I.P.P. FAQ

This page is designed to answer some of the most popular questions I receive from teachers all over the school division regarding IPPs. The information included in this primer is adapted from several sources but is completely consistent with Alberta Education’s guidelines regarding IPPs. I know that developing and implementing IPPs can sometimes seem like just another thing in an already busy schedule but the fact is that IPPs are not a choice. They are part of a mandated strategy for teaching students with special needs and are designed to act as a program of studies for students for a part of, or the entirety of their school programming.

It is my hope that by going through the questions below you will understand the reasoning behind the IPP, strategies for information gathering, learn different ways to work with the IPP and review IPPs. Once you have gone through this primer I suggest that you do the Individualized Program Plan Online In-Service (the link is at the bottom of this page) which will help you to go through the Golden Hills IPP format and make sure you have the IPP done correctly.

I wish you the best of luck and sincerely hope that this online process is helpful and educational. My goal is simply to attempt to make your job easier and more streamlined. Let me know if there are any questions I have not answered or any way I can make this process even easier for you.

.           a summary of the goals and objectives for a student's learning during a school year
.          a written plan prepared for those students who require modifications of the regular school program
.          a tool to help teachers monitor and communicate student growth
.          a plan developed, implemented and monitored by school staff
.          a document to communicate to parents, students and staff
.          a flexible, working document with meaning for all contributors
.          an ongoing record to ensure continuity in programming.

School boards are responsible for identifying students with special needs, developing and implementing individualized program plans (IPPs) for those students and evaluating their progress.

Students with special needs may require changes to the regular curriculum, staffing, instructional and evaluation strategies, materials and resources, facilities or equipment. The school and the parents determine when the modifications of the regular program are extensive enough to require an IPP.

The IPP acknowledges the student's strengths and needs and explains how the school's programming will address those areas. Development of the IPP is intended to foster a team approach. The educational growth of a student is best accomplished through the mutual efforts of, and close communication among, the student, the family, the school, the community and other professionals involved with the student.

Simply put….yes. This includes those students with a code of 80 (Gifted and Talented) as well as Code 30 (Mild-Moderate Kindergarten). If you are not sure if a student in your class has a code please ask the Educational Consultant or the school administration.

Again…simply put…no. Any time you make a change to the prescribed grade level curriculum in any area of incorporate a modification or accommodation into a student’s program, a written record of this adaptation is required. A simple accommodations checklist with a demographic page may be all that is required. If you are not sure what to do in this case, contact me. You may find that it is easier than you thought to record this change officially.

The Cumulative file. Time to dig for gold. In the world of IPPs, gold is defined as the following:

Previous IPPs (Great thing to find. Even better if you can find it on a disk somewhere).
Psychoeducational Reports (must be present for a child to have a code or I am not doing my job)
Previous report cards (a big “M” will appear next to any mark that has been modified on the report card. If you see an “M”…assume there is an IPP).

Now…talk to the student’s previous teacher. I often mention this to teachers and it is surprising how often this step is missed in all the business. Even if the student is new to your school it is worth a phone call to the previous school. Who knows, the student’s previous IPP may be just an email attachment away.

Okay…I have some IPPs to complete. When are they due?

Another question I get asked a lot. Simply put…when you know the student well enough to incorporate modifications and adaptations, you know the student well enough to do an IPP. The IPP is just the record of what you, as the superb educator you are, are already doing. Here are the rules of thumb (more like a whole hand) I use:

If the student has an Aid, and/ or has been on a modified program for a long time and/ or is well-known to your school staff there is no reason not to have the IPP in place and operational prior to the end of September.
If the student comes from another school and comes with an IPP and code already in place it is good for you to review the file in detail (especially the IPP). Get to know the student while assuming that the IPP from the previous school is full of ideas and strategies which the student requires right away. Now smile to yourself because you know that some of the work is done. After an appropriate amount of time getting to know the new student and incorporating the previous strategies into his/ her program you are ready to write your own in the Golden Hills format. Time-frame: 1 month.
If your nasty consultant comes to you and says that a child has been assessed and a new code designated, an IPP will need to be developed. The good news is that you already knew that the student was struggling and had tried a bunch of strategies prior to referring for assessment. Another bit of good news is that you will have a chance to meet with me and the family to discuss the student’s challenges and develop a plan of action for helping the student in the classroom (Plan of Action = IPP goals?...you betcha!). You will be able to implement what you already know as well as what you learned at the meeting into the IPP. Time-frame: 2 weeks after the meeting. Talk to me for ideas and specific goals which may help.

Yep. It might seem like it is by everyone in the school too. However, the most important signature is the parent/ guardian signature. It is important that you and/ or your team sit down and meet with the parent(s) to go over the IPP and ensure that the parent(s) is in agreement and understands fully the goals and objectives contained within. You may feel that the parent-teacher interview is a good time to do this and that may well work. However, it will be well worth having a separate meeting from that if you feel that more time for proper review is required. I have found that a phone-call home around the end of September is very useful just to touch base with the family and let them know that their child is receiving modifications based on a particular learning challenge. This call often pays big dividends down the road.

The rest of the signers (signees?) include a school administrator, the educational assistant (if applicable) any other team members from the outside (such as SLP, OT, PT etc.) and me. Oh yeah, you need to sign it to.

I have a Student in My Class With an Educational Assistant who Has Been With Him/ Her for a Long Time. Can they just do the IPP?

Nope. However, I suggest that you work with the Educational Assistant to gain the benefit of their expertise and knowledge regarding the student. In the end though, the IPP is the teacher’s responsibility. The person responsible for the student’s IPP is the student’s primary classroom teacher (in elementary grades) or the students team or pod (in secondary grades).

Two problems. One, the IPP is never completed. It is designed to be a working, living document. It will need to evolve as the student changes and achieves goals. Sometimes the student will not achieve a goal when you thought that they would, or achieves it before you estimated they would. This has to be changed and new goals developed throughout the year. As you adjust, you document (in the IPP, of course). Contact with parents is ongoing as changes are made. My rule of thumb…the more informed the parent, the happier they are. The happier they are, the easier it is for you.

Second problem. The only filing that happens is placing a copy of the initial, signed IPP in the file. You will also need a working copy for the changes listed above. At the end of the school year (or if a child moves) the working copy is signed and becomes the official copy to be the Cumulative file copy. A copy of this official copy goes home to the parents and can be used by the next teacher.

There may be some things which you have put in place to help the student as they move from one grade/ school/ program to the next. These are things like school visits, introductions peer-support and the like. They just need to be documented.

By June you are an expert. You are an expert of that student. You know where his/ her strengths are and where his/ her areas of challenge are. You know what strategies work well and which should have worked but just did not. That information is gold for the student’s next teacher(s). All you need to do is come up with the student’s “Greatest Hits” and record them on the IPP. Remember, you will be getting new students next year, too. Wouldn’t it be great if you could look at the previous IPP and not have to start fresh?

I always remember my time as a teacher. I try to think of what I would have liked a previous teacher to have done to help me to do the right thing for a new student in my class. Then I try and do this with that in mind for the next teacher. I also try to think of when I had tough times with parents and when things went more smoothly. Usually I find, if I look hard enough, that it was always a good policy to keep parents well in the loop.