Running Head : IEP CASE STUDY 1

IEP Case Study

Timothy Henley

Ivy Tech Community College

EDUC 230 The Exceptional Child

IEP CASE STUDY 2

Anna , though struggling in reading as her teacher was concerned, was also slow in all

other aspects of testable education standing. She scored in the low average across the board and

since it was not JUST her reading skills that were lacking, she was deemed just behind the curve

as opposed to special needs. This is supported by the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children

Fourth Edition test which is frequently used with 6-16 year olds and scores verbal

comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed (Kail R. 2015

p241) and the Wechsler Individual Achievement Test, Second Edition test results. Annas

potential matched her ability so Ms. Denman, I feel, had no other option based on what standards

she has to follow to come to the conclusion she made. This was to the dismay of Annas teacher

Ms. Liu for she feels helpless to get Anna the help she feels/knows she needs to not only catch

up to the rest of class, but to prevent a foundation for a lifetime of struggle. Annas mother is

struggling to support the household, which is all too often a scenario that exists, and her last hope

of special assistance was denied because she is about two grade levels behind the rest of class in

every subject.

I like this scenario better. The group discussed the fact that Anna was assessed in the first

grade using Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills or DIBELS, which are designed to

be short (one minute) fluency measures used to regularly monitor the development of early

literacy and early reading skills. (University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning, 2017)

She also went through a summer school program and still was behind in her reading. She had

some improvement in phonemic awareness but otherwise her reading fluency was still a struggle.

Due to this fact, a program with a higher intensity level of services, based on her individual

needs in reading was recommended, which qualified Anna as a student with a specific learning

disability and therefore an Individualized Education Program was drawn up to give Anna, Mrs.
IEP CASE STUDY 3

Kowalski and Ms. Liu the help that they very clearly need to achieve the goal of bringing Annas

reading ability up to par.

After reading these scenarios, I have discovered that the IEP process is not black and

white. This is to say that one opinion based on one aspect of one observation can have a

resounding effect on whether or not a child in need of services actually get that service. In the

first scenario, the fact that she scored equally low seemed to be the determining factor in

reaching the conclusion that she did not have a learning disability. To be honest this does not

make sense to me. This is a kin to saying, because this blind individual is equally bad at coloring

by number as he is determining the right colors to choose, hes just bad at art and does not need

special assistance to complete these tasks successfully. I feel the err should fall on the side of

helping the student, if at all an err to begin with.

Present at this meeting was Mrs. Kowalski who is Annas mother. She provides insight to

the struggles the child faces at home and any personal background information that may be

pertanent to evaluating her needs as well as assistance going forward. For example Mrs. K gets

home late every night and can only read with Anna for about 10 minutes. This lends to the idea

that more time practicing this skill should be considered when writing an IEP for her. Also

present is Ms. Denman, the special education administrator, she acts as the organizer or mediator

of the meeting. She is responsible for ensuring the right decisions are made to best serve Annas

needs. Ms. Liu is Annas teacher, she is the most vital aspect of this group in my opinion. She is

the one recognizing Annas needs, the one closest to Anna when it comes to her educational

environment and ultimately the one who initiates the request for services to begin with. She is

the one who recognizes strengths and weaknesses in the day to day routine. Mr. Kiena, the

school social worker, is tasked ensuring the home climate is what they say it is and to offer a
IEP CASE STUDY 4

professional review of what may be going on in the personal life of Anna. And Mr. Scott, the

school psychologist, is tasked with evaluating where Anna is today and is responsible for

administering testing for further analysis of Annas abilities.

IEP CASE STUDY 5

Reference Page
Kail, R. (2015) Children and Their Development: Seventh Edition Indianapolis, In. Pearson
University of Oregon Center on Teaching and Learning 2017 retrieved from:
https://dibels.uoregon.edu/market/assessment/dibels/