Re: [school-discuss] Web-based IEP application

[Ken Russell <krussell@esd189.org>]

Gunnar,

Well, this is very much tied to U.S. Education Law. K-12 students can be 
identified as needing "special education" because of problems they may 
have, either physical impairments, or psychological impairments, such as a 
kid who has a great deal of difficulty reading or learning. This 
designation (they must be screened) then allows for extra resources to be 
directed their way, either with a smaller classroom, equipment, one-on-one 
tutoring, or other accommodations. This whole process must be meticulously 
documented and there are very strict policies and procedures. Traditionally 
it has all been done on paper and the process (or product) is called an 
"Independent Education Program." There are some big advantages to doing it 
online instead of with paper.  Because it is so bound in federal law and 
policy, it probably does not have any relevance to educators outside of the 
U.S.

There is a tremendous amount of information on this subject on the Web. Do 
a google search on: '"special education" IEP'

I hope that answers your questions.

Ken Russell

At 06:20 PM 4/11/2002 +0000, you wrote:
>Hi
>
>Can you elaborate a bit on what the various terms mean, i.e. a
>"special education student", "Independent Education Program" and "to
>store the data", i.e. who are the students, what is the program and
>what is the data (for those of us outside the US)?
>
>Thanks
>
>Gunnar