In This Issue ... October 4, 2011 Don't put the cart before the
horse! If you begin the IEP process by trying to find generic
"good goals," you will probably fail because the goals won’t
relate to your child's needs. First, identify your child's
needs. Begin the process by analyzing your child’s present
levels of academic achievement and functional performance. The
IEP must include a plan to meet all of your child's unique
needs. In this issue of the Special Ed Advocate you'll find an
IEP Game Plan that will describe how to create goals for SMART
IEPs, step-by-step. Please don't hesitate to forward this issue
to friends, family members, or colleagues. Find Wrightslaw on
Facebook What's Your Target? SMART IEP Goals What can you do if
the school wants to measure progress by "teacher observations"
or "teacher made tests," not objective tests of academic
achievement and functional performance? In SMART IEPs: A Tactics
and Strategy Session, an interview with Pete and Pam Wright, you
will learn about requirements f