Summary of Performance - SOP

This episode reviews the Summary of Performance which is a part of the IEP (Individualized Education Plan) to help the student, their family members, and agencies to consider needed services after high school.

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Summary of Performance 

Connie Shockley  0:02  

Welcome to Talking special needs a PTI, Nebraska podcast. Helping families of children with disabilities and healthcare needs to develop advocacy skills while learning about special education, healthcare systems, and other topics that affect families' lives.

 
Sandy Peterson  0:25  

Hi, this is Sandy Peterson from PTI, Nebraska.  I'm the Young Adult Transition Coordinator and today we're going to talk about a document called the Summary of Performance or SOP. Our hope is that when you finish this podcast, you will understand the value of this very important document and you will understand the processes used to write the document. So let's get started. 

The Summary Performance or SOP, is to provide specific, meaningful and understandable information to be utilized by the student, his or her family, and any agency that may provide services after high school. The SOP increases the likelihood that students will successfully achieve their post secondary goals by providing them with current and relevant information about their academic and functional performance. The purpose of the summary is to provide the student with a document that will help establish eligibility for reasonable accommodations and supports in post secondary settings, employment, community college, and so forth. It is not an assessment in itself. 

What are the parts of the Summary Performance? Background information, the students post secondary goals, summary of academic and functional performance. So a description of accommodations and modifications that have been used over the years, things that have been successful and unsuccessful recommendations to assist goals and student input. What we know is that student input is a requirement. If students participate, the percentage of use of the SOP is higher. If the students do not participate, they'll not use the document. In section 300.305 of IDEA, or the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, which is the federal law it states and I quote, "for a child whose eligibility terminates a public agency must provide the child with a summary of the child's academic achievement and functional performance, which shall include recommendations on how to assist the child in meeting the child's post high school goals." End quote. So that's the law that we're using to hang our hat on.  

Who gets the SOP? The SOP is required for students with an IEP, who are either graduating with a signed regular diploma, or aging out of Special Education at 21 years of age. The SOP requirement does not apply to students who leave secondary school with a GED credential, or an alternate diploma, and whose eligibility for special education services has not been terminated. However, there is nothing in IDEA or in Rule 51, which is the state rule and regulation, that would prevent a local education agency from providing this information to a student who leaves under the circumstances. 

 How does the SOP requirement impact practice? The word summary kind of provides the clue. School districts accumulate a wealth of information regarding their students including life goals, preferences and interests, functional and academic strengths and needs, needed accommodations, strategies for success and so forth.  An SOP is closely tied to information in the IEP, but it is a separate document that condenses and organizes key information that will follow the student to assist the student in achieving post secondary goals, employment, training and life skills. The timing of completion of the SOP may vary. It is completed during the final year of the students secondary education. We recommend a compilation of information over the high school years. It is most useful when linked with the IEP process and the student has had the opportunity to actively participate in the development of the document. And it includes information about the student's accommodations and academic skills slash functioning, which are very useful to post secondary employment, education, personal care and adult services. 

 Tips for timing. We want to begin thinking with the end in mind. During the high school years and create a notes page or portfolio of important information, accomplishments and accommodations that will assist in synthesizing the most important information for the SOP.  We want to end involve other key people in the student's life. For example, significant teachers, mentors, counselors, employers, community members, peers and family. What we do not want to do is develop this as a one person, paper pushing activity. This is the way it used to be done. Now we know that a conversation around SOP information during each annual IEP meeting supports the collection of valuable information and the development of the SOP. A well written SOP should make the reader feel like they know the student can be thought of as portable user friendly tool that students and families can use just as you or I might develop a portfolio to backup our resume and provides crucial linkages from secondary school to post secondary life.  

