Visual IEPs

You can download the template and new IEP example as MindManager or PDF files from the Resources section.

I took all the branches from the provision maps and put them onto one mind map, using MindManager (although other programs are also suitable). This formed a template. (Click here to look at it. It's big though.) Then, writing IEPs is simply a matter of deleting branches that don't apply to the student concerned and writing in the student's target for each branch. An example is below.

This format has proved very successful but some people asked questions such as:

1. What are the exit criteria?
2. What are the success criteria?
3. Will parents understand what it means?

To which I've responded:

1. I don't think it's necessary to have the exit criteria explicit. As far as I'm concerned, when a target is reached you either amend or delete a branch (in consultation with the student). When all the branches have been deleted, that's when the IEP ceases. This is very intuitive and very visual for students (and adults).
2. This is (in a way) a good point. What I wrote as targets are the success criteria, so in the newer version (below) I now write 'Success' instead of 'Target' to make this clearer. However the skill that was being worked on for each branch wasn't very clear on the original IEPs so now, on the branch, I change the provision area (e.g. General numeracy difficulties) to an aim (or 'target' I suppose) (e.g. Improve numeracy skills).
3. The changes made to address question 2 should make them a little easier to understand but I would argue that anyone who could understand a traditional IEP would be able to understand a visual one and that visual IEPs can be understood by many people who wouldn't understand a traditional one.

This is has resulted in an IEP that might look something like this. (Note that not many IEPs end up being this complicated!)

There are SO many advantages to visual IEPs:

• You can do it with students, and it's actually quite positive for them because they delete most of the branches and can have some say in the provision they get.
• Students actually want to take one away with them.
• You get a really clear picture of all the provision that's available before you start.
• Anyone can understand it very quickly - students, parents, LSAs and even teachers.
• It's easy for all kinds of people to write or help to write the IEP. (Parents, LSAs, students, teachers, SENCo, anyone!)
• It's fairly quick - usually the only writing involved is putting the student details in the middle and writing the targets.
• You can even have even quicker templates - if you have 20 students who all have Successmaker for reading and spelling, you can have one mind map IEP for all of them, just change the name and possibly the target on each one.

There are some disadvantages. They can be printed and copied in black and white but they're not as good. Still better than written forms though! Some people might say they don't have enough information on. I would say - anything that's missing is available elsewhere, and this shows everything that is important on a practical and working IEP.