Student Involvement in the ARD Process

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Student Involvement in the ARD Process

• Promoting a Student-Centered ARD Process by
  Empowering Students

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What About This?
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Introductions

• Denise Geiger Transition Coordinator
• Sharon Lacy Special Education Teacher, Steiner
  Ranch Elementary
• Kim Greer SELF Teacher
• Gail Giovanetti VAC Teacher, CPHS
• Sarah Martinez - Special Education Coordinator
• Debi McNiff- Parent Liaison
• Marina Lawson- Parent of Elementary student
• Estelle Weber-Graduate of VRHS

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Student-Centered ARD Process - Our Vision

• All students are empowered to take responsibility
  for their own education by helping to develop and
  monitor their goals and objectives, based on
  their preferences, interests, and needs and by
  actively participating in the ARD/IEP process.

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Agenda for Today

• Introductions
• Student Perspective
• Bulls Eye Activity
• Parent Perspective
• Tokenism vs. Real Participation
• Benefits and Pitfalls
• Strategies and Tools to Involve Student in the
  ARD process

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Students Insights

• Sit back, relax and listen to what some of our
  students say about learning how to take more
  responsibility for their own learning and
  participating in their ARD meetings.

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Levels of Student Involvement

• Bulls-eye activity

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Parents Perspective

• What do our parents say about student
  participation in the ARD Process?

Data from Initial Pilot, Spring 2002
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I think it is important that my child / the
student participates in his / her ARD meeting.
More than 88 agree or strongly agree.
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I think it is important that my child / the
student understands his / her disability.
99 Agree or Strongly Agree
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I believe that by participating in the ARD my
child / the student will do better in school.
97 Agree or Strongly agree
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The impact of the student's involvement in the
ARD Process on Effectiveness of the ARD.
99 feel that the Student-led ARD had a positive
overall effectiveness of the ARD
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The impact of the student's involvement in the
ARD Process on the Overall Tone of the IEP / ARD
Meeting
100 feel that the Student-led ARD had a positive
effect on the Overall Tone of the IEP meeting.
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The impact of the student's involvement in the
ARD Process on the Efficiency of the ARD Process
95 feel that the Student-led ARD had a positive
effect on the Efficiency of the ARD.
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The impact of the student's involvement in the
ARD Process on the Quality of the IEP Developed
99 feel that the Student-led ARD had a positive
effect on the Quality of the IEP Developed
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The impact of the student's involvement in the
ARD Process on the Understanding of the ARD
Committee of the Specific Needs / Goals of the
Student.
100 feel that the Student-led ARD had a positive
effect on the Understanding of the ARD Committee
of the Specific Needs / Goals of the Student.
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What does participation look like?
It Depends!
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Tokenism

• The practice of making only a symbolic effort at
  something, especially in order to meet the
  minimum requirements of the law.
• Tokenism is rampant in secondary transition
  planning
• Rampant happening in an unrestrained manner
• Growing strongly or spreading uncontrollably

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Token Member of IEP Team

• Students are the token member of IEP teams
• Invitation to be present does not provide
  opportunity for equal participation or decision
  making

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More Tokenism Facts

• Lovitt et al. (1994) found that when students
  attend educator-directed IEP meetings they simply
  sat, listened, and seldom participated.
• Powers et al. (1999) found that students want to
  participate but instead passively respond because
  they felt unwelcome and not respected at their
  educational planning meetings.

Lovitt, T. C., Cushing, S. S., Stump, C. S.
(1994). High school students rate their IEPs Low
opinion and lack of ownership. Intervention
in School and Clinic, 30, 34-38. Powers, L. E.,
Turner, A., Matuszewski, J., Wilson, R.,
Loesch, C. (1999). A qualitative analysis of
student involvement in transition planning.
The Journal for Vocational Special Needs
Education, 21, 18-26.
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Self-Directed IEP - 11 Lessons

• Begin meeting by stating purpose.
• Introduce everyone.
• Review past goals and performance.
• Ask for others feedback.
• State your school and transition goals.
• Ask questions if you do not understand.
• Deal with differences in opinion.
• State what support you will need.
• Summarize your goals.
• Close meeting by thanking everyone.
• Work on IEP goals all year.

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Factors to consider.

• Sowhat should we consider when determining the
  level of involvement for our students?
• GROUP DISCUSSION

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Benefits of Student-led ARDs.

• Discuss with your group the benefits that you see
  to including students as important members of
  their ARD Committees

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Benefits of Students Involvement in the ARD
Process (Brainstorm)

• Motivation
• Self advocacy
• Problem solving
• Goal focused
• Equal partnership
• Empowered
• More accountability
• More aware of disability
• Strengths, interventions
• Outside agencies

• Improve education for
• the future
• Responsibility
• Vision of future
• More invested in education
• Healthy boundaries
• Parent confidence
• Realistic goals

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Benefits to Student-Led ARDS

• Improved motivation/ ownership in educational
  process
• Less legalistic
• Builds relationships
• Teaches communication/ negotiation skills to
  students
• Improved communication between TT and student, TT
  and parent, student and parent

• Better, Student-Centered ARDs
• ARDS less stressful
• More positive/proactive focus
• Feeling of accomplishment and satisfaction w/ ARD
  process
• Increase acceptance
• Improved self-advocacy for students
•      

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Possible Pitfalls of Including Students in their
IEP meetings

• Together as a group, brainstorm some of the
  possible pitfalls or problems that might arise
  when including students in their ARD/IEP
  Meetings.

