OFFICE OF SPECIAL EDUCATION
DR. KIMBERLY HOFFMANN
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
DR. NANCY BIRENBAUM
DIRECTOR STUDENT LEARNING SUPPORT
One Year Plus
Best Practice Guide
One Year Plus Best Practice Guide Revised 11/27/13
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OYP Best Practice Guide
Table of Contents
The One Year Plus Concept
Vision
Purpose
Development of a Standards-based IEP that Supports
One Year Plus
PLAAFP
Accommodations and Supplementary Services (SAS)
Goals & Objectives
Services
Monitoring
Analysis
Response
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One Year Plus Concept
Vision
City Schools is committed to ensuring academic excellence in every classroom of every school so that all
students with disabilities achieve educational benefit in the least restrictive environment.
City Schools is devoted to intervention and progress monitoring to ensure accurate identification for special
education services.
City Schools is committed to promoting high expectations and outcomes for students who receive special
education services.
The One Year Plus (OYP) initiative supports this through the development of quality, standards-based
Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and delivery of services that provide access to the general education
curriculum and promote increased student achievement.
Purpose of One Year Plus
Students who receive special education services must have IEPs that support the progress of achieving grade
level standards and contain individualized present levels of academic achievement and functional
performance, accommodations, supplementary aids and services, goals, scaffolded objectives and
instructional and related services.
The IDEA mandates that a student’s IEP contains a statement of measurable annual
goals, including academic and functional goals, designed to – (A) meet the child’s
needs that result from the child’s disability to enable the child to be involved in
and make progress in the general education curriculum; and (B) meet the child’s
other educational needs that result from the child’s disability.
34 CFR 300.320
City Schools’ One Year Plus (OYP) initiative promotes the development of individualized, quality,
standards-based IEPs with goals that reflect one year academic progress plus a reasonable reduction of the
gap and appropriate, individualized services in order to close the gap between the Present Level of Academic
Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) and assigned grade level standards. Individual student
focus goes above and beyond IDEA and COMAR requirements in order to support outcomes and
expectations for students with disabilities pursuing a diploma.
During a student’s annual IEP meeting, the IEP team will provide and review the One Year Plus Parent
Brochure with all stakeholders and discusses goals, accommodations, supports and services that will enable
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the student to achieve a year’s progress, plus a reasonable reduction in the gap in accordance with the Best
Practice Guide.
An IEP that reflects One Year Plus does not guarantee the amount of progress within the active IEP, it
represents the professional judgment and reasonable calculation of an IEP Team as to the progress that the
individual student is expected to attain if the IEP is implemented, as intended, and there are no significant
changes in the student’s circumstances including, but not limited to, nature of disability and attendance.
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Development of a Standards-based IEP
that Supports One Year Plus
Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional
Performance (PLAAFP) (MD Online Section II)
The PLAAFP is the foundation upon which the IEP is built. The PLAAFP must include current, accurate,
and comprehensive data that clearly represents the student’s abilities at the development of the annual IEP.
The supporting academic data must represent the student’s current abilities within a content area, in addition
to what the student has or has not accomplished within the duration of the previous IEP. The PLAAFP serves
as a baseline for identifying areas of need for the development of new IEP goals, scaffolded objectives and
corresponding services that support OYP for an individual student. If the IEP team feels that an OYP goal is
not appropriate for a specific area of academic or functional performance, the IEP team must document in
the PLAAFP why an OYP goal is not appropriate at the time the IEP is written.
Essential Elements of the PLAAFP: Performance Level, Progress Made, Gap and Impact of Disability (as
it pertains to the specific academic area)
Performance Level
a) Information regarding the student’s academic history
b) Information regarding the student’s preferences
a. Strengths
b. Learning styles
c) Identification of the student’s current, enrolled grade level
a. Identified as early, mid or late
b. Based on time of year in which the IEP is written
d) Assessment data from multiple sources in order to provide useful information for making decisions
about student strengths and needs:
a. Assessments (formal, informal, benchmarks, literacy, etc.)
b. Student work
c. Observations
e) Identification of student performance level
a. Identified as early, mid or late grade level
b. Represents the IEP team’s professional judgment as based on the analysis of current data
Example: Based on review of all available data, John is functioning on the early first grade level in reading
fluency.