 Who should be involved in completing the SOP? It is valuable and practical to use a team approach that includes people who know the student, so the student themselves, the family because you know your student best, peers who see the value of their friend and have more and more information, community members, church, YMCA, therapist, and so forth. Employers, school personnel, including the special education teacher, general education teachers, guidance counselors, school psychologist and or related service personnel who know the students.  And finally, adult agency personnel such as vocational rehabilitation, developmental disabilities, counselors, pre admission and screening agencies.

 So what's the connection to self advocacy skills?  Students need effective self advocacy skills to actually use the SOP. Students need effective self advocacy skills to negotiate work and post secondary school settings where they might use this document. Students need to gain hands on practice in self advocacy and self determination. These skills are vital in post secondary settings.  Authoring the SOP provides an opportunity to gain practice in describing their academic strengths and their academic needs. However, it is up to the student to decide whether or not to share this document. 

So what are the recommendations from providers in post secondary positions?  We've interviewed disability coordinators at the college level and employers and this is what they tell us.  Students strengths and needs should be written in an objective manner. So we would use assessment language like average, below average, above average, and so forth. We would not use value words like good, nice, slow, brilliant, significant and so forth. Eligibility is dependent upon a need, a deficit and a disability. So document actual levels of performance clearly and without an overly positive bias. The honest objective, clear and concise, support active student involvement to build self determination skills. And finally the students perspective page is a must from the secondary perspective. 

To clarify, the IDEA does not require school districts to include in the SOP, the documentation necessary to determine a student's eligibility for another program.  Services such as Nebraska VR and or accommodations in institutions of higher learning. However, the SOP with the IEP and the MDT will include information that may assist other programs to determine a student's eligibility for services or accommodations. Students with disabilities in post secondary settings, whether education or employment, must be able to articulate their need or desire for accommodations and be able to talk about past accommodations and academic supports. This is called self advocacy. 

 We receive a lot of questions from parents and professionals regarding the SOP. So I'd like to answer some of those. 

 (Question) One.  Will the SOP provide the documentation needed to determine eligibility for adult agency services? The answer is it is not anticipated that the SOP will provide all of the information necessary for adult agencies to determine eligibility for services. However, the SOP may include information that will assist other programs in determining eligibility. For example, the SOP is one of the educational records that has been identified as a resource to eligibility for Vocational Rehabilitation services. 

 Question two.  Will the SOP provide the documentation needed to determine eligibility for post secondary education to receive accommodations in a post secondary setting? The answer is no. It is not anticipated that the SOP will provide all of the information necessary to determine eligibility for enrollment. A student who has requested academic adjustments, auxiliary aids or modifications of policies, practice or procedures from a post secondary institution may provide the SOP, IEP and MDT, as part of the documentation to demonstrate need toward the accommodations or modifications. 

 Question three.  If a rebuild evaluation is completed for a student, is the SLP still needed? The answer is yes, recommendation state that the school and I quote "shall provide the child with a summary of the child's academic achievement and functional performance, which shall include recommendations on how to assist the child in meeting the child's post secondary goals" End quote.  That's Rule 51 006.06e1. 

 And question number four.  When does my young adult receive the SOP? The answer is the school district will give your young adult their SOP upon the receipt of a sign diploma, or when aging out or special education at the end of the school year in which they become 21. 

 And finally, question five.  What areas should be considered when addressing academic achievement and functional performance? The answer is academic achievement includes areas such as reading, writing, math, and learning styles. Functional Performance includes areas such as problem solving, and decision making, organization attention, social skills and behaviors, communications, career and technical skills, daily living skills and self advocacy skills. 

 We hope this information has been helpful in your understanding of the SOP. Should you want more information contact me at speterson@pti-nebraska.org or at the phone number 402-346-0525. If you enjoyed or found this podcast valuable, please click on the subscribe button. Thank you for participating today.

Connie Shockley  12:17  

Thank you for joining us today on Talking Special Needs, a PTI, Nebraska podcast. If you would like more information on today's topic or other special needs topics, please go to www.pti-nebraska.org.  Until our next podcast internet families remember, chaos is our normal.

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