), Shows loyalty (I dont even know what this means, for students, loyal? IEP Goals: Strengths and Weaknesses Questionnaire Created by SPED Helpline This questionnaire must be completed by the teacher of the student. Jenny is helpful in class and eager to learn new concepts. We know our kids are great kids, with a lot of assets and qualities to offer the planet. Starting with character strengths begins to paint a picture of how the student positively impacts the learning environment. Not only can understanding your strengths and weaknesses help you improve your performance and build on existing success, but this knowledge can also demonstrate the critical insight that teachers, professors, and future employers will be looking for. Strengths-based IEPs are rooted in the belief that all students have strengths and that students motivation increases when the adults around them point out those strengths. Here are more childs strengths for an IEP, not categorized. Maybe you want to jot these down for the IEP meeting. Whos at the IEP Table? Accessibility | Nondiscrimination | Privacy | Terms & Conditions | Credits, Develop students intellectual humility through concept mapping, PreK/Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School, College. 5 Examples of Academic Weaknesses 1. Bringing in the family or community broadens the lens to what outside supports the student has. As a student, knowing yourself, including the things you are best at, and the skills that could do with a little more work can be invaluable. This contribution to the list of student strengths for IEP is far less based on goals or reasons for specialized services, but it is integral to who the student is at the end of the day. A student strength list is a tool to be used by an IEP team during the development of student success goals for an iep. This deficit-based approach to setting goals, determining benchmarks, and deciding on programs and services downplays the unique contributions and capabilities of students, focuses on limitations and labels, may promote a negative understanding of the student and their potential, and ultimately discourages parental input and student participation in the IEP process. This is the time to gloat about your student. By focusing on what the student can do, and then using those strengths to set goals to help address a particular need, teachers provide students with greater opportunities for academic success; they build resilience and a growth mindset; and finally, self-esteem, self-determination, and self-efficacy are fostered. Includes strengths, weaknesses, interests & preferences. However, some of the general strengths for learners include being knowledgeable about different topics and facts, understanding different subjects such as math or biology easily, having a great visual memory, and learning new materials quickly. Student involvement in IEP meetings can deepen the discussion about strengths. A student's strengths can fit into different categories or domains. PDF Present Levels of Academic Achievement & Functional Performance (PLAAFPs) 3.1 Reflection: Student Strengths and Weakness and their IEP __ Deals with anger, insults, and disagreements peacefully. Maybe they are a great helper in the classroom, a friend to all, or have a stand-out-talent in music class. Jeremiah is reading at grade level and has good comprehension. Weakness: Separating yourself from the rest of your team, being too judgmental, micromanagement, no integrity, etc. Being creative means being able to come at a problem from different and unusual perspectives. Being organized is all about properly managing your resources including time, supplies, and even effort. When working towards an IEP goal, he is curious about new material and is open to new ideas. But here are some common elements and approaches. PDF. Helping students identify and leverage their strengths, interests and preferences can lead to more self-awareness and self-advocacy. In his classroom behavior, he demonstrates responsibility by coming prepared to class with materials ready to learn. Chapter 3: Assessing Student Strengths and Needs Its a way to shift the language we use to describe the needs of our students, and ultimately it leads to higher investment in their educational, social, and emotional growth. The areas of need that the student should be working on should be listed in the IEP present levels. Create Strengths-based IEPs Special Ed | Frontline Education Student strength lists can help! I prettied it up a little if you want to share it:) is resilient), Has good character (e.g. What makes student strengths effective is their ability to be targeted for goal setting. Make sure your child and adolescent strengths are included as part of your parent concerns. __________ is a hard worker in class. Although that student strength might not directly relate to academic success, it may contribute to the student's participation in class. But by shifting the focus and putting a big emphasis on strengths, this new kind of IEP helps adultsand kidssee that theres more to these students than their weaknesses. A process for helping students generate purposeful projects or endeavors, Students practice kindness to increase their happiness, Students look for the good in others by acknowledging each others strengths. When you have a structure to help you, developing a student strength statement and weaknesses statement is not difficult. Find out if your childs school already has access to a strengths finder. Do they always make you laugh? 481 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<67C5935B9099344ABEDAEEEBF4E20F8C>]/Index[447 65]/Info 446 0 R/Length 154/Prev 193707/Root 448 0 R/Size 512/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream IDEA is pretty clear about a students strengths being considered as part of IEP development. For students with exceptionalities, their educational program, supports, and related services are largely determined by an individualized education program (IEP) or individual services plan (ISP) that pulls information from their present levels of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP). Brian Stack, MEd is the principal of Sanborn Regional High School in Kingston, New Hampshire. Sustained attention: A child who can sustain their attention is able to focus on a task for a long period of time. Excerpted, How does your IEP team ensure that culturally and linguistically diverse families are welcomed, involved, and able to make the most informed decisions? 