The term Free Appropriate Public Education is one acronym that really caries some

weight when you stop and think about it. One of the best things about living in the United States
of America is every childs right to a free public education. I am sad to say that I think most of
the public is ignorant to education systems in other parts of the world. The media and other
elements concentrate on the negative stories about public education. There are so many countries
that girls are not allowed to go to school, where the poor arent allowed to go to school, or over
three fourths of the population cant read. It makes me irate when people speak poorly of public
schools or the education system in the United States. Proponents of foreign systems dont
mention that test scores only show a fraction of the students and dont have all the facts. It is my
opinion that every student should get to choose what they want to become. Even if it is a sad
choice, I firmly believe if high school student wants to get Ds thats his or her choice. People in
other countries dont have the freedom of making a choice.
Public schools are the backbone of America. It is the right of every citizen to attend
school. Every person must have the same opportunities and be provided the same services. Free
Appropriate Education is one of the best things in the world. It is hard for me to imagine that not
too far removed in history students with disabilities were treated as second class citizens. They
were not able to participate in the same activities and students did not have equal educational
opportunities. I am proud that everyone has equal rights and opportunities under the law.
The next part of Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance is
how what the student struggles with or how they need help. How does the students disability
affect him or her? It is important to discuss how the disability affects his or her performance in
the classroom or outside area. I would explain how the student is or should be involved in the
regular education classroom. I would discuss problems that may have occurred in the lunchroom,

at recess, or in special classes such as gym or physical education. Some students I have worked
with in the past had the most problems in these types of classes. Some of the effects of autism are
that the affected student may not be able handle abstract thought or chaotic situations, which
happen often in the classes I mentioned. The most important part of writing is to include data,
both academic data and behavioral data so that the discussion with the paper is supported with
data. This would be the place that I would include the information form MAPS testing, attending
data, and other test scores. I also would write about any accommodations or technology that may
help the student to achieve academic success. This is the main reason why I wanted to be a
special education teacher. I want to help each student that I have a chance to work with. I love to
think of different programs or methods that I can do to help students. I often include structured
study hall or different note taking strategies. I have been dealing a lot with programs and
technology that assists with text to speak and other apps. that help with writing. There are many
accommodations to help students stay organized and keep track of things.
The next part of the IEP, which is directly related to the Present Level of Academic
Achievement and Functional Performance, is the goals. The district that I work at strives to set
high goals. The students must push themselves and the ultimate objective is to get each student to
rejoin the regular education classroom. Goals must be measurable by a research based testing
method. I set high goals but also keep in mind the fine line between challenging and frustration.
It has been my experience that many students in the special education department have a
predisposition against school. Many students simply have been frustrated to point where they
hate school. One of my main goals as a teacher is to change this attitude. I never want student to
feel so frustrated that they doubt themselves and give-up. Some examples of IEP goals would be
things such as; write a five sentence on topic paragraph, increase reading fluency to 80%, and

keep major behavior infractions under two for month. I always try to limit the number of goals.
The goals must be student specific and be things that will help the student to achieve academic
success.
The next part of the IEP explains what the student will do to attain the goals and what the
special education teacher/school will do to help the given student. I try to keep these things as
simple and effective as possible. There is a component about short term benchmarks and goals.
These are required for each annual goal and is basically showing the steps that being taken to
reach the desired outcome. I relate this to progress monitoring or a progress report. Benchmarks
are similar to a checklist of things that must be completed. The IEP then moves to showing how
these benchmarks and goal are being or will be met. It shows when goals are reached and
describes whether goals are or are not being met. I make sure to inform parents when
benchmarks are reached or if I see that we are not making progress or we feel that we are
spinning our wheels. I try to write IEPs that give me options so that I can make minor changes
without having an entire new meeting. Progress must be monitored through state, school, and
other tests. I make sure never mention any topic that is objective. I do not want any objectivity in
the IEP. This is a legal document and is not opinion, it must be something that is measurable and
cut and dry. The goal is attained or the goal is not attained. This way I can provide the student
services to improve academic success while legally showing that I am doing this. If the IEP is
not measurable, someone could say that the services are not being provided and the school or
myself could get sued.
The IEP provides specific accommodations that need to be provided during high stakes
testing. I write in extra time for students in on these high stakes testing and also extra breaks,
along with others. This provides a safety net for the student to achieve as high as he or she

possibly can. I think that high stakes testing must be a complete nightmare for special education
students. The tests encompass everything that causes trouble for most special education students.
I want the students to feel as comfortable as possible with tests since they will have to deal with
them throughout their academic careers.
The next part of the IEP is a state of transition service needs which is getting students
ready be successful beyond the IEP. This is a point that hits home with me and actually
something that I keep in mind while am writing the annual goals and working with the student.
When the student leaves me, what will help him or her to have a happy and successful life. I
think that is the main goal of education. Teachers need to give students the tools and knowledge
needed to have achievements in the future. The transition service statement starts for older
students, at age 14, so I do not include them. I still remain cognizant of them.
The last part of the IEP is the summary of services, placement, and participation in
activities in and out of the classroom. I include things like field trips in this part since I have
learned that many students may need extra support on field trips. I also feel extremely passionate
about the Least Restrictive Environment aspect of placement. I think those words extreme weight
least restrictive environment, there should be no restrictions on a students education. It is my
opinion that pulling students from regular education classes of their peers is putting heavy
restrictions on their learning environment. I cant imagine how special education students must
have felt when it was considered best practice to pull them out classes completely. They must
have felt isolated, ostracized, and labeled. It would have to come with a stigma and would guess
the education experience would have been difficult. I want students to be included as much as
possible. I am a huge fan of structured study hall, fifteen minute pull outs (after instruction), and
other things that promote special education students involvement in the regular education

classroom while providing services at other times. I think it great that LRE has caused the special
education teacher to move into the regular education classroom with the student who needs to be
provided the service. I have had some great opportunities to work with regular education
teachers. If the students IEP is allows I also have gotten to team teach in the regular education
classroom.
Since I am working in fifth grade I havent include Continuum of Services but it is an
extremely important part of the IEP. This is basically the ultimate goal of the IEP to prepare
students for the future career, education, and life. What may the student need to be successful?
Some cases may require special living conditions or help from a guardian. The continuation of
services gives students resources and assistance for his or her college education. The educator
should include things such as extended time for tests, speak to text technology, accommodations
for field-trips, and others. If these things are not included the student may experience hardships
in college. This part of the IEP is going to help the student into their adulthood and get the
student ready when the IEP will no longer be there.
I would have to say that I am extremely aware of Least Restrictive Environment. It is one
of those things that I personally feel very passionate about. I firmly believe special education
students should not experience any restrictions. The special education assistance should be done
in the regular education room so that all students have the same experiences. I think that the
education experiences are even more important than academic performance.