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IDEA and the IEP Process Essay
Grand Canyon University
SPD-200 Survey of Special Education: Mild to Moderate Disabilities
2
What is IDEA?
The year 1975 was a big deal for children with disabilities, it gave way for a better
education for them. “IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is a law that makes
available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities through the
nation and ensures special education and related services to those children, and supports early
interventions services for infants and toddlers and their families, and help to give grants to
further help the programs that give the help to the students (Individuals With Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), n.d.).” There are many steps that go into making an IEP, things that
educators need to be familiar with such as measuring the progress, research-based services,
teaming meeting participation, Making IEP changes, transitions, and when a transfer student
comes into the school district.
Making Measurable goals for Progress
To ensure that the student is making progress, there needs to be goals that can be
measurable to show the growth the child is making. “Once you established a measurable
, baseline, you can set the goals for improvement that can also be measured. (Ross, 2021)” Some
schools use SMART goals to help find the goals that can be helpful to the student, SMART
stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable or Attainable, relevant and time bound. Talking
about a specific goal pertains to the student and what needs to be accomplished, when it needs to
be accomplished by, and the actions that will be needed to accomplish the goal. Measurable
means that the goal needs to be trackable, if the goal is too vague it can be hard to assess the data
to see if there is growth towards the goal. Making the goal attainable is also important so that it
isn’t too difficult that the student to make progress towards the goal. Having the goal be relevant
IDEA and the IEP Process Essay
Grand Canyon University
SPD-200 Survey of Special Education: Mild to Moderate Disabilities
2
What is IDEA?
The year 1975 was a big deal for children with disabilities, it gave way for a better
education for them. “IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act) is a law that makes
available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities through the
nation and ensures special education and related services to those children, and supports early
interventions services for infants and toddlers and their families, and help to give grants to
further help the programs that give the help to the students (Individuals With Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA), n.d.).” There are many steps that go into making an IEP, things that
educators need to be familiar with such as measuring the progress, research-based services,
teaming meeting participation, Making IEP changes, transitions, and when a transfer student
comes into the school district.
Making Measurable goals for Progress
To ensure that the student is making progress, there needs to be goals that can be
measurable to show the growth the child is making. “Once you established a measurable
, baseline, you can set the goals for improvement that can also be measured. (Ross, 2021)” Some
schools use SMART goals to help find the goals that can be helpful to the student, SMART
stands for Specific, Measurable, Achievable or Attainable, relevant and time bound. Talking
about a specific goal pertains to the student and what needs to be accomplished, when it needs to
be accomplished by, and the actions that will be needed to accomplish the goal. Measurable
means that the goal needs to be trackable, if the goal is too vague it can be hard to assess the data
to see if there is growth towards the goal. Making the goal attainable is also important so that it
isn’t too difficult that the student to make progress towards the goal. Having the goal be relevant
