The document discusses best practices for developing student learning plans (SLPs), formerly called individualized education plans (IEPs). It emphasizes that SLPs should be developed through a team approach focusing on student strengths and enabling growth. Goals should be realistic, achievable, and support student success. Classroom assessments and formal evaluations provide information to develop appropriate goals and ensure plans meet student needs. The learning plan process involves developing the plan as a team to benefit the student.

1. Student Learning Plans
A Best Practice Process
Madeline Price
FNESC Special Education
The Intent of the Student Learning Plan
IEP
The Student Learning Plan (formerly called an Individual Education Plan) that
accompanies this document is meant to be a positive process that supports a team approach.
This plan should be an enabling process outlining student strengths and student needs. The
Student Learning Plan is not about what the student “can not do” but rather what the
student “can do ” and what the student support team put in place to support student growth.
The intent of a Best Practice Student Plan is to bring together a team of people who
understand the student’s needs and together develop a plan and provide an appropriate and
effective education for the student. This plan is used as a working document, rather than a
bureaucratic process that eliminates key players. This type of Learning Plan does not
include separate reports presented to key players, or forms filled out in isolation. Parents,
or family members are vital participants, as well as, the classroom teacher, teacher assistant,
specialist teachers, outside service providers, the principal if possible, and the student in
most cases.
Designing Realistic and Achievable Goals
Student goals are based on reliable information of the student’s past performance, their
baseline abilities, and an understanding of their strengths. When realistic and achievable
goals are put in place the student is set up for success. The Russian psychologist Vygotsky
called this “ the zone of proximal development ”. Goals that are put in place for the student
are not too difficult or too easy but are “just in the right place” for the student to learn and
grow in his/her development with good teaching and scaffolding practices in place.
When goals are well beyond what the student is capable of doing the student becomes
unable to realistically achieve the goal often resulting in frustration, failure, loss of

2. confidence and self esteem, and frequently escalation of inappropriate behaviour. It is
critical to find the baseline abilities and to determine if the student has the prerequisite skills
necessary to achieve the goals being selected by the support team.
The Importance of Classroom Based Assessment
Today research-based programs have a clear structure and an evaluative component for
teachers, and are showing a marked success particularly with our students that are
struggling learners. Recent research suggests that students who are not succeeding by
Grade 3 have a higher potential of school drop out. To fix a student after Grade 4 requires
4 times the effort. The “patchwork quilt ” program with no clear pattern or plan does not
work for many low achieving students. Some of the research based reading programs that
are proving successful today are:
•Read Well (K-Grade 2)
•Reading Mastery( K-8)
•Literacy Place( K-6)
•Open Court (Pre K- Grade 6)
•2005 Harcourt ( Pre K- Grade 6)
•2005 Mifflin (Pre K-Grade 8)
There are other teacher assessment tools on the market today that are helping teachers
inform their instruction.
• PM Benchmarks is put out by Nelson. It is a comprehensive Reading Assessment
Resource from K-Grade 6.
• The Developmental Reading Assessment Kit K-3 and Grades 4- 8. is a tool put out by the
Pearson Learning Group. (Celebration Press) The DRA is advertised as the “Assessment
that Drives Instruction ”. This kit contains benchmark books, teacher support, and
blackline masters. It also boasts an online monitoring system.
•Dawn Reithaug’s book Orchestrating Success in Reading provides very practical teacher
based assessments and a complete overview of the process of reading and writing.
•Dynamic Indicators of Early Literacy Skills (Dibels) is an excellent teacher tool from
Kindergarten to Grade 6. This assessment tool is meant to be used three times a year to
monitor and document student need and student growth. There are also materials that
support intervention strategies. Dibels can be downloaded free from
dibels.uoregon.edu
These tools monitor and evaluate student progress in reading accuracy and comprehension.
They inform teachers so they can make sound instructional decisions for all students.
They provide information that help teachers ensure their students are working at their
“instructional level”.

