Navigating Your Way to AIM in the IEP: Who Needs AIM and Where Does AIM Fit?

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Navigating Your Way to AIM in the IEP Who Needs
AIM and Where Does AIM Fit?

• Joy Zabala and Diana Carl
• National Center on Accessible Instructional
  Materials at CAST

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Major Discussion Questions for this Session

• What are AIM?
• Who needs AIM?
• Brief overview of IEPs
• Where might AIM be considered and documented in
  the IEP?

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What Are AIM?

• AIM (accessible instructional materials) are
  materials that are designed or converted in a way
  that makes them usable across the widest range of
  student variability in any format (print,
  digital, graphical, audio, video).
• IDEA specifically focuses on accessible formats
  of print instructional materials. In relation to
  IDEA, the term AIM refers to print instructional
  materials that have been transformed into the
  specialized formats of braille, large print,
  audio, or digital text. 

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What Is the Relationship to FAPE?

• Timely access to appropriate and accessible
  instructional materials is an inherent component
  of an LEAs/SEAs obligation under IDEA to
  ensure
• that FAPE is available for children with
  disabilities and
• that children with disabilities participate in
  the general education curriculum as specified in
  their IEPs.
• Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), 71
  Fed Reg. 46618

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• Who Needs AIM?

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Who Needs AIM?

• Students with disabilities that prevent them from
  using typical instructional materials, such as
  print or locked digital materials, effectively
• Students with sensory, physical, or
  learning-related disabilities
• Students without identified disabilities who
  cannot make effective use of typical
  instructional materials
• Struggling readers students lacking English
  proficiency, etc.
• Students who simply prefer options for different
  tasks or for use in different environments.

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Who Needs AIM?

• If any student is unable to read traditional
  grade level print instructional materials
• at a sufficient rate and with adequate
  comprehension to complete academic tasks with
  success, relative to same-age peers,
• or cannot do this independently, or cannot do
  this across environments and tasks,
• then the student may need AIM.

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AIM-Related Responsibilities of Decision-Making
Teams

• Establish need for instructional materials in
  specialized format(s)
• Select specialized format(s) needed by a student
  for educational participation and achievement
• Commence SEA- and/or LEA-defined steps to acquire
  needed format(s) in a timely manner
• Determine supports needed for effective use for
  educational participation and achievement.

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The AIM Navigator

• A process facilitator to help educators,
  families, and students make decisions about AIM
  for an individual student
• Not a screening or evaluative tool!

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Brief Overview of IEPs
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What Is an IEP?

• Represents the foundation of the childs
  educational program and serves as a tool/roadmap
  to help teachers provide instruction

IEP as a Document IEP as a Process
Describes the services the student will receive Allows educators, parents, and the student to work together to develop an individualized plan (McLaughlin Warren, 1995)
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Cycle of Access, Involvement, and Progress in the
General Education Curriculum (IDEA)
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Connection to AIM
Access Independence
Involvement Participation
Progress Achievement
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Where might AIM be considered and documented?
IEP Development and AIM
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Parts of the IEP that Relate to AIM

• Evaluation Results
• Present Levels of Performance
• Special Factors
• Annual Goals
• Special Education Related Services,
  Supplementary Aids Services,
  Program Modifications, and Supports
• Statewide Assessment Participation
• Postsecondary Goals and Transition Services

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Evaluations and AIM

• Requirements
• Assess students in all areas of suspected
  disability.
• Use a variety of assessment tools and strategies.
• Obtain information to assist in developing the
  content of the IEP.

• AIM Considerations
• Is printed text a barrier for the student?
• Does the student need AIM?
• Does the student need AT to access specialized
  formats (braille, audio, digital and/or large
  print)?

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Putting It Into Action

• Example of summary of evaluation data that
  mentions AIM
• Data reviewed by the Team (achievement testing
  reading inventories classroom observations
  feedback from teacher, parent, and student)
  indicate that Carl is able to understand
  grade-level content, but is unable to fully
  access this content through print-based
  materials. Data indicate that Carl needs the
  digital text format of printed materials for
  audio-supported reading.
• Note to Team Review AIM Navigator
  Determination of Need and Selection of Formats

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Present Levels and AIM

• Requirements
• Describe the students present levels of academic
  achievement and functional performance.
• Describe how the students disability affects
  his/her involvement and progress in the general
  curriculum.

• AIM Considerations
• Is the student able to access and derive meaning
  from print-based instructional materials?

