The New IEP App Will Make Your Life a Lot Easier
A newly updated IEP app, designed by NASET, may help special education teachers design effective goals for students’ IEPs that adhere to the Common Core.
Are you a special education teacher who has to plan, write, and execute the IEPs of multiple students — all of which must conform to the Common Core State Standards? Don’t worry — there’s an app for that.
The IEP Goals and Objectives App, designed by the National Association of Special Education Teachers (NASET), allows teachers to create a list of all students receiving IEPs and to plan goals and objectives for each one. For schools under the jurisdiction of the Common Core, the app lists Common Core standards by grade level, and links to customizable goals for each math, science, or English language objective. Once completed, a student’s IEP plan can be exported to parents or other teachers via e-mail or text message.
The most important part of any IEP is arguably the list of goals the student is aiming to achieve. This can be the hardest part for parents and teachers to craft effectively. Everyone may know that Samantha struggles with math, for example, but devising a concrete plan to help her strengthen her math skills is easier said than done. NASET’s handy app allows teachers to use the information in Samantha’s special education evaluation to connect her to grade-level appropriate goals. If Samantha struggles with fractions, for instance, the app will allow teachers to create a specific goal: “Samantha will apply and extend previous understandings of multiplication and division to divide fractions by fractions.”
Teachers have the option of adding a “mastery level” for each goal, which will allow teachers to assign an expected level of accuracy. The user can choose from percentages (“John will master this skill 90 percent of the time”) or proportions (“John will master this skill 3 out of 5 tries”), to further customize the general goals to each student’s challenges.
The app is also a handy reference tool for teachers trying to make sense of the complexities of the Common Core. On top of that, it includes a list of over 2,700 additional activities teachers can use to strengthen each student’s development in a number of core areas, including behavior. To get a step-by-step breakdown of how to use the app, see NASET’s video and text page, available here.
Writing an IEP is a complex, time-consuming process, but this app will streamline it for overscheduled special education teachers.
The app is available for the iPhone and the iPad at the iTunes store for $9.99.
