Federal law requires schools to create individualized education plans (IEPs) for special-education students, but says nothing about everyone else. Schools in Maryland, Vermont and Virginia, among other states, have adopted these personalized plans for regular-education students. The idea has gained so much momentum that Washington state schools Superintendent Terry Bergeson recently suggested reating “accelerated learning plans” statewide for seventh-graders who don’t pass the Washington Assessment of Student Learning. The learning plans, which basically involve getting parents, teacher and student to draw up a list of goals and ways to reach them, have yielded numerous benefits. Parents say they feel like they’re “part of the solution.” Administrators say the plans are effective communication tools, building bridges between school and home. The plans are notorious for devouring special-education teachers’ time. For most teachers, the problem is not the concept of an “individualized education”. It’s that managing a batch of education plans can seem like a second job. “It’s more work for the teachers,” said Principal Benjamin Wright. “But that’s too bad. In the long run it’s best for the kids.”
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/134593043_edplan10m0.html
