No, that is something that you shouldn't do. She doesn't need you to do the work for her. She needs something more specific, her own roadmap. In many educational systems around the world, this roadmap is called in Spanish Plan Educativo Individualizado, or in English, an individualized education plan or program. Today we are going to explore what individualized education program actually is, when it's appropriate, and how it differs from the Universal Design for Learning approach that we discussed last season. Remember that? This is the first of a two-part series because today we focus on this program, Individualized Education Program, but next week we'll explore how Universal Design for Learning and Individualized Educational Program can work together. So let's recap because we always start our episodes recapping. So where we have been and where we are going. I mean season one, yes, episode 9, but in season one, we introduced Universal Design for Learning. This framework designing lesson that proactively removes barriers for all learners from the start. Universal Design for Learning asks, how can I design my classroom, my materials, and my instructions so that every student has a pathway to success without needing individual accommodations. Universal Design for Learning is powerful, it's proactive, it's efficient, it benefits everyone, and for most students it's enough. But universal design for learning is not a magic wand. There are students for whom even the most thoughtfully designed university classroom is not sufficient. These students, like Sophia, need something more targeted, something more individualized, more intensive. So what they need is individualized education plan or program. I don't know what is the right word in that case. See, Universal Design for Learning is a classroom model, but individualized education program is something connected to one person's need. This is not a failure for educational design for learning. It's a recognition that human variability exists on an spectrum. Some students sit comfortably within the range that Universal Design for Learning can serve. Others have needs that extend beyond that range and require individualization. So let's go to the what. See, defining this and its purpose. So what exactly is individualized educational program? This plan, known in English as Individualized Education Program, is a legally binding document in many countries that outlined specific education goals, accommodations, and services for students with identifying learning needs. It is not a label, see, it is not a punishment, it is not a lower standard, it's a roadmap, a personalized plan designed to help a student access the curriculum and make meaningful progress. That is what we want for every student. So when? When educational individualized educational program is appropriate? This is appropriate when a student has been formally evaluated and identified as having a disability or learning difference that significantly impacts their ability to learn in the general education environment. So this might be the most popular one, you know, specific learning disabilities like dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscoolia, or any other one, attention disorders, see ADHD, autism spectrum disorder, speech or language impairments, emotional or behavioral disorders, some physical disabilities, and other health impairment. It is crucial to understand that this plan is not something a teacher creates alone. It is developed by a team that typically includes the students' parents, of course, or guardians, general education teachers, special education teachers, school psychologists or other kinds of therapists, see, related service providers like speech therapies or occupational therapies, and when appropriate, the student themselves. See, that's also possible. So what does that this program include? A comprehensible individualized education program typically contains present levels of performance, see a clear description of where the student is now based on evaluation data. Measurable annual goals. See, those must be specific, observable, measurable objectives for the whole year. Progress monitoring. So how and when progress will be measured, accommodation and modification, see, changes to how the student learns accommodation, see, or changes to what the student learns, so modifications you have to do. What else? Related services, see additional support like speech therapy, occupational therapy, or counseling. And the last one, placement decisions, where the student will receive services, general education classroom, resources room. See, sometimes in order to help students with special needs, you need to modify or implement some things in your classroom. You need some special resources, I mean physical things, not just you and your nice ideas, sometimes are not enough. You need some other resources. So you have to take into account that having a student with special needs requires a plan, and this plan must contain several things. We always work on the why. See, to support why we have to implement this kind of programs in our classrooms. So why is this individualized educational program so essential for certain students? So the answer lies in the incredible diversity of the human brain. The term neurodiversity was coined by sociologist Judy Singer in the late 90s. It recognized that variations in brain structure and functions, such as those seen in dyslexia, AD, HD, and autism, are not deficits but natural variations in the human genome. See, they are different ways of thinking, different ways of learning, different ways of experiencing the world. So brain imaging research has revealed significant differences in how neurodivergent individuals process information. For example, dyslexia. See, some studies show that individuals with dyslexia have different patterns of brain activation during reading tasks. They often rely more heavily on the right hemisphere and frontal regions, which are less efficient for phonological processing. So, however, with a structure literacy instruction, the brain can develop alternative pathways. ADHD, you know I'm not a specialist, I'm just get some information. Some research shows that differences in the development and activity of the prefrontal cortex responsible for executive functions like attention, impulse control, and work in memory, and the dopamine reward system. See, they have some differences on that. Autism, neuroimagined study revealed differences in connectivity between some brain regions, particularly those involved in social cognition and sensory processing. See, but these are not broken brains, they are differently wired brains. And one size fits all classroom, even a well-designed UDL classroom may not provide specific types of support. Because this needs brain, this brain needs to access learning in a different way. The effective filter that we have mentioned several times and this individualized support. Language input is blocked. They begin to believe English is not for me. And we don't want that. See? A personalized program, when implemented well, lowers that filter by providing the specific scaffolds that a student needs. The student experience success. They begin to believe I can do this. This is not lowering standards. It is removing barriers so the students can meet some standards. That is the difference. So we have to provide as much as possible an inclusive classroom, see, trying to cover all the needs. People with some disabilities, any kind of one, or some people who don't have disabilities. How to implement that? So what about some practical ideas in our language classroom? As a language teacher, you may not be the one writing these kind of programs. You are almost certainly one of the people responsible for implementing it. But here, how to do that effectively. So, principle number one, know this program very well before you implement it. Don't wait until a student is struggling to ask about their special program. At the beginning of the year, request copies of this kind of programs for any student