MODULE 8: "PERSONALISED PLANNING"

• All students can learn
• Every child has a right to a high quality education
• Effective teachers provide engaging and rigorous learning experiences for all students
• A safe and stimulating environment is integral to enabling students to explore and build on their talents and achieve relevant learning outcomes.
• For students with disability and additional learning needs, reasonable adjustments should be made where required.

• Effective consultation requires meaningful participation by all contributors and should recognise the input of all participants; the student, their family or carer, school personnel, other professionals and other relevant people.

• The Disability Standards for Education 2005 state that, before the school makes an adjustment for a student, the student or the family/carer of the student must be consulted about the type of adjustments required.

• Consultation should be tailored to the needs of the student and their family or carer. It should involve consideration of learning needs and strengths, aspirations, cultural, social and religious diversity.

• Decision-making processes can include the student and people who support the student on a regular basis. This can include parents, carers, other family members, other professionals and relevant school staff. Decisions should be clearly explained to and understood by all people involved in this process.

• Families are able to make decisions about the nature of their involvement in the consultation process.

• Meeting the learning and support needs for all students is the responsibility of the school principal, teachers and the school community working together.
• Collaborative planning is enhanced by focusing on goals, strategies, learning needs and strengths, and achievement.
• Planning should be clear, timely and transparent for everyone involved.
• Decision-making processes should be inclusive and understood by the student and their family or carer, school staff and other relevant people.

(adapted from Planning for Personalised Learning and Support: A National Resource, Australian Government, Department of Education and Training).

Download PDF: Planning for personalised learning and support, Department of Education and Training

The development of personalised learning programs is also supported by case studies and resources developed by government authorities. Case studies can be a helpful way of understanding what to expect from a school when it comes to supporting students individually.

Read more: Developmental Disability Western Australia – Personalised Learning Support Plans Used in Education – A guide for families

Visit: NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) – Case studies

Each goal that is formulated for your child at an Individual Education Plan (IEP) or personalised planning meeting, should be considered against the vision.  All goals should be assessed as to whether they are consistent with achieving the vision (see Module 2).  For example, if you imagine an inclusive life for your child, as part of his or her community, making valued contributions and having meaningful social relationships, then you should consider whether your child’s IEP goals and how they are proposed to be implemented, support achieving that vision.  Share your vision with the school.  Your vision should guide both you and the school (Taken from IEP Guide, All Means All).

Big picture goals in areas of focus that are important for your child long-term. These goals are not written on the basis of what grade they are in or what school they are at – rather where they are at, what they are good at, and where they need to go next.

One of the principal barriers that people with disability face is the culture of low expectations within broader society.  As a parent and teacher, you can influence both the expectations of your child/student and, equally as importantly, the expectations of their school team (adapted from All Means All).

Read more: IEP Guide – All Means All

Now let’s examine how they match with the VISION.  The strengths, interests, best ways to learn, skills they need. Setting an outcome is important and ideal, it can be matched to the curriculum or syllabus outcomes too. How will our child/student know to do the activity?  What specific conditions will be in place to instruct, prompt and support our student, and how will it be measured?

The goals will also need to include and relate to any services and therapy the student may currently be working with. Ideally these goals should be undertaken in the context of the classroom or other natural environments within the school, such as the playground. Pull-out, isolated therapies undertaken one-on-one in a separate room probably will not give our student an opportunity to generalise their skills learned into their entire school/academic day. Assistive technology and how it can be used also needs to be included in the plan. It is important to consider here our previous discussion about taking a social model approach (Module 1).  Remembering that we need to ensure these are opportunities that are included and relate to ensure the success of our student.

• A goal is something our student will be able to do (with or without support).
• It describes a change in our student’s competence as a result from instruction. Good goals are specific, stating how our student’s competency will be changed.
• State what our students will need to get there
• State the natural condition – when, where, and/or with whom our student will undertake the activity
• A process of trial and error must be agreed upon and built into planning and review. Build in agreed time goals, check–ins, reviewing and planning, and informal communication.
• They identify how they will be measured – Teacher’s anecdotal notes, observation, testing etc – this must be identified and agreed upon in planning.

