IEP target - please tell me I am not alone in thinking

[tryingtokeepintune]

these are meaningless IEP targets. Examples:

Target and criteria for success

Speaking and Listening:

To be able to take turns and respond to peers/adutls in a group setting. He will be able to listen during assembly, sit quietly without interrupting and is able to talk about assemblies after the event.

This will be demonstrated in time specificallyset aside to reflect on a Monday assembly and reinforced during the week across the curriculum.

Strategies

Clear expectations set out in advance of assemblies
Positive praise when he is modelling correct behaviour - is there negative praise?
Visual aid to prompt himto look and listen
Social stories

Target - To be able to take part in Christmas celebrations in a positive and enjoyable way.

This will be demonstrated by attending part of the Christmas party. Easting with his group during the Christmas dinner and playing at least one game during the celebratons.

Strategies
Opportunities to rehearse what will be going on
social stories
clear examples of how he can meet his target
similar expectation for other students.
clear explanations of what is happening now and next
support from known adults during the session.

Resources
Observation by staff
learing passport scores
self assessment
documentation of him meeting his targets.

Sorry this is so long but I am just despairing and wanted to rant.

This from quite a supportive school and a school judged outstanding...

It depends what his SN are. If he can't take turns and listen and he won't be able to take part, and enjoy Christmas activities, they seem fine.
It doesn't mean there is 'negative praise'! It means praise the positive and ignore, as much as possible, the negative. You should discuss it with the SENCO and have to sign agreement. Get it changed if it is not meeting needs.

Looks like a wishy-washy catch-all IEP which will never/always be met depending on the agenda POV of the person reviewing it.

"To be able to take turns and respond to peers/adutls in a group setting. He will be able to listen during assembly, sit quietly without interrupting and is able to talk about assemblies after the event."

There is a whole, whole, host of stuff, rolled up into one target.

Very interested in the use of 'time to reflect' which is possibly going to be a waste of time if a child is not yet ready to take turns or respond to peers/adults

one for the shredder?

Yes indeed - I can see why you are frustrated. Both my kids have an IEP and I think they just cut and paste most of it from a set of guidelines somewhere on the internet

Have they been able to demonstrate clearly how these targets are being met at your IEP meetings? Some seem more specific and measurable than others..

"To be able to take turns and respond to peers/adutls in a group setting. He will be able to listen during assembly, sit quietly without interrupting and is able to talk about assemblies after the event."

I think that is quite a clearly worded target. It depends on what stage he is at. If he can do the first and second step quite well with just a few blips, but then can't talk about it after the event, etc.

The resources are clearly set out and sensible.

Perhaps if you tell us why you think it is meaningless, we could help?

I think this is pretty ok. A lot rolled into one target but actually it's pretty good compared to some of the crap. The most important thing on an iep is the strategies. Its a coded way of saying 'do this' to staff and this does that.

I think this bit:
"to be able to take turns and respond to peers/adutls in a group setting. He will be able to listen during assembly, sit quietly without interrupting and is able to talk about assemblies after the event."
..is actually five targets IMO. So this, as one target is not specific or measurable enough.

Not necessarily, Handy. If the DC in question has mastered 4 out of the 5, but then it all falls apart when combining them, then it's a good target.

That's why we really can't assess the quality of the IEP unless we know more about the child.

It's a bit like driving a car, isn't it? When you're learning to drive you can press the clutch, change the gear. You can turn the wheel. You can look in your mirrors. But sometimes, when you're learning, doing all of those at the same time is too hard and you make a mistake.

Definitely see what you're saying there, Lougle. Just that if 4 out of the five targets were met they wouldn't realistically appear on a real-world IEP.

Agree we need to know much more about the dc to really evaluate its merit

I think, like Handywoman said, there are so many targets in there and I don't know how they are going to measure success.

To be able to take turns and respond to peers - ds can take turns when doing work on a one to one situation or if there are 2 children. He is able to take turns when engaged. However, if there were 10 children in the group, he'd soon lose interest after the 4 or 5 speaker. Also, how long are these sessions for? How will they be able to tell when he has achieved the target?

Assemblies - there is no way he can sit and listen to the whole assembly and then be able to talk about it. Do they want him to talk about the main topic that was discussed? Or more than that? What constitutes success? For example, my nt dd (7) will be able to tell me what story was told during assembly, any asides made, tell me the moral of the story, who won what awards, etc. Ds, on a good day, might tell me the main topic discussed.

Christmas celebrations - ds eats with the group everyday at school dinners. He has sports with the group and plays games with them. I can't see how that is a meaningful target as he already does all these things with them on a day to day.

Sorry. Might be just me but I just feel I cannot even help him with them as I don't know what we should be doing. Btw, I did ask how I can help but school said they were working them so hard already I should let him rest at home.

What year is he in?

Yr7. Special school.

I only ask because DS1 had IEP's from y1 to Y6 and they did help. They are such different children from one end of the school year to the other, even more so in years , 2, 4 & 6. He make zoom through the lot in 6 months, or do some but not all, with new additions. I get it, it's hard to see on paper specifics about your child, I'd be a liar if I said I cried over some of them. But at least the school are looking after him and helping him to develop. I know 100% that the IEP's helped with his social and academic skills, honing in on areas he needed support with, my DS felt cared for and supportive in school. Don't view it as negative, ask yourself how would you feel if they did nothing? Work with them to understand it bette, try not to work against them.

I do try to work with them, hence asking what I can do to help him at home, eg, with literacy and numeracy and being told he works hard enough at school.

I guess I am afraid of low expectations and self-fulfilment. Eg. Ds made 26 months reading progress in 10 months in the old school, both teachers and home working together. Present school said not to expect any such progress from them and anyway, they think last school over-stated progress. No explanation why, nor what they think would be reasonable to expect.

sounds like you are feeling a bit in the dark about things, or about a way forward?

could you ask them to break it all down in little steps for you? pitch it at the level of pleading ignorance maybe?

Yes, I think that might be the way forward- plead ignorance and ask them to break it down so I can help him achieve whatever. That way I might have measurable targets.

Itsnothingoriginal- yes, it reads like a cut and paste job especially numeracy and reading bit.