in your classroom who has one. Read them, highlight accommodation. If something is unclear, ask the special education teacher or the student's previous teacher or parents or anybody who can help you understand better these plans. You are not alone. You don't have to be alone. Principle number two, distinguish between accommodations and modifications. This is critical in terms of distinctions. Accommodations change how a student learns. Example, extra time, a quiet space for testing, audiobooks, ascribe, preferential seatings, etc. Modification change the word, the word a student learns. Example, fewer vocabulary words, simplified text, alternative assignment. Did you get it? Accommodations level the playing field. Modification change the game. Both are valid, but they serve different purposes. See, accommodation change the how. Modifications change the what. See. Principle number three: practical accommodations for the language classrooms. So we are language teachers. So here we have some ideas to work well in ESL or EFL settings. Extended time. The student gets 1.5 or two times more than standard time for assignment and test. So that you have to consider that more time is necessary for students with some special needs. Reduce quantity. The student completes every other problem or writes three sentences instead of five. You reduce quantity, but you assure quality. We don't have to lower our standards, we are just creating some special environment for these students. You can also create alternative response modes. The students can demonstrate understanding through drawing, speaking instead of writing, or using some technology. This is very similar to Universal Design for Learning, but we are going to see this next episode. So the combination of both in the classroom. So I'm not going to stop there. Visual support. This is an obligation for everyone. You have to provide written instructions alongside verbal ones. Use graphic organizers, word banks, and sentence frames. So you are speaking, try to support your speech with visual support, written pictures or anything you think is necessary, but provide a lot of visual support. Preferential setting. No, I'm sorry, not setting. See, you can see the student near you, away from distraction, or near a helpful peer. Sometimes you have some students who are more advanced or they are nice, they want to help other students. You can create this combination between students who are more advanced and someone who needs special attention. Chunking. So try to work smaller ones and stop so you can check, and students can also pass when they are ready. Frequent breaks. You have to allow the students to take short movement breaks during long tasks. When we are teaching young learners, actually, this should be the kind of principle for everyone. So you shouldn't spend so much time in one activity, a passive one, like listening and doing quiet things. You have to combine between active, passive, active, passive, and those activities must be short. I mean shorter than other ones. Um good. And assistive technology. See text-to-speech, speech to text, and word prediction softwares, if you have access to technology, you can use it today. I mean, most of the classroom, not in the whole world, but most of the classroom in my country at least, they have some projector, computer, connection to the internet. So if you are lucky and you have those resources, use them. See, so keep that screen open all the time and type things, show pictures. So use technology to support, and so students can see those pictures or read those words. Principle number one, I'm sorry, number four, I'm sorry, it's very early today. Collaboration is not optional. That is very, very important because this is a piece of advice for you. You cannot implement this program alone. You need a team. Communicate regularly with special education teachers and parents. Share what you observe about what works and what doesn't work. Ask for training. If you are unsure how to support a specific need, ask for training. Document your efforts and the students' response so that could be very valuable material and resource for you, for the classroom, for the school, and for future teachers who will help and work with that students, with those students. So you're not alone, that's super important. Principle number five maintain high expectation with appropriate support. So this kind of program is not a permission sleep for the students to do less. It is a framework for the students to access more. So notice that difference. Maintain the same belief in their potential, the same, the same that you have with the rest of the students. Celebrate their progress and provide specific support. Need to get there. Let's conclude. And of course, I will like to invite you to do some things in your classrooms. So this kind of program, individualized educational plan or program, is not a sign of failure, neither for the student nor for the teacher. It is a recognition that every frame is unique, and for some learners, that uniqueness requires a personalized roadmap. That's it. But here is the beautiful truth. What helps the individual often helps the group. Many of the accommodation we provide for students with this kind of individualized programs like visual supports, chunking, extended time benefit all learners. This is where Universal Design for Learning and Individualized Education Program intersect. So let's review some ideas that you can implement in your classroom. Let me have a look there because I don't know where they are. Because that's the how. Okay, so that is extended time, remember. Reduce quantity. So instead of completing three, do it five, I mean five, do it three. Alternative response mode. So different alternative to demonstrate their understanding, visual support, scaffolding, that is an obligation all the time. Preferential sitting, so you can sit those students next to you or create these special groups with more advanced students who want to help. Um chunking, see, but breaking assignment in that kind of chunking, frequent breaks. So remember to make combination between active and passive activities. That's essential for everyone for your English class. See active, passive, active, passive game, something to do in a worksheet or individually or in pair. An assistive technology, use technology, please. That's very, very important. So next week we will explore that intersection. See, we will ask, can Universal Design for Learning and Individualized Education Program work together? And the answer is a surrounded yes. In fact, when Universal Design for Learning is done well, it reduces the number of individual accommodations needed. And when an individualized education program is needed, Universal Design for Learning principles make it easier to implement. So you have to work with both. For daily insights, of course, on inclusive teaching and how to implement some ideas in your classroom, to share your own experience with this kind of teaching. Probably you have some experience and to connect with this beautiful community of mindful educators, please follow me on LinkedIn by my name, Paola Pando Diaz. I always post tips, strategies, and try to share some things I have work with my pre-service teachers especially. For schools and educators ready to build truly inclusive systems and other kinds of stuff, I offer coaching and consultancy sessions as well. So we can design classrooms where every student, regardless of their brain wiring, can thrive. So you can send me a DM to my LinkedIn. Until next week, remember a roadmap doesn't limit the journey, it makes a destination possible. So thank you, thank you, thank you for listening to this podcast every week, for following these tips, for some teachers implementing some tips and strategies in their classroom, and for sharing this podcast and ideas with some other English fellow teachers, professionals in general terms. So thank you for tuning in, and I hope to see you in the following episodes. So thank you very much and have a wonderful rest of the day. Bye everyone!