On September 14, special educators from Aztec, Bloomfield, Central Consolidated and Farmington spent a day at San Juan College with Leigh Adams-Emanuel of CES, working through the IEP from present levels to Prior Written Notice. Before and after, they rated their own skills on a scale of 1 to 5. The chart below shows what moved.
Average self-rating out of 5 for the 28 educators who completed both surveys.
Highlights
Confidence nearly doubled. Among the 28 educators who completed both surveys, the share rating their overall IEP ability a 4 or 5 rose from 39% to 75%.
Every skill went up. Average ratings rose on all eight skills, and 26 of the 28 rated themselves higher on at least one.
The law got clearer. The biggest gain was in identifying the laws and regulations that govern special education (IDEA, NMAC, case law and PED guidance), up nearly a full point.
Ready on Monday. 91% of post-survey respondents planned to put what they learned into practice that same week.
Average rating, before → after
Laws and regulations: 2.86 → 3.75
Measurable annual goals: 3.18 → 3.96
LRE and placement: 3.07 → 3.82
Prior Written Notice: 3.07 → 3.79
Present levels (PLAAFP): 3.18 → 3.86
Progress reporting: 3.21 → 3.86
Overall IEP ability: 3.25 → 3.79
IEP team roles: 3.82 → 4.11
What participants told us
"It was so informative and helpful. I especially appreciate the reference to SPED law."
"I will add more data to the Progress goals."
"One specific thing I will do differently is make sure each IEP goal is more closely connected to the student's actual needs and daily performance."
— Workshop participants, September 14 post-survey
Where we go from here
Participants asked for more examples of well-written goals and Prior Written Notices, help with the new IEP templates, and support with behavior. Here's what's next:
November 13: From IEP to Independence, a free virtual session on transition IEPs
December 8: NM TEAM Update Follow-Up with Dr. Joanna Cosbey
All year: one-on-one classroom coaching for new special educators through SPED Elevate
Thank you to Leigh Adams-Emanuel and to every educator who spent the day sharpening their IEP writing.
About the data: 54 educators completed the pre-survey and 35 completed the post-survey. The before-and-after figures compare the 28 who completed both. Ratings are self-reported on a scale of 1 to 5.