Progress Made
a) Progress made since the last annual IEP
a. Identified using comparable assessment tools
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b) Programs, strategies and/or interventions implemented under the previous annual IEP:
a. What was successful and will continue?
b. What was not successful?
c) Reduction of the gap from the previous annual IEP
Gap
a) The current gap between the content standards for the student’s enrolled grade level and current
performance for specific area
b) According to content standards, what should the student know and be able to do?
c) Documentation of why an OYP goal is not appropriate, at the time the IEP is written, for specific area
Impact of Disability (as it pertains to the specific academic area)
a) Characteristics of the disability that interfere with progress for the specific academic area
a. What do these characteristics look like?
b. How do these characteristics interfere with progress of the specific academic area?
b) Accommodations and/or SAS in place to reduce the impact of the disability and support progress
a. How are the supports used?
b. What do the supports look like?
c. Explain the effectiveness of the SAS from the previous annual IEP
d. Provide a rationale for additional, removal of and/or changes to accommodations and/or SAS
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Accommodations and Supplementary Services (SAS)
(MD Online Section III)
The utilization of accommodations and SAS, unlike modifications, does not reduce the learning expectations
for a student, but rather assist the student in bridging the gap between the student’s present level and current
grade level through the identification of materials, strategies and supports that allow access to the general
education curriculum, reduce the impact of the disability and support progress. For all students, IEP teams
must make every effort to ensure accommodations and SAS address the individualized needs of a student,
support expected growth and provide access to the assigned grade level curriculum.
Essential Element of Accommodations and SAS:
Accommodations and SAS
a) Documentation to justify the need for selected accommodations and SAS
a. Addresses student’s identified need
b) Documentation identifies how, when, and by whom selected methods will be utilized
a. Identifies the setting
b. Identifies how often the accommodation and/or SAS are expected to be necessary or
implemented
c. Describes what the accommodation and/or SAS looks like
d. Provides sufficient detail so that another staff member, unfamiliar with the student, will
understand the intent and can implement the accommodation and/or SAS with fidelity
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Goals & Objectives (MD Online Section IV)
Standards-based goals addressing One Year Plus outline the expectation for the student to gain one year
academic progress during the duration of the active IEP plus a reasonable reduction in the gap between
student’s performance level, as identified in the PLAAFP, and assigned grade level. All students must have
access to their assigned grade level curriculum. As with any IEP, goals must be individualized. Goal must
reflect the Maryland Common Core State Curriculum Framework and contain objectives scaffolded to
address gaps between performance level and grade level performance.
The anatomy of goals addressing One Year Plus contains six components and adheres to the S.M.A.R.T.
format: Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant and Time-bound. The six components are as follows:
Time Frame, Student’s Name, Behavior, Gap Reduction, Criteria and Assessment Measure. Time Frame is
one year from the date of the annual IEP. Student’s Name identifies the student. Behavior identifies an
action or change; is directly connected to the anchor standards or essential skills from the Maryland
Common Core State Curriculum Framework; and address the identified area of need/weakness identified in
the PLAAFP. Gap Reduction identifies the student’s expected growth during the active IEP; identified as
early, mid or late grade level. The goal should express a reasonable reduction of the gap between the
student’s performance level and grade level. Criteria describes the rate at which the student’s performance
will be acceptable i.e. speed, accuracy, frequency or quality. Assessment Measure identifies the assessment
tools to be used to gather data to determine the student’s progress.
For many students with disabilities, who receive special education services while pursuing a diploma, there
is a gap between Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP) and
assigned grade level. In some cases, the needs of the student will require academic goals to address skills that
are below assigned grade level standards. In these cases, the goals may reflect expected progress on a grade
level standard lower than the assigned grade level in order to build the skills necessary to make progress
toward meeting assigned grade level expectations. When this is the expectation, an explanation should be
included in the appropriate academic area’s PLAAFP.
IEP teams need to determine what a reasonable reduction between the student’s assigned grade level and the
level of performance (as indicated in the PLAAFP) on a student-by-student basis. When OYP is not
appropriate, based on individualized circumstances, the causes are documented in the PLAAFP.
The IEP team must consider the following factors:
 The characteristics of the student’s disability that are affecting progress/achievement
 Individualized instructional and testing accommodations, supplementary aids, instructional and
related services, program modifications, and supports including individualized strategies,
interventions and materials that address the needs and support the student’s progress toward
achieving grade level standards
 The size of the gap between the PLAAFP and the assigned grade level. IEPs should be written to
remediate and close gaps in basic skills of reading, mathematics and written language in the
earliest grade(s) possible, taking into account practical limits on the amount of academic pressure
that can be placed on the student
 The age of the student and academic history including grade completion and/or retention
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In determining the reasonable calculation of the gap, IEP Teams must be guided by student need(s) and not
be bound by the current resources of the school.
Goals do not represent a guarantee of growth, but the professional judgment and reasonable calculation of an
IEP Team as to the progress a student is expected to attain if the IEP is implemented as intended, and there
are no significant changes in the student’s circumstances including, but not limited to, nature of disability
and attendance.
Essential Elements of Goals & Objectives: Goal(s) and Goal(s) and Objectives
Goal(s)
a) Goal(s) have been revised and updated to reflect current levels of performance and current grade
placement.
b) Goal(s) are not replicated from previous annual IEP.
Each goal is directly correlated to an identified area of need (deficit) outline in the PLAAFP.