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Putting It Into Action

• Example of a present levels statement that
  mentions AIM
• Carl is a 6th grade student who has a learning
  disability. He reads printed materials
  independently at the 4th grade level. He
  successfully reads digital text formats of grade
  level textbooks and printed materials used across
  the general curriculum.
• Note to Team Current use of AIM

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Special Factors and AIM

• Requirements
• In developing, reviewing or revising IEP, must
  consider the need for
• Behavior supports
• Language supports for LEP
• Braille instruction
• Communication (D/HH)
• AT devices and/or services

• AIM Considerations
• Does the student need AT or braille instruction
  in relation to AIM?
• Does the the student need AT to perceive and
  interact with specialized formats of printed
  materials (e.g., digital text, audio, digital
  braille)?

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Putting It Into Action

• Example of how special factors relate to AIM
• Carl requires assistive technology. He needs a
  tablet and/or other computer with text-to-speech
  and word predication capabilities to perceive and
  interact with the digital text specialized format
  of grade-level printed materials used across the
  general curriculum.
• Note to Team Review AIM Navigator Selection
  and Supports for Use

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Annual Goals and AIM

• Requirements
• State measurable
• annual goals, including academic and functional
  goals.
• Describe how the goals will meet the students
  disability-related needs in order to enable the
  student to be involved and progress in the
  general curriculum.

• AIM Considerations
• How can AIM help the student reach his/her IEP
  goals in order to be involved and progress in the
  general education curriculum?

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Putting It Into Action

• Example of IEP goal related to AIM aligned to
  the common core standards
• By May, 2015, when using the digital text format
  of social studies materials, Carl will identify
  examples of sequential, comparative and causal
  presentations of information in text with 80
  accuracy.

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Special Education Related Services,
Supplementary Aids Services, Program
Modifications, and Supports

• Requirements
• State the services, aids, modifications, and
  supports that will help the student
• advance toward annual goals
• be involved and progress in the general education
  curriculum
• be educated with students with and without
  disabilities.

• AIM Considerations
• How can AIM help the student be involved and
  progress in the general education curriculum?
• What supports will help the student use AIM?

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IEP Development and AIMSupports for Use of AIM

• Technology
• Training
• Instructional strategies
• Support services
• Accommodations and/or modifications

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Putting It Into Action

• Example of how services and supports relate to
  AIM
• Carl requires a tablet computer and/or other
  device that provides simultaneous visual and
  auditory output to support perception of and
  interaction with the digital text format of
  printed materials.
• Carl requires training in how to use the format
  and the technology for participation and
  achievement.
• Teachers and parents require training to support
  Carls use of the materials and technology.
• Carl will require earphones and preferential
  seating in a quiet area of the classroom when he
  is reading with text-to-speech.
• Note to Team Review AIM Navigator Supports for
  Use

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Statewide Assessment and AIM

• Requirements
• Include a statement of appropriate assessment
  accommodations.
• If the Team determines that the student needs to
  take an alternate assessment, state why the
  student cannot take the regular assessment and
  why the particular alternate assessment is
  appropriate.

• AIM Considerations
• What assessment accommodations are needed for a
  student who uses AIM?
• How do these accommodations relate to the AIM and
  AT that the student receives in the classroom?

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Putting It Into Action

• Example of how assessment relates to AIM
• When participating in assessments, Carl will
  receive the following accommodations
• Read aloud Simultaneous visual and auditory
  access to text through the independent use of
  text-to-speech on all allowable parts of the
  assessment
• Scribe Text input through independent use of
  word prediction software on all allowable parts
  of the assessment

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Transition Planning and AIM

• Requirements
• Include postsecondary goals and transition
  services in the IEP.
• Develop a Summary of Performance (SOP) of the
  students academic achievement and functional
  performance, providing recommendations to help
  the student meet postsecondary goals.

• AIM Considerations
• How can we help the student develop
  self-determination skills in order to advocate
  for his/her own needs in relation to AIM?
• How can we help the student plan for his/her need
  for AIM and related technology in the new
  environment?

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Putting It Into Action

• Example of how transition planning relates to
  AIM
• In Carls home state, transition planning begins
  at the age of 14 however, in his school
  district, building self- determination skills
  begins earlier. Future transition planning might
  include goals such as
• Carl will advocate on his own behalf determining
  when he needs to use a specific specialized
  format and what technology works best for him in
  different contexts.
• Carl will build the skills needed to advocate for
  himself in post-secondary environments by leading
  discussions during IEP development.

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• Questions and Comments

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