3. The Importance of Formal Assessments
Formal assessments are important for many students and especially for students with
learning disabilities. In some cases formal assessments can determine the type of
adaptations the students are entitled to during class, and in their exams both for school
exams and for adjudication in Provincial Exams.
Formal assessments help demystify the student profile, and look at strengths and areas that
will require support. These assessments help the team implement realistic and achievable
goals in the Student Learning Plan, as well as identify the type of adaptations /modifications
the students may require to be successful. Some examples of these assessments are,
Psycho-Educational Assessment, Speech and Language Assessment, Occupational Therapy
Assessment, Physical Therapy Assessment, and Behaviour Rating Scales. The importance
of having these outside service providers inform the Learning Plan is critical. If this is not
possible, a team member that can debrief previous assessment and help the team understand
the student profile is helpful.
Classroom Assessment and Formal Assessment together can provide a deeper
understanding of the student profile and drive a student instructional plan with realistic and
achievable goals towards a successful school experience. These assessments must involve
the entire student support team to ensure that everyone understands the student profile and
the team is working together in the best interest of the student.
.
The Learning Plan Process
The Learning Plan process is essential for student success. The process involves a
support team that has a powerful belief in student success. Parents, teachers, teacher
assistants, the principal if possible, the student in most cases, and outside service
providers will together develop the learning plan. The plan is not developed by the
teachers and presented to the rest of the team, but rather developed together with the
team. The process has a clear structure, but starts with a “blank slate”. In other words 3-
4 pieces of blank chart paper is up on the wall. These chart papers have titles and
headings for the team to begin a discussion. The facilitator takes the team through the
components of the plan and writes down on the chart paper the ideas and comments made
by the team. All ideas and comments are valued. The team comes to a consensus of the
short term goals that are written down, and each member can contribute to a strategy or
responsibility to support the goals. The review date is set before the meeting is over.
The review date should be set to match school reporting times or approximately 12

4. weeks. At this time the team reviews what the student has accomplished, and what has
worked well, or needs to be adjusted. The baseline chart is filled out, and new goals are
designed. The original plan takes approximately an hour or slightly longer depending
on the student’s needs, and the reviews take approximately 15 minutes.
The Learning Plan Document
Cover Page
The front page of the planning document is designed to have the school logo in the top left
hand corner, along with key school and student information.
Student Profile
When all team members are present, the valuable information shared support a rich student
profile.
•Assessment: Documentation of both formal and informal assessment in this box is
important. Dates of the assessment, the name of the assessment and a brief review of the
strengths/needs is helpful, as well as pertinent recommendations. A review of the file is
needed to do this initially. An outline of current skills is helpful, as well as being clear
about which areas of the curriculum are “adapted ” “modified”. There is also a place to
document which areas the student is participating in the “regular ” program. (See demo
IEP)
•Student strengths: strengths in all areas of the students life are important here, not just
academic strengths.
•Descriptors: one word or short phrases that describe the student.
•Learns Best When: for example-in a quiet environment, in a small group setting etc.
•Medical History: (what the team needs to know to support the student in school)
•School History: (grades skipped, retained, or home schooled etc.)
Areas of Need
The team looks at the areas of need for the student. This is a brief look at areas of need to
help with the four-column format on the goal-setting sheet. Only a few key words are
needed in these boxes.
Examples :
Academic: Reading Readiness Skills- Letter sounds/letter names
Behaviour:-anger triggers, impulsive
Social Emotional: self esteem, peer relationships

5. Physical: vision or hearing, fine motor, gross motor, sensory impairments etc.
Language/Communication: speaking in full sentences
Life Skills: – using zipper to zip jacket, using the phone
Cultural:-dance/art/story telling
Identifying Dreams /Career Goals
(Keep the End in Mind)
This section is used for helping students think about their dreams, and their long-term
goals. The student is the key participant in this process.
Examples: Graduate from Grade 12. Focus on woodwork projects. Be an artist/carver.
Goals For The Year
A Brainstorm Activity
What do we want _____ to accomplish this year?
The whole team brainstorms what goals are a priority for the year. In this section the
facilitator writes down all ideas. All ideas are valued. This section allows team participants
to have the opportunity to look at “the big idea” without having to break down the larger
goals into realistic and achievable parts. Example: To learn to be a more independent
worker, or to be able to focus on task for longer periods of time, or to master reading
readiness skills.
The Four Column Goal Format
At this point the team looks at the previous brainstorm activity and begins to prioritize what
is most important. Which areas does the team want to begin to design realistic and
achievable goals? It is important to try to come to a consensus. The facilitator helps the
team come to a decision about which areas need to be addressed. It is important to
remember that the Learning Plan does not encompass the entire student program, but
priority goals that are broken down into achievable parts.
The focus is on the “team decision”. In this way the teacher is not the only person
deciding on the student goals. The team begins to take ownership of the plan.

