Melissa: My son is in 8th grade and participates in band mainstreamed with his other classmates..I’ve had to address two different times in just the last month with the teacher regarding my son’s disability and his iep. Is there a way to incorporate band class goals into my son’s written iep ? It’s a required school class.
Only after these areas have been considered should goals be developed. Because there is only a finite amount of time to work on goals, they should be written only for areas where a student needs modifications (including related service areas). And then still, they should be written only for areas of priority.
If your son does need modifications to the band curriculum, think about the skills your son will work on in band class (this can be found in either your state’s or district’s master curriculum). Then think about the your son’s vision. Are those skills something that will further his vision? If yes, then goals should definitely be written for this area.
This is a very rudimentary description of the IEP development process and, of course, you can’t get very far without the support of the rest of the Team. But once you get the Team on the same page with the PLOP, I think the rest will be golden!
Melissa – Your son’s IEP can absolutely address his needs in band. Annual goals are just one this could happen.
The first thing you should consider is how your son’s disability impacts his access to and performance in the band curriculum. This should be included in his IEP, in the Present Levels of Performance (PLOP). It is the basis for the remainder of the IEP, and it may be based on evaluation results, classwork, teacher observations, etc.
The IEP should also include any accommodations your son needs in the class. These are adaptions that don’t fundamentally alter expectations. Needed accommodations are determined by the content of the PLOP.
The IEP may also include modifications your son needs in band, if any. These are adaptions that do fundamentally alter expectations. They can be adaptions to the content of what the student learns, how he/she demonstrates what is learned, or the method he/she is taught. This is also determined by the content of the PLOP.
Turn to Chapter 5 in your Wrightslaw: All About IEPs book about Extracurricular and Nonacademic Services in the IEP. It explains that Congress amended IDEA to ensure kids could participate in extracurricular and other activities (including band). https://www.wrightslaw.com/store/aaieps.html
You’ll find info about DOE Guidance here: https://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/?p=9271
More info: https://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/?p=4125 and https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/iep.develop.popup.resp9.htm
You may even want to consider inviting the band director to the IEP meeting.