IEP Goals and Benchmarks & Special Education
The Story Grammar Marker®, the beginning of MindWing's methodology, was created by a speech language pathologist at an outplacement school for children with dyslexia and language learning disabilities. As the SGM® was field-tested, it was discovered to assist all children achieve in various areas of language and literacy. However, this tool, and our methodology was originally designed to help children at different ability levels to achieve. Click Our Methodology to learn more.
The system of Special Education is loosely defined as a group of teaching procedures, planned for individuals and monitored through the systematic use of goals and objectives written into legal documents known as IEPs. Most of us in the field of education are familiar with the terminology, names of specialized equipment, types of educational settings in the least restrictive environment. Programs for students receiving special education are governed by goals and objectives written with their specific needs in mind as a result of input of standardized testing, teacher comments and parental concerns.
MindWing Concepts has devised a group of learner focused goals and benchmarks for students who have difficulty narrating. As delineated in the research base of methodology, narrative language is vital for telling and re-telling stories orally and in writing, listening and reading comprehension and for social-emotional growth through the development of feelings, planning behaviors and the use of mental state verbs to talk about "thinking". Since narrative development follows a research-based sequence, the delineation of a narrative language goal as well as a series of benchmarks toward achievement of that goal serves as both a guide for instruction and a tool for monitoring of progress between standardized testing.
IEP goals must be explicit, measurable, and parent friendly. We have provided a sampling of goals and benchmarks from our manuals and an example of one written for a student using MindWing's methodology and tools.
