INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION

PLANNING
SUMMARY GUIDE
CONTENTS
Individual education plan resources ............................................................................................. 3
What is an Individual Education Plan? ......................................................................................... 3
Which students require an IEP? ................................................................................................... 3
Why is an IEP important? ............................................................................................................. 4
Developing an IEP: Student Support Group ................................................................................. 4
Personalised learning and support planning ................................................................................. 4
Stage 1 – Assess: get to know the student and how they learn ................................................. 5
Stage 2 – Plan: use collaborative and student-centred planning approaches ............................ 5
Stage 3 – Teach: make adjustments to meet the student's strengths and needs and overcome
the barriers to learning .............................................................................................................. 6
Stage 4 – Monitor and Evaluate: assess the effectiveness of the approach .............................. 6
SMART Goals: Specific, Measurable, Agreed, Relevant and Time-bound ................................... 6
SMART short-term goals explained ........................................................................................... 7
Examples of short-term SMART goals ...................................................................................... 7
Department inclusive education policies and strategies ............................................................... 8
Additional resources and related frameworks ............................................................................... 8
Related plans ............................................................................................................................... 9

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INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLANNING
SUMMARY GUIDE

INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN RESOURCES

Individual Education Plan (IEP) resources are available to support teachers and school leaders to:
• develop meaningful IEPs by applying a personalised learning and support framework
• monitor, record and drive student progress through short-term SMART goals (Specific,
Measurable, Agreed, Relevant, Time-bound) to support achievement of long-term goals
• support students – particularly vulnerable and disadvantaged students who may have
multiple plans – by reducing unnecessary duplication, loss of information or conflicting
plans.
The IEP template and other resources are available on the Department Policy and Advisory Library
IEP webpage: https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/individual-education-plans-ieps/policy

It is important to acknowledge that teachers and schools already undertake many activities that
personalise learning experiences for students, including existing individual education plans. If your
school already has its own IEP template, you can continue to use that template. The IEP Quality
Checklist on the Policy and Advisory Library IEP webpage can assist with ensuring it has all the
necessary elements.

WHAT IS AN INDIVIDUAL EDUCATION PLAN?

An IEP is a written statement that describes the adjustments, goals and strategies to meet the
educational needs of an individual student to enable them to reach their potential. An IEP is
essential in guiding the educational planning and monitoring of a student’s unique learning needs.
It is the practice and process that will have the greatest impact in supporting students.

WHICH STUDENTS REQUIRE AN IEP?

IEPs are required for:

• students in statutory Out-of-home care (OOHC)

• Koorie students (as required by Marrung — Victorian Aboriginal Education Plan 2016 – 2026)
• students supported under individualised disability funding programs including the Program for
Students with Disabilities (PSD) and Disability Inclusion
• students in youth justice (custody and community)
• students in re-engagement programs under contract arrangements with another school or
provider
• students undertaking Flexible Learning Options (FLOs).

IEPs are highly recommended for:

• students with additional needs

• students not achieving to their potential (this may include high-ability students, where
appropriate)
• students at risk of disengagement
• students who are young carers (where appropriate)
• any other students determined by the school as needing an IEP.
WHY IS AN IEP IMPORTANT?
An individual education plan is important because it:
• supports the school and classroom teacher to develop a meaningful learning program for
individual students and to track student progress against short-term SMART goals to
support student achievement of long-term goals
• provides an opportunity to share information between school, student, family and other
support professionals
• helps schools to determine resources required to achieve the student’s learning goals
• promotes student confidence and engagement through involvement in the process.
An IEP also serves to establish the process by which teachers and schools are meeting their legal
obligations and accountabilities for students with disability under the Disability Discrimination Act
1992 and the Disability Standards for Education 2005.

