IEP Help please - when targets are not achieved

[fiorelli]

Hiya, was wondering if anyone can help me out a bit.

 

If the target on the IEP is not achieved at review, what is supposed to happen? are they supposed to be carried through onto the next IEP, or altered slightly, or (as in L's case) Marked 'Not achieved', '50% achieved, '80% achieved' (hmmm, wonder how they work out that something is 50/80% achieved...?), and then totally new targets chosen for the next IEP?

 

Thanks for your help.

[fiorelli]

Sorry Mods, thought I was in education. Please can you swap for me? Cheers, Fi xx

[chris54]

It all depends on what the targets are, what the child is achieving, how they do things at your school, and so on and so on.

 

I don't think there is a right way or wrong way.All I would say is that the targets should be achievable, they may adjust the targets if it is felt that they are not, or even drop a target if it is felt no longer appropriate.

The % thing I would think is their way of expressing what progress is being made, not how Iv seen it done. Ask the SENCO at the review meeting to explain.

 

And the IEP should be reviewed if a target is reached, or if no progress is being made towards it , and not just wait until the next review date.

 

It can be every few weeks if that is what is felt needed.

 

 

[Jadensmum]

I agree with Chris. My experience is that if a target is not reached it is carried forward, altered or dropped altogether depending on J's progress and how achievable the target actually is.

 

Must admit I've never heard of percentages being used but then like Chris said everywhere is different.

 

[Diane]

Hi

 

My experience is that targets that are not achieved were unrealistic in the first place. Don't forget you can have a say in what the targets should be for you child and how they are worded as you know your child better than anyone.

 

The IEP should be shared with your child. Which is why it is important that they can achieve them as when it comes to the review time it will not do your childs self-esteem any good if they think they have failed.

 

IEP targets can be amended at anytime through out the year. So if targets are achieved you then take the next step forward and so on. Doing this also allows everyone to see that progress is being made.

 

If a target was for a child is to write out the alphabet correctly. It could be broken down into more manageable steps so the firs target would be write the first 5 letters of the alphabet in sequence then when this was achieved the IEP could be changed to read write the first 8 letters etc, etc.

 

It is always great to celebrate with what they can do.

[Kazzen161]

If a target was not achieved, there must be a reason eg: the child was away ill for a long time, the target was too ambitious, the strategies used to help him achieve the target were wrong or not supplied, etc.

 

Apart from the first reason, you should not really get to a review without the target being achieved, Within a few weeks it should become obvious that the target or resources/help need to be changed, and they should be adjusted then.

 

A target should not be carried over without some change to make it achievable this time.

 

I have seen targets carried over several times, but the targets (eg: he must learn to compromise - with no strategies given) are often unachievable.

[sesley]

Hiya, was wondering if anyone can help me out a bit.

 

If the target on the IEP is not achieved at review, what is supposed to happen? are they supposed to be carried through onto the next IEP, or altered slightly, or (as in L's case) Marked 'Not achieved', '50% achieved, '80% achieved' (hmmm, wonder how they work out that something is 50/80% achieved...?), and then totally new targets chosen for the next IEP?

 

Thanks for your help.

 

 

our un achieved iEP targets get highlighted and worked on until they do get the targets they want, they do need to have some patience,since children are different with different needs anyway.

 

[mummy]

I'm on the other end of this as I work in a special school and set targets. Our children (at my school) get one twice a year. We never carry them over. If a child hasn't achieved his or her target then they obviously weren't ready for it and we set a new one. we have just started a scoring system. If the target is mostly achieved say 80% or more then we set a new one. If it is partly achieved we can alter the wording to make it more achievable i.e. a smaller step in the right direction.

We keep a record of previous IEPs and sometimes as the child goes through the school we may go back to a previous unachieved one if we feel that child is ready to work at achieving it.

We send a copy of each IEP home for parents approval before we discuss it with the child and give parents an opportunity to comment or meet with with us if they wish to talk it through or ask questions.

We only have reviews once a year and the timings of these bear no relevance to target setting. we just discuss where the child is at that point in time. obviously if a target is met and it is nearly time to change we may discuss the new target with the parents.

Every school is different but parents chould always have a say in IEPs and targets.