Creative Control Arts SelfDetermination and Studentled IEPs Introduction

Creative Control: Arts, Self-Determination, and Student-led IEPs

Introduction Presenters: Naté Dearden, The Utah State Office of Education Mo Thomas, Two Rivers Public Charter School Eliza Derick, Eastern Senior High School Susan Oetgen, School. Talk DC

Introduction Origin: April 2015 OSSE SLIEP PLC Presentation Mo & Eliza presenting for the OSSE SLIEP PLC, April 2015

Introduction Three Take-Aways: 1. What is self-determination and what do student-led IEP practices look like? 2. Arts = strategies to document and assess student IEP goals 3. Arts = strategies to cultivate student self-determination and IEP participation

Poll Questions 1. Please tell us all that apply to the students you teach: Age range: 10 and under 11 -13 years old 14 -15 years old 16 -18 years old 19 -22 years old Grades: Elementary grades(Pre. K-5) Disability categories: Autism Deaf-blindness Deafness Emotional disturbance Hearing impairment Intellectual disability Multiple disabilities Orthopedic impairment

Poll Questions 2. How long have you been implementing student-led IEP practices for your students? Haven’t started yet Less than a year 1 -3 years 3 -5 years

Poll Questions 3. Who at your school (in addition to you) is implementing student-led IEP practices? Teachers Transition or special education coordinators Administrators Others: _____

Poll Questions: 4. How can your students participate in their IEPs? Learn about their rights and the IEP process Explore strengths / interests / preferences / needs Invite attendees to their IEP meetings Role play ways to participate and what to say Introduce meeting participants Share samples of work from class Review IEP goals and progress toward goals (or helped to write new goals) Recommend accommodations to include in the IEP Share transition goals Lead their IEP meetings

Take-Away 1: Student Self-Determination & Student-led IEPs

What does the future look like for our kids? Friendships & Dating High School Graduation Employment Internships, Apprenticeships, Vocational Training College Health Care & Physical Fitness

What is Self-Determination? Self-Determination means: • Knowing yourself; • Knowing what you want your future to look like and how to plan for it; and • Knowing the supports you will need to have control in your life.

What is Self-Determination? A characteristic of a person that leads them to make choices and decisions based on their own preferences and interests, to monitor and regulate their own actions and to be goaloriented and self-directing. Dr. Michael Wehmeyer, National Gateway to Self-Determination, www. ngsd. org

Research-Based Benefits • Students develop stronger self-advocacy and selfdetermination skills, leads to increased selfconfidence • Increased parent and general education teacher participation

Self-Determination Matters! Self-determination status has been linked to: • Positive academic outcomes • Greater access to general education curriculum • Positive transition outcomes – employment & independent living • More positive quality of life and life satisfaction Wehmeyer, Michael L. (2013). Introduction to Special Topic Issue on Self-Determination. Lynchburg College Journal of Special Education, Volume 9. Available at http: //www. lynchburg. edu/master-education-special-education/volume-9 -2013.

Who’s Driving? Educator-Directed IEP Planning Student-Directed IEP Planning

Impact of Adult Driven Planning Processes • Students do not know they have a disability. • Students often do not know the reason for IEP meetings. • Students report that they make few if any decisions at IEP meetings. • Students do not know what is expected of them during IEP meetings.

DC Student-led IEP Initiative • DC Secondary Transition Community of Practice • Ongoing collaboration: – Virginia Department of Education Self-Determination Project – National Secondary Transition Technical Assistance Center • OSSE Student-led IEP Demonstration Project

What is a Student-led IEP? “There is no one ‘right’ way to hold a student-led IEP. The challenge is for students, teachers, and parents to find creative ways to involve students in exploring themselves and their needs and provide ways for students to have a voice in creating their goals and planning how to achieve them. ” —OSSE Student-led IEP Toolkit • Meaningful participation in all stages of IEP development • Student takes a leadership and decision-making role

Defining the Student-led IEP

Defining the Student-led IEP “Student participation throughout the IEP process should be individualized and based on the age, needs, and abilities of the student. IEP Teams will successfully achieve meaningful student involvement when they work individually with students to determine appropriate levels of involvement and create corresponding plans for student preparation. ” –OSSE Student-led IEP Toolkit

IEP Participation Spectrum IEP Team meeting takes place without student present Student present with minimal participation and/or preparation Student present with some participation (presents information, gives input into goals, answers questions) Student present and actively participates Student present and takes responsibility for one piece of the process Student present and takes responsibility for most of the process

Take-Away 2: Arts = Strategies to Document & Assess Student IEP Goals

Documentation & Assessment Strategies Role Play! Student Memoirs Vocabulary Rap Creative projects and presentations used as mastery of IEP goals Visual Representations of Self-Awareness

Role Play

Memoirs Djimon Robinson 10/1/14 This I Believe Essay MY Individualized Education Program It is important to learn what an IEP is and what it stands for. An IEP is important because includes the strengths and weaknesses of your learning. IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. Before 5 th grade I did not attend my IEP meetings. I had no feelings about it, but then things changed in 5 th grade when I met Ms. Rossana.

Projects and Presentations Used as Evidence Vocabulary Rap

Collecting Writing Data as Evidence

Power. Points and Prezis

Visual Representations of Self. Awareness Activities

Take-Away 3: Arts = Strategies to Cultivate Student Self-Determination & IEP Participation

ACTIVITY: Identity Boxes

ACTIVITY: Vision Boards

ACTIVITY: Artist Statements

ACTIVITY: Artist Statements

ACTIVITY: Spirit Animals

ACTIVITY: Coat of Arms

From Self-Expression. . . Photo credits: U. S. Department of Education / Paul Wood

. . . to Self-Determination Photo credits: U. S. Department of Education / Paul Wood

Our Experiences as Educators: Not another add-on. Must be natural, can’t be forced Can be used as a modality for expression or as a means of evidence You’re doing more than you realize All in service of self-determination, self-awareness, self-advocacy, and self-expression Sharing our ideas of our practice, but not limiting yours

SLIEP & Self-Determination Resources. . . www. OSSEsecondarytransition. org www. imdetermined. org

Q&A with Audience