Accessible Educational Materials and Technologies in the IEP

(2018, April) | Useful to Parent Centers, educators, and parents in:

• considering a student’s need for accessible materials and technologies, and
• where to specify what is needed in each student’s IEP

This  brief comes from the National Center on Accessible Educational Materials, otherwise known as the AEM Center. It’s 17 pages long, but provides excellent guiding questions for those involved in writing a student’s IEP. It begins by answering such basics as:

• What are accessible educational materials and technologies?
• Why is it important for IEP teams to consider whether a student needs them in order to access the general curriculum?
• What does IDEA require?
• Where in the IEP should certain AEM-related information be included–and how? (Great examples!)

The brief looks at key parts of the IEP where AEM-information can be and needs to be inserted, given the student’s particular AEM needs. From the summary of the student’s evaluation results, to the present levels statement, to the consideration of special factors, the brief states what IDEA requires and poses pertinent questions for the team to ask. In each case, examples are given of how info could be stated in the IEP. The same approach is taken in looking at writing other sections of the IEP, such as:

• measurable goals,
• the special education and related services to be provided (and supplementary aids and services),
• participation in state assessments, and
• transition services.

Well worth reading and referring to again and again, the brief is available at:
http://aem.cast.org/binaries/content/assets/common/publications/aem/aem-iep-brief-2018.pdf