The Difference Between IEPs and Lesson Plans in Education

Obviously there are many different commonalities when looking at IEP's and lesson plan formats from around the country. In fact, the lesson plan formats and the IEP formats are both more alike than unalike.

Two of the three of them contain a class starter or anticipatory set. They all include a statement of objectives as well as space for the presentation of material, including activities. The direct instruction model differs in that it has space to check off the kinds of activities students will engage in. It also has space for homework given and teacher notes. The other chart-style lesson plan includes space for Additional Notes and a summary of the lesson. The list-style lesson plan from LessonPlansPage.com, while unattractive visually, has space for the state standards addressed, which is a needed feature. What should be included in a lesson plan are objectives, standards met, detail about activities to be gone, assessment of the learning that takes place, and necessary resources. A space for Notes is always a plus if the document is to be a work in progress as curriculum is supposed to be. Of the three lesson plans, the one that would best fit with IEP's is the Direct Instruction Model. By having that checklist of activities, the teacher will be reminded of differentiation and modification and be able to come up with some creative ways to make these things happen.

The IEP's are more similar than different as well. All of them have space for "Present Levels of Educational Performance," recommended modifications and transition activities, the required personal information and all the people who need to sign off, testing accommodations, least restrictive environment justification and such. These are absolutely necessary for all IEP's. The one labeled NYSED is visually unattractive and seems longer than the others because of the way it is printed. To be truly useful in lesson planning, it must be shorter or there needs to be applicable pages that a teacher could pull out. In the IEP labeled Sample A, there is a detailed list of courses to be taken each year, which I believe is a great addition. Students need help in setting goals, and all students should have a four-year plan. Also included in the "Statement of Needed Transition Services," there are some helpful ideas that could aid in lesson planning. For example, job preparation skills is listed as a need. A teacher could certainly use information like this in lesson planning, even though the school is not necessarily responsible for developing these skills. This information could be used in the activities portion or the goals portion of lesson planning. Ultimately, what is good for kids in special education is good for all kids. Having those IEP's to follow simply makes a teacher more aware. For example, reading directions aloud, small group time, working on a computer, having word problems read aloud are lesson planning items that would benefit all students.

The third example labeled simply IEP is the most helpful to the classroom teacher. It is printed in an attractive way and each of the annual goals and short-term objectives is on a page of its own. These could be easily pulled out for teacher use. These are also much more detailed than either of the other IEPs. For example, the goal is listed at the top as well as benchmarks to know whether the student has met these goals. There is a space for identification of services. For example, "For writing, he will use a word box, a Franklin device, and computer word processing." Knowing that the teacher must make these modifications, he/she could try to modify activities in such a way that all students might use word processing, for example. I also like this one because of the chart for statewide testing. How this student will test is very clearly delineated.

I believe that making IEPs and lesson plans visually attractive and easy to follow is crucial. Having a checklist alerts the teacher's mind of various possibilities for modification and differentiation. Having space for notes makes the teacher capable of jotting notes about particular students. The goal is to make IEP's and lesson plans work together as closely as possible so that teachers will use the IEPs the way they were intended to be used, as educational tools.

Sample Individualized Education Program. IDEA '97 Transition Requirements. http://www.vacollegequest.org/charting/Sample%20IEP.pdf

Appendix C: Sample IEP. http://cmlorena.googlepages.com/SampleIEPPlan.pdf

NYSED-IEP-SA 12-05. http://www.vesid.nysed.gov/specialed/publications/policy/iep/schoolageiep.htm

Lesson Plan Template. http://www.lessonplanspage.com/LessonTemplate.htm

Lesson Plans 4 Teachers. http://www.lessonplans4teachers.com/PDF/individuallesson.PDF

Lesson Plans 4 Teachers. http://www.lessonplans4teachers.com/PDF/lesson1.PDF