Do You Understand The Importance Of Graphed Data?

PROGRESS MONITORING FOR IEP GOALS

Here we are in May – one more month to go until the school year is over. Do you know if your child has made progress? How can you tell? Just because someone has told you that they have? Do you have evidence? – as in assessment data?

Did you know that when your child’s IEP is written, that “teacher observation” isn’t a sufficient way of measuring progress, or lack thereof? Observation is extremely subjective. What you may think is meaningful progress, someone else may not. Progress Monitoring that’s inclusive of assessment data should be used to determine a student’s performance and the effectiveness of the instruction being given. The data collected helps guide the IEP team’s ability to create the pathway of instructional approaches, and protect a parent’s right to the direct instruction that yields meaningful and measurable growth, creating a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE).

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that schools provide Progress Reports to parents of students with IEPs as often as report cards. The report should contain information about the student’s progress on each annual goal and whether the student is likely to reach the goal within the IEP timeframe. Parents do not, however, have to wait for Progress Reports to find out if their child is making progress or mastering their IEP goals. You can ask for data at any time of year.

How will I know if my child is making progress?
Some states use what’s called the Four Point Decision Making Rule. This method uses a graph to show how a student is currently progressing on a goal, called the trend line, compared to how he or she is expected to perform to meet the goal on schedule, called the goal line. Even if your state isn’t using this specific method, parents can still ask to see graphed data of their child’s IEP goals.

The goal line on each graph represents the expected progress towards the goal. The trend line connecting the data points should illustrate whether the student’s scores are increasing, decreasing, or are inconsistent. This is where the Four Point Rule comes into play. If the data points fall below or above the expected rate of progress (the goal line) four times in a row, it indicates that instructional changes should be considered.

The data collected is meant to help guide IEP team decisions about instruction and services.

Graphing data points
Below is a sample graph to illustrate what graphed data points look like. Seven to twelve data points are needed to make statistically valid instructional decisions. Data must be collected regularly and frequently in order to have sufficient data points to make valid decisions.

Figure 1: Shows a trend line above the goal line. This indicates the student is making better than expected progress. The IEP team may want to consider setting a more challenging goal.

Figure 2: Shows a trend line below the goal line. This indicates the student is not making progress as expected. The IEP team should consider whether an instructional change is needed to address the student’s lack of progress.

What happens if the student’s progress is not meeting expectations?
If the graphed data indicates that the student isn’t making appropriate progress toward his or her goals, then the team should consider adjusting current teaching strategies and supports. Changes should be recorded on the graph so that it’s easy to later see if the changes were effective.

Why put such emphasis on progress monitoring?
Documents student progress (or lack of it)Informs the teaching team on how students can be more effectively instructed. Leads to more appropriate and effective instruction. Supports better communication between educators and parents about the student’s progress. The data collected should be used to make adjustments to the student’s educational program that “fine tune” it in response to the student’s performance.
As a parent, your role includes: Making sure you are receiving quarterly progress reports from the school (and more often if necessary). Asking questions if the data does not make sense to you. Requesting a meeting with your child’s teacher or IEP team to review the information. Discussing options if you feel your child is not making meaningful progress.

The year is almost over, but it’s NOT over yet. While an IEP runs on a calendar year, reading, writing and math, run on a school year. Your child is expected to have shown growth in these 3 areas this school year. Ask for data that shows the progress they have made. If they haven’t made any or you get feedback that their progress is not consistent, it’s time to have a talk with the team to see what will be different next year. Waiting and hoping that things will improve without direct and thoughtful planning is a “wish” and not a plan.