Read more:  Strengths based goal examples  – Understood.org is a US based organisation.  Therefore, some of the information may not be relevant or transferrable in Australian classrooms.  However, the site does contain great information and resources for parents and teachers.

Goals should not be written on the basis of what grade the child is in, what school the child is in, or any other factor. Goals should be individualised to the child and should have a strong correlation to the needs stated.  Goals should be written in plain English, easily understandable to anyone who reads them.  They should not be isolated behaviours or skills.

Please see pages 12 – 14 in this document: Parents Individual Education Planning Report .

Short term objectives must be measurable.  How will they be measured?  By teacher anecdotal notes, teacher observation, parent observation, testing, etc.?  Short term objectives need to have timelines that are met.  Parents play an important role in meeting with school personnel to monitor the timelines and the progress.

Please see pages 15-18 in this document: Parents Individual Education Planning Report .

Primary school example:

The following case study, taken from Good Teaching: Inclusive teaching for students with disability, Tasmanian Department of Education (page 41) shows example content from an IEP with SMART goals embedding in the Australian Curriculum alongside teaching strategies and adjustments that suit the student and the context.

Download case study: Angus

Secondary school example:

The following case study, taken from NSW Education Standards Authority – Case studies outlines content from an IEP incorporated in a mainstream science lab, which details the directed strategies and support from both teachers and peers within the classroom environment.

Download case study: Leslie

• Classroom and assessment activities should be clearly related to the syllabus outcomes.
• Students should be provided with opportunities to demonstrate what they know and can do.
• A variety of assessment approaches may be used so that students have the opportunity to show what they know and can do in different ways.
• A single activity can often provide information about more than one syllabus outcome; for example, an assessment activity may show a student’s knowledge, problem-solving and evaluation skills.

(Taken from National Education Standards Authority- Understanding the Curriculum)

Read more at: NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) – Planning for effective learning and assessment

Teachers measure student’s progress towards success by gathering formative evidence through various means; worksheets, observation, interaction, and use this evidence to inform their teaching to best guide students towards achieving their learning outcomes or to expand them further. The importance of monitoring this progress also provides teachers with the opportunity to give students feedback throughout their learning (adapted from Graham, 2019). This feedback of students needs to have the language of assessment and reporting adjusted to recognise achievement and growth, and the next steps required to continue student growth. This process of assessment and reporting needs to be positive and represent what the child can do, and what the student is working towards.

Collecting evidence of student’s learning, against their learning goals, provides opportunities to further uncover student’s strengths and needs and informs next steps in planning and teaching. Busy classrooms offer so much information for assessment that focusing on the student’s learning goals creates a helpful focus. To further assist in collecting and interpreting evidence of learning, many teachers find using charts, adhesive notes, checklists and photographs very useful. This information and evidence can then be added to a student’s IEP at a later time.

Collaborative curriculum planning is the process to determine the most appropriate curriculum options and adjustments for students with disability.  This planning process should take place within the broader context of personalised planning that includes interventions and other supports to address identified student learning and support needs.  This process requires significant knowledge and understanding of the student, and therefore this team should comprise of parents, teachers and the student themselves. Students with disability then work towards syllabus outcomes which have been identified through the collaborative curriculum planning process and are given a range of opportunities to demonstrate the achievement of these outcomes.

(adapted from New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA), Collaborative Curriculum Planning)

Assessment is the broad name for the collection and evaluation of evidence of a student’s learning. It is integral to teaching and learning and has multiple purposes. Assessment can enhance student engagement and motivation, particularly when it incorporates interaction with teachers, other students and a range of resources.

Teachers should consider the effect that assessment and feedback have on student motivation and self-esteem, and the importance of the active involvement of students in their own learning.

