Assessing Students and Developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
What this domain tests
Know the assessment-to-IEP pipeline: referral, parental consent, full and individual evaluation, eligibility determination, IEP development, placement, and annual review with triennial reevaluation. Understand norm-referenced versus criterion-referenced measures, standard scores and percentile ranks, and the difference between reliability (consistency) and validity (measuring what it claims). Familiarize yourself with curriculum-based measurement, progress monitoring, and the role of the multidisciplinary team.
IEP content is heavily tested: present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP), measurable annual goals, short-term objectives or benchmarks where required, special education and related services, least restrictive environment justification, accommodations and modifications, and transition planning beginning by age 16 (or earlier per state). Know that accommodations change how a student accesses material while modifications change what is expected. Procedural safeguards include prior written notice, independent evaluation, and dispute resolution.
Traps to watch
- Confusing modifications (altered content or standards) with accommodations (same content, different access).
- Assuming parents can be excluded from meetings; they are required team members.
- Mixing up annual review (every year) with reevaluation (at least every three years).
- Selecting a goal that is not measurable or lacks baseline data from the PLAAFP.
Rule of thumb
Every annual goal should pass the "SMART" check: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound, with baseline drawn directly from the PLAAFP.
Worked example
A student reads 40 words correct per minute against a benchmark of 90. The PLAAFP states this baseline; the annual goal targets 80 words per minute by year's end, measured weekly by curriculum-based measurement. That pairing of baseline, target, and progress-monitoring method is what exam items reward.