DEVELOPING AN IEP: STUDENT SUPPORT GROUP

Developing an IEP is a collaborative effort. IEPs are best developed by a Student Support Group
(SSG) using a student-centered planning approach. Include the student (where appropriate), their
parent/carer/guardian(s), principal, teacher, and other school staff/professionals to ensure
coordinated support for the student’s educational needs.
An SSG is required for students supported under individualised disability funding programs
including the PSD and Disability Inclusion, and students in OOHC. An SSG is strongly encouraged
for any students with additional learning needs.
For further information about SSGs and the SSG Guidelines, see:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/learningneeds/Pages/student-support-
groups.aspx.
In a remote and flexible learning environment, you can convene an SSG using teleconference or
videoconference platforms, such as Webex or Zoom. Ensure a lead contact is nominated at the
start of the meeting to record the outcomes of the discussion, complete the IEP and ensure that
minutes are taken and distributed to all members of the SSG.
Ensure that interaction with families and information collected and shared, complies with the
Schools Privacy Policy (https://www.education.vic.gov.au/Pages/schoolsprivacypolicy.aspx) Family
Violence Information Sharing Scheme (https://www.vic.gov.au/family-violence-information-sharing-
scheme).

PERSONALISED LEARNING AND SUPPORT PLANNING

Personalised learning and support planning provides a framework to develop an IEP.
Personalised learning and support identifies a students’ learning strengths and needs and guides
the design, implementation and evaluation of appropriate and effective teaching strategies and
adjustments.
Personalised learning and support consists of four stages, each outlined in the IEP Template.

4
 Stage 1 – Assess: get to know
the student and how they learn
Begin by learning about the student
and their learning differences using a
strengths-based approach that
focuses on positive aspects of their
capabilities, rather than what they
cannot do.
• identify the student’s strengths
and interests and any
challenges and barriers to
learning
• provide information about the
student to support their
education needs, including
results of any formal/informal
assessments in literacy,
numeracy or social-emotional
assessments,
recommendations from allied
health professionals, data or
classroom observations
• consider the student’s current
entry level skills.

• ask the student what helps them to learn; facilitate student voice through Amplify – a
student voice, agency and leadership practice guide:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/practice/improve/Pag
es/amplify.aspx

Stage 2 – Plan: use collaborative and student-centred planning approaches

Place the student at the centre of the collaborative planning process. Plan opportunities for input
from the student, the parents/carers/guardians and relevant teaching and support professionals.
• collaborate with the SSG to consider the student’s future aspirations and develop long-term
and short-term educational goals
• consult with others where relevant
• review the student’s learning environment
Long-term goals should be clear and simple and summarised into one or two sentences and guide
the development of the short-term goals, strategies and actions in the IEP. Short-term goals are
developed by identifying the sub-skills that are required to achieve a long-term goal. It is highly
recommended that short-term goals are SMART (Specific, Measurable Agreed, Relevant, Time-
bound).
When creating long-term and short-term goals, you can refer to the Victorian Curriculum:
https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/.

5
Stage 3 – Teach: make adjustments to meet the student's strengths and needs and
overcome the barriers to learning
Create responsive teaching and learning environments and implement teaching strategies and
adjustments that address the student’s learning needs and goals. Use the principles of Universal
Design for Learning to provide opportunities and adjustments that accommodate different ways of
learning and address the student’s personalised learning profile and learning goals.
• Implement teaching strategies, adjustments or supports to support the student to achieve
their short-term SMART goals.
• Apply Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles: http://udlguidelines.cast.org
• Consider teaching strategies, adjustments and supports that include: how to teach the skill;
how to provide multi and varied opportunities to practice the skill; how to reinforce the skill;
how to include other members of the Student Support Group to target the skill.

Stage 4 – Monitor and Evaluate: assess the effectiveness of the approach

The IEP should be reviewed according to the timeline as agreed to by all members of the SSG,
preferably once a term. During Stage 4, collect and examine data to determine whether the
teaching strategies, adjustments and supports provided to students are effective. This information
also helps shape the next steps in planning and delivery.
• determine whether the teaching strategies, adjustments and supports provided at Stage 3
have been effective and whether the student’s goals have been achieved
• make educational decisions based on the information to determine if the goals should be
modified, taught in different ways or changed and whether the teaching strategies,
adjustments and supports should be continued, revised or replaced
• Consider what is working well/not working well.

