Individualized educational plan: social studies, science, and | EDSP 410 – Instructional Adaptation for Special Education (D) | Liberty University

INDIVIDUALIZED EDUCATIONAL PLAN ASSIGNMENT INSTRUCTIONS

OVERVIEW

Every student identified to have a disability has an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) for 

classroom instruction, accommodations, and any needed curriculum modifications or services 

outside of the classroom. The IEP is a legal document that must be followed by every 

professional in an academic arena. The IEP is developed from a variety of assessments, including 

observations, classroom performance, informal and formal testing, information from 

parents/caregivers/teachers, and/or portfolios of the student’s work.  

The present level of performance (PLOP) is a summary of what the student needs to be 

successful in the classroom and/or in life in general.  Therefore, the PLOP is vital to developing 

annual goals for the student in the classroom. Once the annual goals are identified, short-term 

objectives towards those goals are developed.

The short-term objectives are task analyses. They demonstrate the specific steps to take to help 

the student reach the annual goal(s). Therefore, short-term objectives change and evolve over 

time as the student moves towards reaching the goal(s). Short-term objectives are not annual 

goals rewritten with a different level of learning.  

Once the annual goals have been developed with the short-term objectives identified of how the 

student will reach those goals, the IEP is then created. The IEP is the “roadmap” that all 

individuals in the student’s life follow to help the student reach the short-term objectives in order 

to fulfill the annual goals.  Every year, the annual goals will be examined for a student’s 

eligibility in SPED, where the multidisciplinary team will compile their results to determine need 

in ensuing academic years.  

The primary, overarching goal in the IEP process is student independence. The short-term 

objectives should show how stakeholders are going to get the student to reach the annual goal(s) 

as an independent learner.  Independence is always the goal.

INSTRUCTIONS

In this course, you will develop an IEP for Donta in two separate assignments. First, you will 

develop an IEP for Donta with a focus on math, reading, and writing. In a subsequent module, 

you will then develop the remainder of the Donta’s IEP for social studies, science, and social-

emotional goals. 

Learn about Donta by reading the provided Donta’s Present Level of Performance (PLOP). 

Using the information within Donta’s PLOP, complete the provided Individualized 

Educational Plan Template as it applies for each assignment. An Individualized Educational 

Plan Example has been provided as a model and reference for you as you complete this 

assignment. No part of the example is to be copied.

Use professional writing in your summaries. Avoid the use of slang, contractions, idioms, etc. 

Refer to the grading rubrics for these assignments for more information on the expectations of 

each part.

Instructions for Individualized Educational Plan: Math, Reading, and Writing

EDSP 410

Page 2 of 2

 Using the provided Individualized Educational Plan Template, fill out the 

demographic information. For any demographic information not provided in the 

PLOP, you may fictionalize that information.

 Summarize in your own words Donta’s present level of performance in the math, 

reading, and writing areas. You will complete the social studies, science, social-

emotional, and remaining areas in a later assignment.

 Develop one annual goal and three short-term objectives for the math, reading, 

and writing areas. Remember to write the goals and objectives to be observable 

and measurable (e.g., “The student will decode a short story with 90% word 

recognition accuracy by 2/16/2022”).

 Be sure the short-term objectives are designed to support the student in reaching 

the annual goal you have developed for each subject area.

Instructions for Individualized Educational Plan: Social Studies, Science, and 

Social-Emotional Goals

 After receiving instructor feedback on your Individualized Educational Plan: 

Math, Reading, and Writing Assignment, make any suggested revisions to your 

Individualized Educational Plan Template.

 Refer to Donta’s Present Level of Performance (PLOP) to complete the social 

studies, science, and social-emotional areas of the assignment template. Although 

there is no specific information on social studies or science, Donta’s reading and 

writing challenges will impact those content areas.

 Develop one annual goal and three short-term objectives for the social studies, 

science, and social-emotional areas. Be sure the short-term objectives are 

designed to support the student in reaching the annual goal you have developed 

for each area.

 Using your professional judgment and diagnosis, complete the Special Education 

and Related Services portion of the template. Determine if or what types of 

services, accommodations, and/or modifications are needed for Donta to reach the 

annual goals.

o Services are those special circumstances when the student is outside of the 

classroom with another professional. 

o Accommodations are ways to accommodate learning, such as larger font 

for reading, spell checker for spelling errors, a chart for multiplication.

o Modifications are those choices that change the curriculum, such as a 

sixth grader being able to use fourth grade math.

o Accommodations and modifications are never to be included in short-term 

objectives