Assessment:

• provides opportunities for teachers to gather evidence about student achievement in relation to syllabus outcomes
• enables students to demonstrate what they know and can do
• clarifies student understanding of concepts and promotes deeper understanding
• provides evidence that current understanding and skills are a suitable basis for future learning.

Each assessment task should:

• be based on syllabus outcomes
• be a valid instrument for what they are designed to assess
• include criteria to clarify for students what aspects of learning are being assessed
• enable students to demonstrate their learning in a range of task types
• be reliable, measure what the task intends to assess, and provide accurate information on each student’s achievement
• be free from bias and provide evidence that accurately represents a student’s knowledge, understanding and skills
• enable students and teachers to use feedback effectively and reflect on the learning process
• be inclusive of and accessible for all students
• be part of an ongoing process where progress is monitored over time.

(Taken from National Education Standards Authority – Understanding the Curriculum).

Read more: NESA – Assessment Principles – Please note that this is not a list of things to do – rather a way to provoke conversation with our student to build on their individual strengths.

Assessment options for students should be inclusive and enable them to produce evidence of learning that accommodates their needs. Differentiated assessment is a key strategy as it offers opportunities for students to demonstrate their skill, knowledge and understanding in ways that are accessible and meaningful. 

Consider assessment adjustments that may be useful. Here are some examples and options:

• A variety of opportunities for students to demonstrate their learning, accommodating different abilities and styles of learning (verbal, written, digital, dramatised or visual representations)
• Reducing the number of questions or providing alternative formats for questions (diagrams, flowcharts or timelines)
• Additional time to complete or take a break from the task/s
• Fewer/smaller assessment tasks
• Different tasks/aspects of a task assessed
• Tasks broken down into smaller components and possibly aggregated over time.

How the student is to be assessed can also be noted in the IEP. This  assists to inform classroom planning for adjusting delivery of learning to suit the student’s needs.

(Adapted from Good teaching: Inclusive Teaching for students with Disability, Tasmania Department of Education).

Here are examples of lesson modifications that maybe a good strategy to modify your student’s work:

• Breaking down the assignment – complex topics being covered in class can be broken down into understandable concepts. Have the student focus on a big idea related to the lesson.  Passages of reading can be simplified, maths problems can be reduced by level of difficulty, or visual representations can replace written work.
• Break down the answers – teachers can provide work banks of answers, Yes/No or True/False responses, or pre-written vocabulary to guide student practices with new material.
• Guided practice – teachers can guide student engagement and response by providing graphic organisers, outlines, and/or a series of steps to solving a problem.
• Take the lesson off the page – with this strategy, teachers can have the student draw a corresponding illustration, make a model, or give a presentation. For example, if the class is learning about space, the student can trace the pictures of the planets and solar system (and write about it, label it or talk about it).

(Adapted from The Inclusive Class)

Below are links to various sites to assist and support in the development of an effective personalised plan for your child/student.

A guide to IEPs – All Means All

Let’s get practical: How does inclusion look in the regular class – Family Advocacy

Understanding IEPs – Understood

Parents Individual Education Plan Report – Family Advocacy

How to prepare for a better IEP meeting – Kathie Snow

Personalised planning involves the teacher getting to know the student.  Consultation and discussion with the student’s parents/carers to assist in the identification of the student’s aspirations, goals, strengths and needs.  It further involves the planning and implementation of personalised learning and individualised support measures, and the effective evaluation of the impact of personalised support that is being provided to the student.

Share – Parent and teachers share their SMART goals – what are their strengths and recent achievements, next steps/goals from there, and what we are working on to support our student to get there.  Ensure student’s pre-work has also had input here.

Use the domains of communication skills, social skills, academic skills, independence skills, physical skills, emotional and behavioural regulation skills, health and wellbeing as a guide here.

Share – A review of the last personal plan – what was set, what was achieved, what worked well.  What was not achieved, review why this may have been the case.

Consider – Using the SMART goal templates, what 3 to 5 goals should be actioned now, what other goals can be considered at a later date.

Impact – How might this information now be noted and integrated into how our student is understood, taught and valued.