What is an educational plan (EP)? How do I prepare for a meeting to develop one?
Educational Plans (EPs) are developed for students identified solely as gifted, as required under State Board Rule 6A-6.030191, F.A.C. Development of Educational Plans for Exceptional Students who are Gifted. Parents are partners with schools and school district personnel in developing, reviewing, and revising the educational plan (EP) for their child. Procedures for the development of the EPs for exceptional students who are gifted, including procedures for parental involvement, shall be set forth in each district's Policies and Procedures for the Provision of Specially Designed Instruction and Related Services to Exceptional Students (SP&P) document and shall be consistent with the following requirements:
1. The district is responsible for developing educational plans (EP) for students who are identified solely as gifted.
a) The EP includes:
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A statement of the student’s present levels of educational performance that may include, but is not limited to, the student’s strengths and interests, the student’s needs beyond the general curriculum, results of the student’s performance on state and district assessments, and evaluation results
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A statement of goals, including benchmarks or short-term objectives
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A statement of the specially designed instruction to be provided to the student
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A statement of how the student’s progress toward the goals will be measured and reported to the parents
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The projected dates for the beginning of services and the anticipated frequency, location, and duration of these services
b) The EP team considers the following during development, review, and revision of the EP:
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The strengths of the student and the needs resulting from the student’s giftedness
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The results of recent evaluations, including class work and state or district assessments
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In the case of a student with limited English proficiency, the language needs of the student as they relate to the EP
c) Timelines for development of the EP include the following:
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An EP is in effect at the beginning of each school year for each student identified as gifted who is continuing in a special program.
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An EP is developed within 30 calendar days following the determination of eligibility for specially designed instruction in the gifted program and is in effect prior to the provision of these services.
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Meetings are held to develop and revise the EP at least once every three years for students in grades K–8 and at least every four years for students in grades 9–12, or more often as determined by districts in their SP&P.
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EPs may be reviewed more frequently, as needed, such as when a student transitions from elementary to middle school or from middle to high school.
d) EP participants include:
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The parents, whose role includes providing strengths of the student, expressing concerns for enhancing the education of their child, participating in discussions about the child’s need for specially designed instruction, participating in deciding how the child will be involved and participate in the general curriculum, and participating in the determination of what services the district will provide to the child and in what setting
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At least one teacher of the gifted program
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One regular education teacher of the student who, to the extent appropriate, is involved in the development of the student’s EP. Involvement may include the provision of written documentation of a student’s strengths and needs for review and revision of the subsequent EPs.
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A representative of the school district who is qualified to provide or supervise the provision of specially designed instruction for students who are gifted and is knowledgeable about the general curriculum and the availability of resources of the school district. At the discretion of the district, one of the student’s teachers may be designated to serve as the representative of the district.
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An individual who can interpret the instructional implications of the evaluation results. This individual may be a teacher of the gifted, a regular education teacher, or a representative of the school district as described above.
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At the discretion of the parent or the school district, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the student, including related services personnel (Note: The determination of the knowledge or special expertise shall be made by the party who invited the individual to participate in the EP meeting.)
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Whenever appropriate, the student
2. Parent participation in EP meetings
Districts take the following steps to ensure that one or both of the parents of a student identified as gifted is present or provided the opportunity to participate at EP meetings:
a) Notifying parents of the meeting early enough to ensure that they will have an opportunity to attend
b) Scheduling the meeting at a mutually agreed on time and place
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A written notice to the parent indicates the purpose, time, location of the meeting, and who, by title or position, will be in attendance. It also includes a statement informing the parents that they have the right to invite an individual with special knowledge or expertise about their child. If neither parent can attend, the district uses other methods to ensure parent participation, including individual or conference telephone calls.
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A meeting may be conducted without a parent in attendance if the district is unable to obtain the attendance of the parents. In this case, the district maintains a record of its attempts to arrange a mutually agreed on time and place. These records include such items as:
i. Detailed records of telephone calls made or attempted and the results of those calls
ii. Copies of correspondence sent to the parents and any responses received
iii. Detailed records of visits made to the parent’s home or place of employment and the results of those visits -
The district takes whatever action is necessary to ensure that the parent understands the proceedings at the meeting, including arranging for an interpreter for parents who are deaf or whose native language is other than English. A copy of the EP shall be provided to the parent at no cost.
3. Implementation of the EP
a) An EP is in effect before specially designed instruction is provided to an eligible student and is implemented as soon as possible following the EP meeting.
b) The EP is accessible to each of the student’s teachers who are responsible for the implementation, and each teacher of the student is informed of specific responsibilities related to the implementation of the EP.
Parents can prepare for an EP meeting by reviewing their child’s academic performance, including grades, academic achievement test results, social, emotional, or other areas including demonstrated skills and areas of talent and interest.
Answer provided by Lisette T. Rodriguez, Ed. D, District Supervisor, Division of Advanced Academic Programs, Miami-Dade County Public Schools