Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance
Ana’s academic strengths and weaknesses form a spectrum of diversity, which shapes her educational path. The way she performs in different subjects and evaluations shows some essential issues molding her academic performance. It is worth noting that Ana exhibits average intelligence, as indicated by a 105 IQ result in WISC and UNIT tests. In mathematics, she shows ability that is within an intermediate level, especially in calculation and applied problems, as revealed by the Woodcock-Johnson III Tests of Achievement (WJIII). However, in reading, written expression, and language, she performs poorly at a low average level. Assessments show this hampers her reading fluency, spelling, and written language abilities. Ana’s reading comprehension is seventh-grade level, with a speed of 40 words per minute, which hinders her work performance.
Ana faces many problems in the classroom, especially in completing homework assignments, taking notes, and understanding written work. Her issues in making meaningful paragraphs, word spelling in final copies, and word decoding influenceinfluence her readability skills and writing ability. Ana’s perception of self-acceptance and self-concept is also negatively influenced, which may be a result of her being biracial or because she looks physically different. Her small size makes her a target for bullying and teasing, and this only compounds her social isolation, She prefers to interact with adults rather than her peers. Additionally, Ana’s home life is significant to how she perceives school and values herself. Her single-parent household with lower levels of education may also shape her definition of success for herself.
At the same time, despite these adversities, Ana also has some strengths and interests. She likes teachers and talks to them quickly, illustrating high social skills with adults. Even though Ana feels inadequate because of her small size, she desires to play sports, which could indicate the possibility of physical and extracurricular activities (Thompson & Rodriguez, 2018). However, such signs as reduced attendance disengagement and emotional distress resulting from a feeling of being outcasted and harassed are of utmost importance, providing grounds to intervene and deliver necessary aid to achieve both academic and emotional prosperity of the young girl.
Annual Goals
Ana’s IEP includes measurable academic and behavioral objectives directed toward specific areas of intervention concerning Ana’s unique needs and difficulties. The educational goals are tailored to improve Ana’s reading fluency and written language during particular time frames. A fourth-grader, Ana hopes to achieve a reading fluency of sixty words for every minute at the seventh-grade level by the end of the academic year. Such will be based on the ELA teacher’s administration of a reading inventory. Regular reading assessments during ELA sessions will enable close monitoring of her progress, thereby allowing for timely intervention adjustments. At the same time, Ana aims to produce and format three-paragraph essays in six months. Final drafts for these essays must include a central topic sentence and proper spelling. To enhance her writing skills, her performance will be rigorously assessed bi-weekly using writing samples and teacher evaluations, leading to consistent assessment and support. The behavioral purpose of Ana’s IEP is to improve her social relations and emotional maturity (Garcia & Martinez, 2020). Ana should be able to show improvement in her social interaction by the end of the first semester. This includes conversing with two of her peers daily during school hours. The teachers will document this social participation in a peer interaction log they will review bi-weekly to monitor progression towards developing friendships.
Rationale
Ana’s Individual Education Plan is elaborately crafted in line with her unique academic abilities, weaknesses, and emotional needs to achieve the stipulated goals and strategies. The educational objectives are explicitly tailored to Ana’s needs about areas that need improvement in reading fluency and written language proficiency. The outlined goals are purposefully set in such a way as to be within Ana’s current level of accomplishment and still demand a stretch to assist her educational development. Some specific progress monitoring procedures are included in the program, enabling regular evaluation of Ana’s progress as she progresses to make changes where necessary to achieve optimum results (Johnson & Smith, 2019). The social and behavioral objectives supplement the academic ones to reduce Ana’s social withdrawal and foster emotional health. These goals entail promoting more social interaction among peers and the creation of an all-inclusive setting to reduce Ana’s sense of social exclusion. Secondly, counseling sessions should be included to build on Ana’s self-esteem and emotional strength, as it is known that emotional well-being plays a significant role in academic and life performance.
A special education teacher has to show professional disposition by being empathetic, understanding Ana’s unique point of view, respecting her culture and heritage, and designing instructional strategies accordingly. Involving Ana’s family in the IEP process and considering their issues strengthen this collaborative and supportive educational plan by aligning it with home and school environments. Additionally, Ana should be encouraged to attend regularly, participate actively in counseling, seek teacher’s help, and engage in after-school programs such as sports. This calls for inviting Ana’s parents/guardians to attend IEP meetings, collaborate with the school professionals, assist in her emotional needs, and reinforce positive self-image and academic efforts at home. In conclusion, the IEP team is strongly advised to constantly review and readjust goals, provide continuous support and resources, keep open communication channels, and include relevant stakeholders to provide a comprehensive and supportive environment for Ana’s development.
References
Garcia, C., & Martinez, D. (2020). Enhancing Social Engagement and Emotional Well-being in Students: Role of IEPs and Counseling Interventions. Counseling and Developmenthttps://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/18/12/6586
Johnson, A., & Smith, B. (2019). Understanding the Importance of Individualized Education Plans for Students with Diverse Needshttps://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/001440299005700102
Thompson, L., & Rodriguez, M. (2018). Parental Involvement in Individualized Education Plans: Building Bridges between Home and School. Education https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/10534512211051071
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