question for teachers....

[TinaNicu]

How do you view IEPs? Do you groan when you see a student in your class with an IEP? Is it a lot of extra work? Do you try really hard to meet or exceed the goals? What percentage of students have an IEP in your classrooms?  I'm looking for honest answers, so if you want to go anon, go ahead.

 

[TinaNicu]

BUMP!

[teresanteens]

 

Quoting TinaNicu:

How do you view IEPs? Do you groan when you see a student in your class with an IEP? Is it a lot of extra work? Do you try really hard to meet or exceed the goals? What percentage of students have an IEP in your classrooms?  I'm looking for honest answers, so if you want to go anon, go ahead.

 

 be honest...........

[teresanteens]

BUMP!

[Anonymous]

bump

[SamsMomSays]

For most of my career, I taught self-contained or "special class" where every child had an IEP. I CHOSE to teach these classes because I enjoy helping children meet their goals. I was never a teacher who got excited teaching math or social studies. Lol.
In regards to goals, if the goals are done appropriately, that's what we most strive for. If they are stupid or inappropriate goals, I would most likely work on most useful skills. For example, having a child count to 10 when he can't use "no" correctly is a silly goal. Obviously, this is a very simplistic explanation. Basically, goals should be applicable and relevant. My job as a Special Ed teacher (in my opinion) is to facilitate a child reaching toward their maximum potential, helping them grow and develop, helping them develop self confidence and self-efficacy, and supporting families as a resource.
Before I was a Special Ed teacher, I was a Gen Ed teacher. I LOVED getting kids with IEPS. That's why I went back for another Masters and switched to Special. :)

[Burnz]

I was a teacher. No, I did not moan when I got a child with an IEP. Yes! It is a ton of extra work. I always did my best to meet and exceed goals. This was much easier when I had a special ed teacher working effectively with me. Unfortunately, schools are always loosing funding and they dont hire enough special ed teachers to meet the needs of the children. Where I used to teach, the children who had IEPs were in one or two of the classrooms. Id say an avg of 8 students per grade level. That was 7 years ago. Id be happy to answer any other questions.

[sweetboys4me]

I only have my student teaching experience.  I did make sure the goals were met, but it wasn't hard.  Most of the modifications were things I did for every student anyway (such as extra test time,tutoring, extra non graded work to help them understand the concepts better.  In the class that I had a lot of IEP's (17 students out of 28) I had a Special Education teacher to help me.  I know I don't offer much info, so I hope you find the answers you are looking for.

[IAMmomtotrips]

I'm in high school and have team teachers in my classes with kids with IEPs, so I'm not in charge of that aspect of the learning. I give my lessons to the sped teacher and she makes the adjustments for her kids.

I read the IEP, so I know what the child's issues are, but other than that, I don't find it to be any more work for me. (However, I personally think goals and objectives in high school are a joke for on-level students. In math or science, you can measure them accurately. But in English, we honestly can't...it's all relative and when they have grammar goals in classes where we only teacher grammar through writing, it's pretty much impossible to judge with accuracy how they are meeting the goals.

The accommodations are easy to do for me, and don't bother me at all....

Now the paperwork is another aspect completely! I hate the paperwork. It takes forever and honesty, I'm not a fan of the IEP meetings that drag on and on, because it ends up taking me away from my classes and that bothers me.

[Misery_Stitches]

I'm not sure exactly what IEPs are but I'm guessing it's similar to our IDPs. I teach 0-5 yr old's. We are the ones that start them. For us, if we notice a child needs help with something whether that be developmental or behavioural then we begin an IDP (individual development plan). The teachers discuss first to decipher what the 'problem areas' are and ways we can help to combat this in a positive manner. We then show the parents so they can add their input and also do the same thing at home for continuity.

If after some time, we together are making little to no progress, we ask for help from special education services who then do observations and decide if we just keep doing what we are doing or organise US to have specialised professionals to help us.

It is extra work in the beginning but it helps the child and often the teacher too so it's worth it.

[Kmary]

I taught high school Spanish and honestly, was fairly indifferent about IEPs.  I certainly didn't groan about them.  If I had any issue concerning the IEP it typicallly had to do with communication with the special ed. staff and not really anything to do with the student or the IEP itself.  And even that wasn't really the teachers' fault.  The special educations staff was notoriously overworked and underappreciated.  It was some extra work, but not a ton.  Teaching foreign language sometimes meant that the students with bigger needs weren't even in my classes, as often those students are exempt from foreign language.