In the past, I have had no experience with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) or 504 plans. I had heard them talked about enough to have a vague sense that they were programs put in place by schools for students who needed extra assistance in the classroom due to a disability. It was very helpful to take the time to sit down and investigate what made the two plans different and how they impacted the education of the students for whom they were provided.
It is important to understand that 504 plans developed as a result of a civil rights law ensuring access for individuals with disabilities to public places and services, one of these services being public education (Wright & Wright, 2015). Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 ensured that students in public school would not be prevented from accessing education because of their disability. This act provided a relatively loose definition of what qualifies as a disability and is often the easier plan to obtain from the school district (The Understood Team, 2014).
On the other hand IEPs were created as a result of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) which was specifically focused on providing free and appropriate education to individuals with disabilities (Wright & Wright, 2015). Rather than simply making it easier to access the education, like a 504 plan, IEPs are used to create an educational plan that fits the individual's needs. The IEP process is much more strictly defined than the 504 process, even providing a list of 13 disabilities that make individuals eligible for a plan (Understanding Special Education, 2009). There are also strict guidelines for who is on the team that creates and evaluates the plan and what the evaluation process looks like.
For both plans, parents and teachers can be included in the process and students can not be evaluated without their parents' consent. In both situations, the goal is to create a way for students to be more successful in school by accommodating the needs the student may have due to their disability. It is important for parents, teachers, and school administrators to understand the differences between IEPs and 504 plans in order to determine what works best for individual students.
References:
The Understood Team (2014). The Difference Between IEPs and
504 Plans. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/504-plan/the-difference-between-ieps-and-504-plans
Understanding Special Education (2009). Retrieved from http://www.understandingspecialeducation.com/
Wright, P. D. & Wright, P.W.D., (2015). My Child with a
504 Plan is Failing, School Won’t Help: Your Eligibility Game Plan. Retrieved
from http://www.wrightslaw.com/info/sec504.idea.eligibility.htm
Abi - While reading through the various material I found and what others have posted one idea keeps coming back to me. To me, IEP's seem more important. Perhaps this is because they are rooted in federal law, have stricter requirements, and are focused on individual learning versus accommodations. However, I feel like this is far from true, that 504's are just as important. This fact is something that I will need to continually remind myself of in order to provide the best education for my students.
ReplyDeleteUp until this lesson, I did not understand why my school did not have IEP's for students. We have a significant number of 504 plans, but I now understand that our school does not have the proper staff on campus to accommodate many students with an IEP as well as some other public and private schools do in our area. This has been eye opening, and I now understand that I should also pay more attention to the 504 plans that have been given to the students that take my class.
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