5. Do you know your strengths and weaknesses? By doing so, students can become more confident and successful on the playground. Motivation/Work Ethic. Academic Strengths & Weaknesses: Q&A and 25 Examples - HIGH5 TEST IEP goals are built around what the student can do and how the team can use that ability to work on an area of weakness. Well email you our most helpful stories and resources. It is our duty as special education instructors to discover and publicize those assets in order to develop them further. really? Understood does not provide medical or other professional advice. IEP goals are built around what the student can do and how the team can use those abilities. Student Strengths and Weaknesses: List and 13 Examples for Students | My Strengths and Weaknesses Do you know your strengths and weaknesses? PreK/Lower Elementary, Upper Elementary, Middle School, High School. A strengths-based IEP uses student abilities to help work on weaknesses. Apathy is a student weakness because if you cant see the value of study and learning you will struggle to apply the effort necessary to succeed. Positive examples. There is also a space to list the students strengths and weaknesses and related services as well Subjects: Special Education Grades: Not Grade Specific Types: Classroom Forms $1.25 4.9 (3) Word Document File Add to cart Wish List Student Led IEP: Parent Participation Created by Principal's Decree List the conditions in which the student may excel (e.g., time of day, content area, seating placement), and build upon these conditions throughout the school day to provide scaffolding for areas of weakness. Something that in turn can limit your enjoyment of school and your opportunities in later life. Subjective language. Student strengths in the classroom are important to understanding the student as a whole! This kind of IEP gives much more weight to a students strengths, interests and preferences. Statement of functional abilities and needs The PLAAFP should include the student's strengths, but since it is important to establish the areas of focus for the IEP, it must document areas of weakness/in need of improvement. The dictionary definition of weakness is: a quality or feature regarded as adisadvantageor fault; plural noun:weaknesses. Student Strengths and Weaknesses: List and 13 Examples for Students Give this a try instead: flip those immobilizing weakness statements into specific strengths and needs statements that point the way toward solutions. A team can also add strengths to an IEP by area or discipline. A: Common student strengths examples include strong analytical and problem-solving skills, creativity, strong communication skills, good time management, self-motivation and discipline. %PDF-1.6 % The student's team might include student weaknesses as a part of the student's iep, but they should not be included in the student strength list. Name the goals and strategies you will use to improve the person's communication. This is when the team discusses a students strengths, interests and preferences. Easily Distracted 14. Required fields are marked *. An IEP team can use student strengths to develop student success goals within the students iep. This student will receive 60 minute tutoring sessions three days a week before school. Examples include being well-liked, cooperative, a problem solver, making friends easily, socializing at appropriate times during the day, having a friend pool to draw from for support, and communicating with others well. Edutopia and Lucas Education Research are trademarks or registered trademarks of the George Lucas Educational Foundation in the U.S. and other countries. Students can also help the team think about how to use these strengths to develop strategies for success. It is important to identify these weaknesses and work with the student to develop strategies to address them. Student strengths are more effective when they have specific behaviors that can be seen, heard, or otherwise observed by others. If there are student strengths examples that you would like to include for your student, make sure you add them on your own. There are many different kinds of student success goals, but all student success goals must meet these basic criteria: student strengths, observable and measurable student behaviors/actions, and student success criteria. With that in mind, why not check out our guide to the most common strengths and weaknesses of students below to see if any resonate with you. Here we are covering more on student strengths for IEP writing, which is an area of the students Individualized Education Plan that should never be overlooked. Check out Mary Falveys book,a great resource to share with parents, especially. List of Student Strengths For IEP Writing - The OT Toolbox Student-led IEPs also underscore the importance of self-awareness. But more and more schools are shifting the focus from deficits to a strengths-based approach. Having a supportive family and community will absolutely affect student growth. There are many different types of student strengths, and each student may have their own unique combination of strengths. I think that because so many IEP teams are worried about and focused on meeting the childs needs, they forget to focus on the strengths portion of an IEP. Not some resource list you found on the internet. I will be using these infographics in my IEP meetings/disability disclosure lessons! When teachers can differentiate content (the delivery method or access to what is learned), process (the activities used to learn it), and product (how learning is shown or how it is assessed), students can generalize and transfer learning more effectively. Is honest and trustworthy (already addressed this above), Is caring, kind, and empathetic (its very rare to find a child who truly does not care or empathize with others; they often lack the traditional ways to show it), Helps others (do they have the skill sets to help others, to explain things, and be of assistance? Students