The Department has created Self-Assessing for Standards-Based IEP Goals as an optional tool to assist school administrative units (SAUs) to self-assess progress in writing standards-aligned IEP goals.
The tool is intended to inform SAUs of the criteria that will be considered during monitoring beginning in the 2016-17 school year, and to guide district special education professionals in providing feedback to each other during this transition to a proficiency-based system. SAUs are not required to use or submit this form to the Maine DOE.
This past January, the Maine DOE Office of Special Services released its Policy on Standards-Based Individualized Education Program (IEP) Goals to outline the requirements for the development of IEPs in a proficiency-based education system.
The Policy reinforces the expectation that students with disabilities have access to the general education curriculum as appropriate based on their individualized needs. It requires IEP Teams to consider grade-level (or grade span) standards to facilitate each student’s achievement of grade-level academic standards whenever possible. These standards-based goals will be reviewed for compliance under the General Supervision System monitoring beginning with the 2016-17 cohort.
For more information on the self-assessment tool, standards-based IEPs or general questions related to Special Services, please contact Maine DOE’s Special Education Consultant Peg Armstrong at peg.armstrong@maine.gov or 624-6654.