Goal(s) and Objectives
a) Goal(s) is a standards-based goal that addresses current grade level expectations or standards and the
identified area of weakness (deficit) outlined in the PLAAFP; if not a standards-based goal an
explanation is provided in the PLAAFP. .
b) Goal(s) contain the following components: 1) Time Frame; 2) Student’s Name; 3) Behavior;
4) Gap Reduction; 5) Criteria; 6) Assessment Measure.
c) Goal(s) reflects a reduction of gap, one year plus; unless an explanation is provided in the PLAAFP.
d) Goal(s) are written using the SMART format (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Reasonable and
Timely).
e) Objectives scaffolded to reflect expected performance (e.g. middle of first grade) and how much
progress the team believes the student is expected to achieve during the active IEP (e.g. end of second
grade).
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Services (MD Online Section V)
Services include individualized instructional and testing accommodations; supplementary aids and
services, services program modification and supports; and instructional and related services (direct
and indirect).
In determining the services, IEP Teams must be guided by student need(s) and not be bound by the
current resources of the school.
The amount of services recommended by the IEP team must be reasonably calculated to support the
student in attaining the goals on the IEP and based on the student’s need, as documented by data
outlined in the PLAAFP. Services do not represent a guarantee of growth.
Essential Element of Services:
Services
A. Services are reasonably calculated to enable the student to attain goal(s)
B. Aligned and selected to promote progress toward goal as determined by student identified need/area
for growth
C. Rationale supports the indicated provision of service(s)
a. Based on student data
b. Progress or lack of progress
c. Research based best practices
d. Professional judgment
D. Must include sufficient detail so another IEP team can fully understand and implement services
including, but not limited to:
a. Service Location
b. Provider
c. Frequency/Duration
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Monitoring
Data shows that in City Schools, students with disabilities have made growth on all academic measures;
however gaps between student performance and grade level standards still exist. One Year Plus promotes the
development of individualized, quality IEPs with goals that reflect one year academic progress plus a
reasonable reduction of the gap and appropriate, individualized services in order to close the gap between
present level and grade level standards. Monthly, the Office of Special Education, in collaboration with
Network Special Education Liaisons and Teaching & Learning will monitor 20 IEPs. The IEPs will be
selected using a random sort process. Each month ten schools, serving grades 1 – 8, will be selected. Annual
IEPs, conducted during the previous month will be identified. Two random students’ IEPs will be selected
for the monitoring process. The goal is to review two IEPs from each school servicing students with
disabilities in grades 1 through 8 in the area of literacy (Phonics, Fluency, Vocabulary or Comprehension)
during the 13/14 SY.
Analysis
The One Year Plus Framework will be used to rate the Essential Elements of the following components of
the IEP: Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP), Accommodations
and Supplementary Aids & Services (SAS), Goals and Objectives, and Services. The OYP Best Practice
Guide and Framework outlines the specifics for the Essential Elements. The Essential Elements will be rated
using the following scale:
OYP Rating Scale
One Year Plus
Framework
Rubric Scale
Ratings
1
Does Not Meet
2
Emerging
3
Progressing
4
Effective
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The IEP total score will determine the Categorized Rating and Response.
Categorized Rating
Range of Scores
Effective
26-32
Progressing
20-25
Emerging
9-19
Does Not Meet
8
Response
Does Not Meet: An IEP categorized as ‘Does Not Meet’, collaboratively the Office of Special Education
Educational Specialists and Network Special Education Liaisons, will complete the following within 30 days
of the finding(s):
IEPs monitored that are found to be non-compliant according to IDEA
a. An IEP meeting will be scheduled within 15 days and completed within 30 days of
notification by the Educational Specialist and/or Network Special Education Liaison.
IEPs monitored that receive a score of 8 (a rating of 1 for each Essential Element)
a. An IEP meeting will be scheduled within 15 days and completed within 30 days of
notification by the Educational Specialist and/or Network Special Education Liaison.
Does Not Meet and Emerging: An IEP categorized as ‘Does Not Meet’ or ‘Emerging’, collaboratively the
Office of Special Education Educational Specialists and Network Special Education Liaisons, will complete
the following within 30 days of the finding(s):
Provision of Technical Assistance:
a. Feedback will be provided to school leaders, IEP Chair(s), teachers and other staff with regard
to non-compliance under IDEA and the expectations of OYP
b. Professional Development will be provided to IEP Chair(s) and special education teachers on
standards-based IEP development that supports OYP.
c. Determination of need for further review will be determined by analyzing data available from
Special Education STAT and Parent Response Unit.
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Progressing: An IEP categorized as ‘Progressing’, collaboratively the Office of Special Education
Educational Specialists and Network Special Education Liaisons, will complete the following within 30 days
of the finding(s):
a. Feedback will be provided to school leaders, IEP Chair(s), teachers and other staff with regard
to OYP Monitor findings.
b. Next steps will be determined collaboratively by the Educational Specialist and the Special
Education Liaison.
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