What are an IEP and an ILP?

What are an IEP and an ILP?[1]

When mentoring our pre-service and in-service teachers we need to describe and model both research-based and clinically tested best practices. Accordingly, our mentees should know about the IEP and the ILP

An IEP, an Individualized Educational Program,[2] is a legal document that public and some private day schools must create to meet the individual needs of certain students who require special services. The IEP delineates:

(a) the short-term, and annual goals and objectives (i.e. learning outcomes)

(b) the enhanced educational services (i.e. in speech and language, social, and medical services, transportation if needed, assistive technology as needed, such as a wheelchair, a computer that speaks, a braille translator, etc.)

(c) a list of accommodations that a student with special needs is required to receive.

As a teacher in a supplemental or day school you can request a copy of that IEP, so that you can prepare, an ILP, an Individual Learning Plan, to meet the special needs of your student. The ILP is different from the IEP in that it is not a legal document. It should specify the goals, learning outcomes, support services, and accommodations that would help that student become a successful learner in your classroom. It is best, however, to compose this ILP with the assistance of the principal or school director, the resource specialist at your school or at the central agency, or a mentor teacher who has extensive experience in individualizing instruction for students with special needs.

On the next post we will provide a more informed answer to the original question posed in this section of the blog: Can a teacher reach all of his or her students?

---

[1] The information on the IEP and the ILP is taken, with permission from the website of the Union of Reform Judaism, http://urj.org/Articles/index.cfm?id=7270 . Retrieved January 30, 2009.

[2] In some jurisdictions, the IEP is called an Individualized Education Plan.