6. Area of Need
In the first column the team decides on a goal and then chooses in which area of need does
the goal belong? ( academic, behaviour, social emotional, physical,
language/communication, or life skills).
Student Goal
A clear, realistic and achievable goal is identified and written down.
Example- John will:……….
Team Responsibility/Strategies
In this column responsibilities of each team member are outlined, as well as the strategies to
support the student.
(It is helpful to hand out the 4 column format to team members with their responsibilities
highlighted when the plan is completed and printed out.)
Measurement of Progress
Documentation of how the goal will be measured is written down.
Example: Graph of progress, examples of student work, unit test.
Student Support Team
On the next page is a place to document the student support team. The role of the
participant, the name of the participant, and contact information.
Signatures
Although signatures are not officially required some schools like to have signatures on the
Student Learning Plans. When the parents and students are part of the process of
designing the plan the signatures become less important.
Review Date
The review date is important to determine before leaving the meeting. Eight-twelve weeks is
a reasonable review date for most students. It is important not to leave it too long to review
the goals. Students need an opportunity to be successful and to celebrate their success. (3x
per year is adequate in most cases)
The Learning Plan Review
The review is the time to celebrate the accomplishments of the student and document those
accomplishments in the “Accomplishment Box”. When the goal is accomplished- the
team determines a new goal. Reviews should occur “at least” every 12 weeks, and
celebrations of accomplishments are very important. IEP’s or Learning Plans that are left in
the file cabinet and not reviewed until the end of the year lose the opportunity to celebrate

7. accomplishments and move on to the next stage of goal development, and do not provide the
support team with an ability to ” monitor and adjust “ if the plan is not supporting
student succss.
Transition
If the student is leaving the school or moving into the next grade in the near future, plans to
involve new team members and dates are documented in this box.
Baseline Measures
This form has been added to encourage teachers to document baseline abilities and show
progress at each review time through documentation. This form can inform the success of
the student plan “at a glance”.
Adaptations and Accommodations
A checklist is provided for the team to outline all adaptations /accommodations that are
provided for the student. This is another place to document if the program is
“adapted” or ”modified. Adapted programs meet grade level outcomes. Modified
programs do not meet grade level outcomes. This list can be changed to incorporate
various accommodations for teachers use.

8. How to Facilitate the Learning Plan
•Determine a facilitator
•Inform team members of date and time at least one week in advance
•Prepare the wall charts before the meeting. The wall charts outline each category on the
Learning Plan. The blank chart with the category headings is taped or attached to a wall or a
board, where the facilitator can print with a felt pen directly onto the chart. This creates a
visual support for the team participants. The facilitator prints the team member’s
contributions. A blank chart supports the idea that the plan is being developed with the
team, and is not a document that has been previously written and then shared.
•Set up the room in a semi-circle facing the charts
•Introduce the team members
•Explain the process (go over the chart headings briefly)
•Encourage openness in information sharing, comments and questions
•Summarize the team decisions
•Establish the review date
•Thank everyone in the end for participating
•This process takes approximately one hour
*The plan should be written/typed up as soon as possible and shared as a draft document
with team members first to see if any further changes are needed.
Research
Research is saying that the speed of our society is such that we are very much in need of
formal times to question, discuss, and reflect on key learning issues. The collaborative
planning process allows us the time to bring together key players and to reflect and discuss
key learning issues. Research is also saying that “Parental Involvement ” increases student
achievement, motivation, success and graduation rates.

9. If you would like more information on this planning process, the Student Learning Plan
format and how to facilitate a collaborative Learning Plan please contact
madelinep@fnesc.ca
1-877-422-3672
Or call our toll free Resource Line
1-877-547-1919
Holly Smith
hollys@fnesc.ca