Our state special education
policy, Policy 2419, requires that the IEP Team consider:
1. Strengths of the student;
2. Concerns of the parents
for enhancing the education of their child.
3. Results of the initial
evaluation or most recent evaluation of the student;
4. Academic, developmental
and functional needs of the student;
5. Whether the child needs
assistive technology devices and services; and/or
6. The communication needs
of the student.
Under Additional Considerations,
if the student is identified as gifted, Policy 2419 requires
the IEP Team to "consider if acceleration is a focus
of gifted services, and if so, its effect on high school
graduation."
If the IEP Team determines
that acceleration is
not
appropriate for the student, a statement to this effect
must be included in the Present Levels of Academic Functioning.
If the Team determines that acceleration in one or more
areas
will be provided,
the Team must also state its effect on high school graduation.
See the February 2010 Gifted Education Newsletter for more
information:
Part IV: Considerations
- Gifted.
Revisions in Policy 2510,
Regulations for Education Programs, affect the
IEP Team's consideration of acceleration.
See
Policy 2510 graduation requirements here.
> Any student who successfully
completes a
high school level course prior
to grade 9 shall receive full credit for that course toward
graduation requirements. The grade for any course taken
prior to grade 9 becomes part of the student's permanent
record and is calculated in the student's grade point average.
It is the intent that students take mathematics annually,
but must take at least three mathematics classes in grades
9-12. The recommended course sequence for students in the
professional pathway is Algebra I, Geometry, Algebra II,
Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus. Therefore, if the student
completes Algebra I and Geometry prior to grade 9, he/she
will need to complete Algebra II, Trigonometry and Pre-Calculus
in grades 9-12. The IEP Team should consider this when making
decisions about acceleration in math for certain students
who are not particularly interested in pursuing a career
that involves a high level of math.
> Early graduation is provided
in Policy 2510. In addition, Policy 2510 requires attendance
for the full day for
all four years
during grades 9-12. The county boards of education must
adopt policies that allow students to earn credit for completion
of college work. This may be through two or four year college
or university enrollment or "West Virginia Earn a Degree-Graduate
Early" (WV EDGE). Ten counties in West Virginia are
participating in WV GEAR UP which is a free program designed
to help students plan, apply and pay for college. In effect,
the Grade 9-12 Attendance policy provides a year of college
tuition for any student who graduates a year early.
In general, acceleration in
grades one through eight will have no effect on graduation
or will not be known at this time.
For instructions in the SB-IEP,
visit the professional development at the
TeachIEP
link here.