SMART SHORT-TERM GOALS:

SPECIFIC, MEASURABLE, AGREED, RELEVANT AND TIME-BOUND
It is highly recommended that short-term goals in the IEP are SMART – Specific, Measurable,
Agreed, Relevant and Time-bound – and designed to support achievement of long-term goals.
The SMART short-term goals should be described in a manner that includes observable actions, a
reasonable timeframe for accomplishing them and criteria that make it possible to measure the
extent of the student’s progress. See table below:

6
SMART short-term goals explained
Specific Measurable Agreed Relevant Time-bound

What is it exactly How will you Does the team, Is this goal When will this
that you want to know when you including relevant to the goal be
achieve? have achieved student and needs of the achieved?
the goal? family, agree on student?
How often will it
this goal?
be reviewed?

The goal should The goal must be Specify what The goal should Having a
be clear and written in a way involvement the bear in mind any specific
concise. that can be student had in factors that may timeframe
measured – the process of impact on the provides
concrete and developing the student’s ability motivation to get
observable. agreed goal. to reach the started and to
goal. persist.

Examples of short-term SMART goals

Student Action e.g. what Conditions e.g. Success By when
and how where, with who, measure e.g.
with what what does
success look
like?

Minh will verbalise her in the classroom on two separate

by the end of
emotional state with visual occasions each
support and day Term 1.
teacher
prompting

Ella will independently using concrete on 8 out of 10 by the end of

count to 20 with materials occasions Term 1.
one to one
correspondence

Abdo will independently in English, using he will complete by the end of the
compare the his notebook to a Compare and four-week unit.
literary style of access different Contrast
four authors types of texts checklist to 80%
about a topic of accuracy
interest

7
DEPARTMENT INCLUSIVE EDUCATION POLICIES AND STRATEGIES
For further information about Department inclusive education policies and strategies, see:
• Students with Disability: Inclusive Education Policy:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/students-disability/policy

• Inclusive Classrooms: https://www.deafeducation.vic.edu.au/professional-

learning/inclusive-classrooms
• Program for students with disabilities:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/learningneeds/Pages/psd.aspx
• Disability Inclusion:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/disability-inclusion-funding-support/policy
• Marrung, the Department’s strategy to ensure that all Koorie Victorians achieve their
learning aspirations:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/about/programs/Pages/marrung.aspx
• Supporting Students in Out-of-home care:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/supporting-students-out-home-care/policy

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES AND RELATED FRAMEWORKS

• Framework for Improving Student Outcomes (FISO 2.0):
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/fiso/policy
• Victorian Teaching and Learning Model (VTLM):
www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/practice/improve/Pages/Vict
orianteachingandlearningmodel.aspx
• School-wide Positive Behaviour Support Framework and Multi-Tiered Systems of Support
(MTSS):
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/management/improvement/Pages/swpbs
.aspx
• Victorian Curriculum:
https://victoriancurriculum.vcaa.vic.edu.au/

• Abilities Based Learning and Education Support (ABLES):

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/learningneeds/Pages/ables.aspx

• Amplify (Student Voice Practice Guide):

http://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/practice/improve/Page
s/amplify.aspx
• Student Support Groups (SSG) guidelines:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/learningneeds/Pages/student-support-
groups.aspx
• Team around the Learner (TAL):
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/behaviour/engagement/Pages/team-
around-the-learner.aspx

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RELATED PLANS
Sometimes a student with additional needs may require additional plans to support their learning.
Other plans that relate to or inform the development of an IEP can include:
• Behaviour support plans:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/behaviour-students/resources

• Transition plans:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/studentmanagement/transitions/Pages/framework
.aspx
• Schools can contact the Parkville College Transition Team to access Transition Plans and
information for young people being released from remand and custody. Parkville College
Transitions Team: http://parkvillecollege.vic.edu.au/
• Attendance plan:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/attendance/policy
• Career Action Plans:
https://www.education.vic.gov.au/school/teachers/teachingresources/careers/carframe/Pages/cap.a
spx
• Student health support plans:
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/health-care-needs/policy

• Cultural Support Plans (Department of Families, Fairness and Housing (formerly

Department of Health and Human Services) resource:
https://www.cpmanual.vic.gov.au/advice-and-protocols/specialist-resources/cultural-planning-
aboriginal-children

• Student Support Plans – Gender Affirmation plan: please contact Safe Schools on 9637
3699 or safe.schools@edumail.vic.gov.au for more information and advice.