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CEC Continues to
Call for the Elimination of Benchmarks and Objectives in IEP's
from the CEC (Council for
Exceptional Children), March 13, 2003
CEC Press
Release, For Immediate Release, Contact: Lynda Van Kuren,
703-264-9478 (O), 703-205-0660 (H),
lyndav@cec.sped.org or
Charles Rogers, 703-264-9491 (O)
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CEC Calls for
Revamped IEPs and Measures to Reduce the Over-Identification of
Children from Diverse Backgrounds to Improve IDEA
ARLINGTON, VA,
MARCH 13, 2003—To dig special education teachers out from the
mountains of paperwork that keep them from teaching and planning
lessons for their students, the Council for Exceptional Children
(CEC) is calling for major revisions to the Individualized
Educational Programs (IEPs) mandated by the federal government.
CEC recommends that:
a. IEPs include three-year goals for students. The
three-year student goals would coincide with natural transition
points for students, i.e., kindergarten, elementary, middle, and
high school.
b.
Benchmarks and short-term objectives be eliminated.
c. Annual
reviews would document changes to the previous year’s IEP on
present levels of performance, IEP goals, special education and
related services, and educational placement.
d. Any
time a child is not progressing under a current IEP, an IEP
meeting and review of the child’s placement and services would
be implemented.
These changes
will enable teachers to reduce paperwork while increasing
accountability through meaningful documentation of student
progress.
CEC further
recommends that funds be made available to purchase technology
as well as hire clerical personnel to help special education
teachers overcome the paperwork burden.
Reducing the
Over-Identification of Children from Diverse Backgrounds in
Special Education
CEC also says that practices that encourage the inappropriate
placement of students from diverse backgrounds in special
education must be eliminated.
CEC recommends:
a. Implementing pre-referral interventions in general
education classes to guard against inappropriate referrals,
testing, and misclassification.
b.
Supporting efforts to prepare, recruit, and retain qualified
professionals from culturally and linguistically diverse groups
to ensure that all personnel are prepared and competent to teach
and assess children from culturally and linguistically diverse
backgrounds.
The changes
stated above should be part of the upcoming reauthorization of
the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),
according to the association.
To see the
complete report of CEC’s IDEA Reauthorization Recommendations,
go to
http://www.cec.sped.org/gov/IDEA_reauth_4-2002.pdf.
The Council for
Exceptional Children, a professional association for special
educators, works to improve the educational success of
individuals with disabilities and/or gifts and talents. | 
