image of child's eyeEstablishing a Strategy

It is critical for special educators to establish clear strategies and to consistently implement standards into the individualized education program (IEP). AB 265 (Alpert, chaptered in 1995) clearly requires all students in California to meet standards and pass assessments. “All students” includes students who receive special education. Standards take on extra significance with the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, which requires each local educational agency (LEA) to use state academic assessments and other indicators to annually review the progress of each student. Besides using standards to assess the progress of students, these standards also indicate the progress that states are making to determine whether schools are making adequate yearly progress (AYP).

A Model for Designing Standards-Based Instruction

Connecting the IEP to the general education curriculum and the standards is not a choice: it is a requirement. In order to begin designing effective standards-based instruction, educators must be familiar with California’s Content Standards. Teachers refer to the content standards and identify, through assessing the students, which ones are areas of concern. Assessments, then, become an important part of designing standards-based instruction. The steps that follow are designed to assist teachers in this process. During the IEP process, educators can refer to the four-steps to align IEPs to California Content Standards.

Step 1: Standards

  • Examine grade level standards
  • Set a calendar for, or pace, the standards

Step 2: Assessment

  • Review assessment results
  • Review the student’s cumulative record
  • Consider the student's strengths and needs
  • Establish present levels of performance using formal and informal assessments

Step 3: Standards-Based IEPs

  • Based on current performance levels, identify and prioritize the student needs
  • Align needs to the standards and write standards-based performance objectives
  • Trellis™ the standards (for more information about Trellis,™ go to Lesson 5)
  • Unlock the standards
  • Identify specially designed instruction, including accommodations and/or modifications needed by the student to access and progress in the general education curriculum
  • Assess and report the student's progress throughout the year
  • Determine how the student will participate in district and state assessments

Step 4: Mastery Teaching and Learning

  • Identify types of assessments to be used before, during, and after instruction
  • Incorporate research-based instructional strategies
  • Differentiate instructional methods, strategies, and activities according to the learner's needs
  • Use instructional materials and resources that align to the standards, access the general education curriculum, and meet the needs of all learners

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