Teachers’ Perceptions of Individualized Education Program (IEP) Goals and Related Services

Abstract

The rationale for developing an Individualized Education Program (IEP) is to identify appropriate goals to ensure that children who have disabilities are successful at school. This study focused on investigating teachers’ views of the most important IEP goals for their young deaf students, as well as to ask them which services students were receiving. Our purpose was to identify the most prevalent IEP goals guiding early childhood education (ECE) programs and to determine whether services provided were appropriate for addressing the students’ most critical needs. The participants included 118 young deaf children, ages 3–5, participating in the VL2 Early Educational Longitudinal Study (EELS). Results found that the IEP goals focused on three main areas: 1) improving school readiness; 2) improving communication (both sign communication and speech communication); and 3) improving pre-academic performance in targeted areas. Additionally, associations between specific IEP goals listed and related services were explored in relation to educational setting and school language philosophy. Recommendations for educational practice and further studies are provided.