Considerations for Exceptional Students with IEPs

Considerations for Exceptional Students with IEPs

Individualized Learning and Deficit-Based Specially Designed Instruction

Each Individualized Learning Path (ILP) is generated based on the student’s Universal Screener, partner assessment, and Progress Monitoring results. The Instructional units are organized along a learning progression so that learners build their understanding in incremental steps. This systematic structure supports students with IEP goals by providing high-quality instruction at their performance levels. 
  1. Each ILP unit is aligned with state standards.  As students move through the learning progression, data, including formative assessment results, is collected and reported on the “Individualized Learning Standards Mastery Report”. To document the progress toward short and long-term IEP goals.
  2. When additional assessment data is available through Skill-Based Progress Monitoring, it is automatically used to adapt the student’s ILP to ensure a learner continues to work with concepts at their instructional levels.
  3. Teachers modify a student’s ILP by activating specific skill units so that a student engages with them as they work through the Classworks Learning Progression. Read more about how this works

Skill-Based Progress Monitoring

In recent years, court cases, such as Endrew F v Douglas, highlight the importance of consistent and effective monitoring of each student's progress toward their IEP goals. Additionally, court cases, such as Perez v Sturgis, reinforce expectations surrounding transparent and frequent communication with parents and guardians. Classworks Skills-Based Progress Monitoring helps districts meet these expectations.
  1. IDEA requires that progress monitoring tools are valid and reliable measures of progress. This means that independent data is collected separately from the instructional content. Classworks Skill-Based progress monitoring probes are assigned in 12-week intervals ensuring ongoing data collection.
  2. The student’s Present Level of Performance (PLOP) identified by the Classworks Universal Screener determines the recommended grade level of progress monitoring probes. Read more about how this works: How Do I Select the Right Progress Monitoring for Individualized Education Programs (IEPs)
  3. Completing the progress monitoring probes is an important first step, and equally important is how the data is used. The results of each probe:
    1. Determine a baseline
    2. Automatically graph the Rate of Improvement
    3. Provide skill-specific proficiency data
  4. Informing and adjusting instruction to meet the student’s current needs is another requirement outlined in IDEA. The ongoing collection of data provides teachers with the detailed information they need to make timely instructional adjustments.
  5. Transparent communication with parents and guardians about their child’s progress is achieved through the use of the Progress Monitoring reports. Classworks recommends sharing the Skills-Based Student Results report with parents on the same schedule they share progress reports with the parents of general education students.



Classroom Reading Instruction and Specially Designed Instruction

Classworks reading passages provide students with experience in complex texts. There are a wide variety of texts for first through eighth grade. The text-based questions address multiple literacy standards, so you’ll want to preview the standards alignment documents:  Classroom Reading Passages Standards Alignments 
Let’s follow a teacher using a reading passage for a small group of her students.

Ms. Sterling supports a small group of students with similar reading IEP goals focused on using phonics and decoding skills to strengthen basic comprehension. These students are reading at roughly the same level and struggle most with informational texts. Ms. Sterling selected “3-23 I Science 620L - Underwater Sounds” as the reading passage to use. She feels confident in the passage because  Classworks Classroom Reading passages:
  1. Are robust and provide opportunities to practice decoding and fluency skills accompanied by comprehension questions
  2. Feature diverse genres and content area connections. Passage sets at each grade level incorporate drama, poetry, and functional texts (such as step-by-step directions)
Ms. Sterling prepares by pre-reading the text to identify specific portions that some of the students may struggle most with. She also practices using the accessibility features to ensure she’s confident in modeling their use and supporting her students. In this passage, she made note of:
  1. The passage is broken into 8 paragraphs. Ms. Sterling knows that the “read aloud” feature reads one paragraph at a time. She plans to model this feature and have the small group read the first paragraph together. At the end of the paragraph, they will retell the paragraph to each other and decide what the most important information is. Ms. Sterling will model using the “annotation” feature to paraphrase that important information.
  2. Question 2 asks students to identify the passage’s main idea. She plans to tell students about this before they begin reading and model using the “highlight” feature to note evidence related to main ideas and details.
  3. The word “echolocation” in the first paragraph - she plans to use this word to demonstrate the “dictionary” feature - where students can hear a model pronunciation of any word they struggle with.
Ms. Sterling feels confident in incorporating these activities because she values the detailed information she’ll have available. Documenting the progress each student is making toward their IEP goals is crucial. The highlighting, annotations, and responses to text-based questions provide high-quality evidence of student learning and make it easy to monitor progress toward annual goals and intermediate objectives. 

Classroom Mathematics Instruction and Specially Designed Instruction

Classworks applied math problem sets provide students with experience solving multiple-choice, open-response, and error-analysis problems. These problem sets are available for kindergarten through eighth grade. A wide variety of mathematical concepts are addressed so you’ll want to preview the standards alignment documents:  Classroom Math Problem Sets Standards Alignments 

Let’s follow a teacher as she uses a math activity for a small group of her students.


Ms. Sterling supports a small group of students with similar math IEP goals focused on how place value applies to addition and subtraction processes when regrouping is involved. Ms. Sterling selected “2-10 Add and Subtract within 1000 - Playtime Toy Store” as the problem set to use. She feels confident because  Classworks Classroom Math Problem Sets:

  • are skill-specific questions focusing on a specific concept or skill aligned to content standards. 

  • feature multiple choice and constructed response questions that vary in complexity and support grouping students flexibly to meet varying present levels of performance. 

Ms. Sterling prepares by previewing the problem set to identify specific misconceptions that some of her students may experience. She also practices using the accessibility features to ensure she’s confident in modeling their use and supporting her students. In this problem set, she made note of:

  1. The problem set uses pictures of base ten blocks to support the ideas of composing and decomposing numbers during regrouping. Ms. Sterling has been using manipulatives like these as a resource for her students. She knows she’ll want these to be available for all students to help them see the connection between the drawings and the physical tools they’ve been using. She’ll also want to use them as she models or supports the students. Ms. Sterling will model using the “shapes” feature to demonstrate how students can draw their own pictures of the base ten blocks.

  2. Student work is captured in real-time as the students use the digital workspace on the right hand of the screen to solve each problem. Ms. Sterling will model using the stylus/pencil and text box features to show students how to record their mathematical thinking.

  3. As she previews the “error analysis” or “magnifying glass” problem Ms. Sterling will model using the microphone tool - which allows students to record their problem-solving process using the microphone on their tablet or computer. 

Ms. Sterling feels confident in incorporating these activities because she values the detailed information she’ll have available. Documenting the progress each student is making toward their IEP goals is crucial. The digitally captured authentic work samples provide high-quality evidence of student learning and make it easy to monitor progress toward annual goals and intermediate objectives. 

Read More About How to Use Classroom Math Instruction



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