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Possible Pitfalls to Student-Led ARDS

• Potential to get off topic
• Increase in up-front planning time
• More time for ARD planning
• Additional time to plan with the student
• Students in mainstreamed classes, difficult to
  find time to speak to students and discuss ARD
• Stigma
• Tension between parents and students

• Not being sensitive to students readiness level
  for involvement
• Parents uncomfortable w/ students attending
  (especially at the elementary level)
• Teacher not wanting the students involved
• Students fearful of meeting
• Students who manipulate the process
• ARD becomes negative

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Possible Pitfalls of Students Involvement in the
ARD Process (Brainstorm)

• More time for ARD planning
• Additional time to plan with the student
• Students in mainstreamed classes, difficult to
  find time to speak to students and discuss ARD
• Stigma
• Tension between parents and students

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Tools and Strategies

• To Involve Students in the ARD Process

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Student Power Points

• Tailor for individual participation level of
  each student (Can be used successfully for ANY
  student)
• May be used as an opening presentation or
  throughout the ARD
• Infuse elements of the ARD agenda
• May serve as student script
• Be creative use pictures, clipart, etc
• Teach important skills while developing and
  presenting Power Point
• Allow opportunity to practice

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Student ARD Agendas

• Effective planning and teaching tool
• Assists student throughout the ARD
• Can be individualized for each student
• Promotes independence while ensuring all aspects
  of the ARD are covered

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Powerpoint Samples

• Student developed ARDs
• Powerpoint Template for Student Led ARDs

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Other samples

• Student Led Posters
• Charts and Graphs

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Preparing Students for Participating in ARDs

• Conference with student
• Discuss strengths
• Discuss what students need/want to work on
• Transition goals What do you want to be when you
  grow up?
• Review assessment information to identify areas
  for goals
• Discuss modifications, accommodations, supports
  needed
• Prepare student for what will happen in the ARD
  (Use Student ARD Agenda)
• Mutually decide the level of involvement for the
  student

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Preparing Students (Cont)

• Role play student involvement provide practice
  as needed (individually or in group)
• Explicit instruction on ARD process (individual
  or in small group)
• Teach soft skills and active listening (siege
  teachable moments)
• Use Decision-Making Matrix
• Mutually plan for transition
• Scaffold w/ supports remove supports as
  appropriate for individual student

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Strategies and Tools for Student Involvement

•  
• q    Poster
• q   Strengths and weaknesses
• q    Likes and dislikes
• Successes/ Improvements for
• the year
• q   Choice of the order to discuss
• above item
• q   Power Point
• q   Collages
• q   Student ARD Agenda
• q   Student completes part of the
• ARD paperwork
• q   Student writes ARD invitation

• q     Chart Paper w/ sections of ARD to be
  covered by the student
• q     Independence Matrices
• q     Graphs
• q    Test scores
• q     Behavior
• q     Goals Page
• q     Accommodation/ Modification Page
• q     Student-led Parent Conference
• (prior to ARD)
• q     Pre-ARD conference/phone call
• q   W/ Student
• q       W/ Parent

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Classroom Instruction to Prepare for ARDs

• ARD Vocabulary
• Teaching Different Disabilities
• Accommodations and Modifications
• TAKS vs SDAA
• Preparation for Future
• Goal Development

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Things to think about

• Consider the individual strengths/needs of the
  student (flexible involvement based on students
  needs)
• Consider parents level of acceptance
• Plan for upfront time w/ student (and parent)
• Provide supports for students on individual basis

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Goals of Student-Involvement

• Elementary to become invested in their own
  learning while becoming more self-aware and to
  begin to self-advocate
• Middle School to increase self-advocacy/
  self-determination through increased awareness of
  how their decisions affect the future
• High School self-determined students by
  increasing students ability to self-advocate for
  what they need and focus on goals and transition
  for their futures

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Current Guidelines-Elementary

• By 4th 5th grade
• Attend at least part of ARD
• Participate in ARD by making a statement (e.g.,
  Celebrations about this year)
• Identify their own strengths and interests
• Describe 2 to 3 modifications/ accommodations
  that help them
• Identify what they like most/least about school
• Demonstrate some basic self-advocacy skills

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General Guidelines Middle School
7th Grade
6th Grade

• Attend all of the ARD
• State desired post-secondary goal
• Help create Statement of need for transition
• Comment about school year and progress on goals
• Able to express specific disability
• Becoming more aware of the impact of strategies
  and how to use them

• Attend at least part (if not all) of ARD
• Start thinking about transition goals
• State desired post-secondary goal
• Comment about school year and progress on goals
• Able to basically describe their disability

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Current Guidelines Middle School
8th Grade

• Attend all of the ARD
• Plan for transition to High School develop and
  discuss 4 Year Plan for High School
• Create actions for Transition outcomes
• Discuss goals for the year
• Report on progress
• Give input on schedule
• Able to express exact disability qualification
  and state effective accommodations or strategies
  used in class

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Current Guidelines High School

• Attend all of the ARD
• Make introductions
• Explain goals
• Review progress
• Review 4 Year Plan
• Provide input on schedule
• Able to state exact disability and specific areas
• Knows how disability impacts them academically,
  cognitively and functionally

• Input for Transition
• Desired post-secondary outcomes and goals
• Present levels of performance
• Describe graduation option
• Create actions for transition outcomes
• Can state specific accommodations and strategies
  that benefit them

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Invitation Does Not Equal Participation

• We are mandated to invite students to attend
  their IEP meetings when transition issues are
  discussed. This invitation does not guarantee
  meaningful student involvement in the meeting,
  nor does it equal meeting participation on behalf
  of the student.

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Implications for Teachers

• Find a way to incorporate Self-Directed IEP
  instruction into the classroom
• Teach self-advocacy and access skills
• Students become more engaged in the educational
  process
• Provides opportunity to practice skills needed in
  postsecondary ed and work settings
• Parents understand IEP process better.