By Diane Twachtman-Cullen and Jennifer Twachtman-Reilly; 250 pages. From the book cover: "A step-by-step guide to help parents, educators, and clinicians get the right education plan/program in place from the outset, thereby avoiding the need for legal action."
Don't be deceived by the title: This is not, sadly, a book about evaluating an existing IEP. It's about creating an IEP that measures up -- that is, has measurable goals. If you're past that point this year, start studying up for next time.
- Straightforward and easy to read
- Light on jargon for a book on IEPs
- Constructive, detailed suggestions for appropriate goals
- Goals can be adapted for home use
- While intended for students with autism, some items are appopriate for other diagnoses
- The title's misleading -- it's not really about judging a completed IEP
- Would be nice to see some goals related to learning disabilities
- Information for specific needs is interesting only if your child has them
- No information on how exactly you get your Child Study Team to go for this stuff
- Assumes a lot of good will between parents and educators
- Part One: The Essential Elements of the IEP
Chapter 1: Past Perspectives, Present Practices - Ch. 2: Present Levels of Performance
Ch. 3: The Underlying Conditions Governing Performance - Ch. 4: Methodology: Is There a Method to the Madness?
Ch. 5: Criteria and Prompt Levels - Ch. 6: The Case for Generalization
Ch. 7: Goals and Objectives: The Heart and Soul of the IEP - Ch. 8: Measurement, Data Collection, and Evaluation
Ch. 9: IEP Potpourri: Other Considerations - Part Two: IEP Goal and Objective Templates
- Ch. 10: Assessment and Decision Making in Designing IEPs
Ch. 11: Templates for Comprehension - Ch. 12: Templates for Communication, Expression, and Oral-Motor Skills
- Ch. 13: Templates for Social Interaction, Play, and Leisure Skills
- Ch. 14: Templates for Cognitive and Social-Cognitive Skills
I love books like this one. I love the idea that an IEP team could work together to develop goals that really mean something. I love the picture of parents and educators all working together with no other agenda than to foster the social and academic growth of children with special needs. I love it the way I love "The West Wing" for its portrait of politicians who are all well-intentioned and witty. I love it the way I love stories where doctors care and lawyers fight for the right and good people fall in love and bad people get caught. Real life? Ah, real life. Not nearly so satisfying, is it?
I've been fortunate to never be in a knock-down drag-out fight with a school for my child's educational future, but I've certainly experienced the horrible undertow of The Way We've Always Done It. This book would have been useful in those meetings just to prove that I did not make the concept of "measurable goals" up. Having something written by professionals to back up your questions and requests never hurts, and the best way to use this book might be to ask your case worker to read it and explain, in detail, why your child isn't getting goals like this. It may help you get something closer to what you want out of compromise. But to really get goals like this planned and implemented? Thrown in George Clooney as an idealistic school psychologist, and I'd pay money to see that.
