Fixing the Form: Improving Individualized Education Programs in North Carolina
Abstract
Executive Summary
Policy Problem: Special education services for children in North Carolina schools
are highly dependent upon the development of individualized education programs, or
IEPs. In fact, without an IEP in place, a North Carolina student will not receive
special education services. As the statewide agency tasked with providing special
education, the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) publishes a model form for school
districts (also known as local education agencies or LEAs) to use when they develop
IEPs.
This project considers how the form used to prepare IEPs, known as the DEC 4, can
be changed to improve the substantive special education services that will be provided
for North Carolina children. This project is premised on the notion that improved
parental understanding of the form will help parents, as advocates for their children,
ensure that children receive better services.
Policy Question: How can the DEC 4, the form used to develop individualized education
programs in North Carolina, be revised to better help parents understand the DEC 4?
Policy Recommendations: There are two sets of recommendations in this project. First,
I include recommendations for how to change the DEC 4, which are presented in order
of feasibility. A more complete analysis of these recommendations can be found on
pages 16 – 27 of this report.
(1) Add instructions to the DEC 4.
(2) Add numbers or letters before all items on the DEC 4.
(3) Add legal citations to the DEC 4.
(4) Add a text box and change the wording of the item on page 7.
(5) Change the wording of all items on the DEC 4 so they are worded as questions,
not statements.
Next, I propose four strategies for changing the DEC 4. For maximum impact, these
strategies should be implemented in the order in which they are presented in this
report. A more complete analysis of these recommendations can be found on pages 25
- 30.
(1) ACS must identify the best lead actor for this project, ideally a parent or group
of parents.
(2) The lead actor should reach out to three specific children’s rights organizations
and DPI to garner support for the project.
(3) Consider using one LEA as a pilot” for DEC 4 revisions.
(4) When this project concludes, work next on the DEC 5.
Summary of Methodology and Criteria for Analysis: To determine how the DEC 4 could
be improved, I conducted three types of research:
(1) legal research
(2) research on survey design
(3) qualitative interviews and surveys
The legal research consisted of an analysis of state and federal statutes and regulations
about special education. The survey design research focused on best practices in
structuring or writing questions so that they are easily understandable. The qualitative
interviews included phone or in-person interviews with five parents, two teachers,
and one director of special education, as well as attorneys who represent parents
and children in special education matters in North Carolina. Although this sample
was small and selected by professional contacts, the conversations were consistent
with findings from research on survey design and survey comprehensibility.
I also sent an electronic survey to a variety of organizations and individuals in
North Carolina that represent four critical groups: teachers, parents, school administrators,
and school psychologists. 238 people completed the survey. The survey did not track
respondents’ geographic region of North Carolina or income level; however, the respondents
represented a range of North Carolinians who interact with children.
To develop the recommendations for changes to the DEC 4, I considered four criteria:
(1) whether the recommendation would be supported or approved by multiple groups
of stakeholders
(2) how responsive the recommendation was to parental concerns
(3) the legality of the recommendation
(4) how much the recommendation would cost DPI, the organization that creates the
state model IEP form
Explanation of Results: To make the DEC 4 more understandable, ACS should encourage
DPI to modify the DEC 4 to make it more user-friendly. Parents, teachers, school
personnel, and parent advocates all comment that the DEC 4 is confusing and lacks
clarity, even for school administrators that use the form regularly. The five recommendations
concerning the DEC 4 will all help ensure that the form is more easily understandable
for parents, as the advocate for children in IEP meetings and the focal group for
ACS. However, these recommendations are also supported by other groups of stakeholders,
such as teachers and school personnel, which will help ACS make a stronger case than
if the changes were supported by parents alone. Presumably, making the form more
understandable will then improve the substance of services for North Carolina children.
Since ACS is not DPI and does not control the DEC 4, this report also includes strategies
to help ACS encourage DPI to change the form. These strategies are built on the assumption
that a collaborative effort among a diverse group of organizations will encourage
DPI to make these changes faster than if ACS acts alone.
Type
Master's projectDepartment
The Sanford School of Public PolicyPermalink
https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6607Citation
Ireland, Elizabeth (2013). Fixing the Form: Improving Individualized Education Programs in North Carolina. Master's project, Duke University. Retrieved from https://hdl.handle.net/10161/6607.More Info
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