These are the handouts for a breakout session that I did at a special education conference that was part of the annual conference of the Oregon Confederation of School Administrators in Seaside, Oregon on June 19, 2013.

1. Where the Rubber Hits the Road
Integrating Strength-Based Strategies into
a Student’s IEP in the Brave New World
of the Common Core
Thomas Armstrong, Ph.D.
www.institute4learning.com
2013 Annual COSA Conference
Special Education Pre-Conference
Seaside, Oregon
June 19, 2013

2. Common Core State Standards
• Strength-Based Learning Strategies
• Student Interests
• Alternative Means of Expression
• Alternative Texts
• Assistive Technologies/UDL
• Enhanced Human Resources
• Positive Environmental Modifications
• Positive Role Models

3. Strength-Based IEPs
• Be comprehensive when initially stating
child’s strengths
• Build the language of strengths into the
instructional objectives themselves
• Strength-Based Strategies
• Assistive Technologies/UDL
• Enhanced Human Resources
• Positive Environmental Modifications

4. Deficit-Based Objective:
By March. 20xx, when discussing a story,
Jason will answer 4 out of 10 "why" and
"how" questions in a mixed question probe
Strength-Based Objective:
By March. 20xx, when discussing a story,
Jason will answer 4 out of 10 ‘’why’’ and
‘’how’’ questions in reference to a preferred
activity such as a three-dimensional structure
he has just built.
Example 1

5. Example 2
Deficit-Based Objective:
In 12 months, Timmy will follow 2-step
directions, 1 time per observation period,
across 5 consecutive group times.
Strength-Based Objective:
In 12 months, Timmy will follow 2-step
directions that are necessary for engaging in a
favorite activity such as playing an interactive
video game, 1 time per observation period,
across 5 consecutive group times.

6. Example 3
Deficit-Based Objective:
By November 1, 20XX, when given a verbal
direction by an adult, Robin will begin to
comply with the direction within 10 seconds.
Strength-Based Objective:
By November 1, 20XX, when given a verbal
direction (by an adult with whom he has a
positive relationship) which concerns a self-
chosen activity such as a favorite board game
he is playing, Robin will begin to comply with
the direction within 10 seconds.

7. Example 4
Deficit-Based Objective:
In 12 months, while at school, Bobbie will use the
toilet independently when necessary for a period of
at least 3 weeks without an accident.
Strength-Based Objective:
In 12 months, while at school, Bobbie will use the
toilet independently when necessary for a period of
at least 3 weeks without an accident. He is allowed
to take along a favorite stuffed animal if he wants
and use a modified ‘’rocket ship’’ toilet seat with
hand grips if he wishes.

8. AI-IEP Protocol: Questions for
Discussion at IEP meetings p. 1
First, Success
1) To the student: Tell us about some of your successes this year. (If
appropriate, add: What have you done well and what has worked well for
you? What's been happening to make you successful?)
2) To the parent: What successes have you seen your child enjoy this
year? (If appropriate add: tell us about what's been happening to help make
your child successful?)
3) To the teachers and specialists: What successes have you seen for [the
student]? (If appropriate, add: Tell us about what's been happening to help
make him/her successful?)
4) To the group: What suggestions or changes can you think of to make
[the student]'s program work even better?

9. AI-IEP Protocol: Questions for
Discussion at IEP meetings p. 2
Second, Goals
5) To the student:
* What do you think you’d most love to do when you grow up? (Or: What
is your goal in life [or after school]?)
And
* What do you think you’ll need to do to get to do what you love most [or
to get to your goal]?
And
* What have you done so far to get to do what you love most [or to move
toward your goal]?
6) To the group: What kinds of support and help can you provide to
make [the student]'s program work toward the goals he/she's set for
him/herself?
Source: Peter Kozik, doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University, June
2008. Used with permission of author.

10. Jason has demonstrated particular strengths in the
visual-spatial area. He creates three-dimensional
structures using wooden blocks and related
construction materials that are sophisticated for his
age, showing excellent organization. For example, he
recently built what he called a ‘space age rocket ship to
Mars.’’ He also enjoys coloring, painting, collage, and
drawing. When given a choice during the day, he will
generally be found either drawing or building with
blocks. He is also very interested in machines. We
have observed Jason in our ‘’engineering center’’
taking apart simple machines with a screw driver and
putting them back together again.
Sample Scenario p. 1

11. Sample Scenario, p. 2
He seems to have a very detailed imagination. He often
volunteers what he is imagining, such as the time when
he told us about an imaginary village made of
marshmallows that caught on fire, and instead of
panicking, the townspeople celebrated by having a
marshmallow roast. He shows good storytelling skills
when he is using his imaginative abilities. His mother
reports that when Jason is working with materials that
he enjoys (e.g. block building, drawing etc.), he can
become quite absorbed in the activity even for hours at
a time. He also has a bit of the teacher in him and has
been observed in preschool instructing peers in how to
build a castle as tall as possible.

12. References
• ‘’Application [of Common Core Standards] to Students with Disabilities,’’
http://www.corestandards.org/assets/application-to-students-with-disabilities.pdf
• Armstrong, Thomas. Neurodiversity in the Classroom: Strength-Based Strategies to Help Students
with Special Needs Succeed in School and Life. Alexandria, VA: ASCD, 2012.
• Armstrong, Thomas. ‘’Leonardo da Vinci’s IEP Meeting,’’
http://institute4learning.com/blog/2013/02/19/leonardo-da-vincis-iep-meeting/
• Cooperrider, David, and Diane Whitney. Appreciative Inquiry: A Positive Revolution in Change.
San Francisco, CA: Berrett-Koehler Publishers, 2005.
• Fisher, Sherri, ‘’Appreciative Inquiry and Strengths in the Special Education Process,’’ Positive
Psychology News Daily, http://positivepsychologynews.com/news/sherri-fisher/20080405702.
• Kozik, Peter L. "Examining the Effects of Appreciative Inquiry on IEP Meetings and Transition
Planning,"doctoral dissertation, Syracuse University, June 2008.
• Thurlow, Martha. ‘’Common Core State Standards: The Promise and the Peril for Students with
Disabilities,’’The Special EDge,’ Summer, 2012, vol. 25, no. 3.
http://www.calstat.org/publications/pdfs/Edge_summer_2012_newsletter.pdf
• McNulty, Raymond J. and Lawrence C. Gloeckler, ‘’Fewer, Clearer, Higher Common Core State
Standards Implications for Students Receiving Special Education Services,’’ International Center for
Leadership in Education, February, 2011.
http://www.leadered.com/pdf/Special%20Ed%20&%20CCSS%20white%20paper.pdf

13. Contact Information
• Email: thomas@institute4learning.com
• Website: www.institute4learning.com
• Blog: http://institute4learning.com/blog/
• Twitter: @Dr_Armstrong