Importance of Collection of Progress on IEP Goals

Progress monitoring is a scientifically-based practice that is used to assess children's performance on their work towards the attainment of their IEP goals and evaluate the effectiveness of instruction. It involves collecting and analyzing data to determine student progress toward specific skills and making instructional decisions based on the review and analysis of the data (http://www.pattan.net/).

Monitoring children's progress through data collection and analysis is an effective way to determine if the classroom instruction or therapy session is meeting the needs of the child, and benefits all those involved in the education process. Data collection can be done through observation and use of monitoring forms and other formal and informal assessments. When data on the child's progress are collected,

• early childhood professionals can evaluate their instruction based on data not hunches and decide what needs to be focused on during work or therapy sessions,
• parents can be kept well informed about their child's progress, supported by specific information about how their child is responding to instruction and intervention,
• the IEP team will have the data-based information needed to determine current instructional levels and if the child still meets eligibility for special education and needs specially designed instruction.

Certain information must be recorded, kept up to date, and made available to parents and other members of the child's educational team.  Progress must be monitored on an ongoing basis. Collection of progress on IEP goals is important because it facilitates constant fine tuning and adjustment of programs and procedures. It is also important that it is done in the simplest manner possible, efficient and functional (Cook, 2008).

Analysis of the child's progress allows educators to step back and see whether the educational strategies they are employing allow the child to make adequate progress toward his/her IEP goals. If the child is not making adequate progress, the data can be used to provide guidance about how a particular teaching strategy might be changed. Teachers/specialists can incorporate the data collected into decision making about how a child should be taught. The important point about record keeping is that it must be done to carefully monitor the child's progress and the effectiveness of intervention procedures (Cook, 2008).

Resources:

Cook R.E., Klein, M.D. & Tessier, A. (2008). Adapting early childhood curricula for children with Special Needs (7th Ed.) Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall.

Progress Monitoring, http://www.pattan.net/teachlead/ProgressMonitoring.aspx Retrieved on February18, 2011.