by Kelly Boyle, Contributing Writer

Ask Caleb if there is somewhere he would rather be than at school. He won’t hesitate to tell you he would like to be up north at the cabin he and his father built last year. Fourteen-year-old Caleb is an outdoorsman. Whenever his family takes a trip up north, he spends his time exploring the woods, hiking, hunting, or fishing. Caleb has a postschool vision of working in the outdoors.

Nature is a refuge for Caleb. The outdoors often takes him away from things like school and books—books that cause him trouble because of a learning disability that was diagnosed at age nine.

When Caleb entered 4th grade, he became easily frustrated with homework and disenchanted with school. His peers seemed to learn at a much faster pace. His parents began to worry about his struggles with reading and writing and the effect this was having on his other studies.

An evaluation determined that Caleb had a learning disability causing him to struggle in the areas of reading comprehension and written expression. An Individualized Education Program (IEP) team determined Caleb eligible for special education programs and developed his IEP.

School personnel, along with Caleb and his parents, discussed his goals and set up appropriate supports and accommodations. Caleb and his parents met annually as part of the IEP team to review the reading interventions and other supports that helped Caleb progress to middle school.

Caleb’s middle school creates time during his school day for him to develop his Educational Development Plan (EDP) with assistance from one of his teachers. As a member of Caleb’s IEP team, his teacher is aware of Caleb’s expressed interest in becoming a taxidermist. Caleb is familiar with the profession because his uncle Pete is a taxidermist.

Caleb confirms for the teacher that his vision for the future has not changed, and he documents in his EDP that he is striving for a job in taxidermy. With his IEP and EDP goals aligned, the two documents can work together to help ensure that Caleb’s future goals are met.

Research into the profession, including discussion with Caleb’s uncle Pete, suggests that attendance at a four-year college is not a requirement for Caleb’s postsecondary employment goal. However, his uncle Pete notes that Caleb must study at a training center for taxidermy after high school.  Basic reading and writing skills are needed to gather information and communicate, both at the training center and later in his career. Caleb agrees that pursuing a high school diploma will allow him to strengthen his skills and give him
a valuable credential.
As Caleb approaches 9th grade, the IEP team’s concern for him is that even with accommodations, English will be a struggle. As documented in his IEP, Caleb is struggling in English with accommodations throughout middle school.

Caleb receives English language arts (ELA) instruction in a self-contained special education classroom. A general education and special education teacher team-teach his math class. Caleb receives extended time on tests and assignments, a quiet setting, and a special reader for tests in other classes.

In spite of the accommodations, the grade-level material is becoming increasingly difficult for Caleb, especially in ELA. His 7th grade Michigan Education Assessment Program (MEAP) levels were 3 (partially proficient) for both reading and writing; in 8th grade, the levels fell to 4 (not proficient) in both areas. Caleb’s IEP team believes the right combination of effective instruction, services, and accommodations will help him succeed in the Michigan Merit Curriculum (MMC). Therefore, the team feels he should request a Personal Curriculum (PC).

Because Caleb is a student with an IEP, he may make a request for a PC before entering high school. His parents make a formal request with the high school counselor and set up a meeting to discuss the possibility of a PC. The PC team again includes those familiar with Caleb’s academic career, including the counselor and teachers. The high school principal is also part of the PC team.

The PC team considers Caleb’s struggles with ELA, which are documented in the IEP. The team also recognizes the classes selected in Caleb’s EDP, which put him on track for a high school diploma.

Because of the concern over the ELA requirements, a general education teacher and a special education teacher go through the content expectations one by one for 9th grade English. They determine which ones are within Caleb’s demonstrated ability and would be most essential to his postsecondary success. They present their recommendations to the other members of the PC team.

The team arrives at a set of 14 basic content expectations (8 in the reading strand, 6 in the writing strand) that they feel will both challenge Caleb and prepare him well for his postsecondary life. If Caleb can pass these with 90 percent proficiency, the local district will consider him as having satisfied the MMC requirements for 9th grade English. The team agrees that no further modifications to the MMC are needed. Caleb has shown proficiency in the other disciplines when he receives appropriate accommodations.

Upon entering high school, Caleb’s parents will schedule quarterly meetings with Caleb’s teachers for the year. This regular contact will help parents and teachers have a similar understanding of Caleb’s progress in his classes. In one year, the PC team will reconvene as it considers what further changes need to be made in Caleb’s PC, if any.

Because many of the participants involved in planning Caleb’s IEP, EDP, and PC are the same, Caleb and his team of supporters help ensure that all of Caleb’s goals are aligned and updated as necessary.