will identify their personal biases and consider how those biases influence their ability to treat others fairly. I hope that this student strengths for iep examples guide has been helpful. I listed examples below. Research on character strengths in both adults and youth tends to use the Values in Action (VIA) Classification, a framework that identifies 24 character strengths, which are often organized under six core virtues. Copyright 2022 Teachtasticiep. Strengths tests and self-assessments can help deepen the discussion about strengths. Is not a superficial look at strengths.Strengths & abilities are thoughtfully integrated into IEP goals & objectives. "YA$\)X$l3l`5`q` JDzH@Q9vIL^`Lf{ L`C!A = Sure, lots of kids struggle in this area, but many excel. Get the latest tools and resources Your Child's Strengths | 127 Student Strength Examples to Swipe for Some of the most common student weaknesses include: Being impatient means you find it hard to wait your turn or let others have their say. Do you want to dive deeper into the science behind our GGIE practices? (You can also try a fun hands-on activity to help identify your childs strengths.). Use a strengths finder before the IEP meeting. Someone may consider being on time a positive aspect of their education. Student weaknesses can vary considerably from person to person, but some common examples include difficulty concentrating, procrastination, poor time management skills and a lack of motivation. Here are a few examples of how a strengths-based IEP goal could differ from a SMART goal that isnt strengths-based: By May 15, Elana will know from memory all products of two one-digit numbers with 90% accuracy in four out of five tries. What makes this student unique? Goals should also be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, results-oriented, and time-bound). Others may prefer quieter activities such as reading or playing board games with friends. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); Copyright 2023 My Strengths and Weaknesses | All Rights Reserved | |, What Are Your Weaknesses? Julie Rawe is the special projects editor at Understood. It was self-preservation, and Im an enabler (raised by alcoholics). 32 Examples of Academic Weaknesses - Simplicable Her/His __________ skills are a strength, as are her/his __________ skills. __________ is best at __________ has an amazing ability to, __________ always takes pride in his/her work when __________ is frequently recognized for __________ participates the most when __________ does this better than any other student, __________ is highly motivated by __________ is highly interested in. Examples of Special Qualities to list on the IEP. Its the ability to connect the dots, as they say. Cognitive Skills or Strengths: In this area, I would include skills such as processing, communication, reasoning and attention. The health and medical related resources on this website are provided solely for informational and educational purposes and are not a substitute for a professional diagnosis or for medical or professional advice. blog, website, Facebook); uses appropriately, Has several his/her own favorite movies or TV shows that he/she likes to talk about and can do so without manipulating the conversation, Loves learning new things; will seek out knowledge. Logic skills: A child with strong logic skills is often able to see the connections between things. All information on The OT Toolbox Website, its content of all types, including newsletter and social media is presented as informational only and is not a replacement for therapy assessment, diagnosis, intervention, or medical advice. Student strengths are the qualities, talents or capabilities that a student has. A strengths-based IEP uses student abilities to help work on weaknesses. Both of these questions lead to academic and behavioral success in the classroom. Participates in discussions at home, at school, and with friends; non-speakers can follow along with discussions, Tells stories that have a clear beginning, middle, and end, Uses lots of words and likes learning new words, Can answer who, what, when, where, why, and how questions in conversation (or about a story), Understands the structure of sounds; can do tasks like rhyme, Can remember details and retell stories after reading them, Can make predictions based on whats happened so far in a story, Reads with expression, like the way an actor talks on TV shows, Makes connections between reading material and personal experiences, Ability to focus and concentrate for extended periods, Good listening skills and processing skills. Use this framework to help guide the writing process: __________ has a strong character, is _______________, and is _______________. Does she prefer to work in groups? ), creativity, writing, critical thinking, study skills, problem-solving, and reading. But as Mary Falvey points out in her book Believe in My Child with Special Needs!,taking a problem-focused approach defeats your goal of high expectations and creative problem-solving. If not, you and your childs case manager can look for a free strengths assessment online. This student strength list is a tool for you to use when creating student success goals that the student can accomplish. Sydney Thorson, OTR/L, is a new occupational therapist working in school-based therapy. Thank you for reading! Students are multifaceted, ever-evolving, and full of potential. I like to look at their special interests and include a few; if they share their love of Spiderman or Minecraft, and integrate it into their school day appropriately, that may be worth noting. Continue with Recommended Cookies, Get to know yourself better with our list of Students Strengths and Weaknesses for Students. What are some other ways to avoid getting stuck on what a student cant do yet? Admittedly, we all look for people of strong characterin our spouses, friends, employers, and so on. endstream endobj startxref Approaching IEPs from a strengths-based perspective does not sugarcoat the struggles that students with exceptionalities may face. Creating a positive environment and developing good habits can also help students overcome their weaknesses and achieve success.
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