19-03-2025
IEPs 'changed education for the better'
Mar. 18—SPENCERVILLE — Julie Woods crafts personalized lessons for each of her 13 students at Spencerville Middle School.
The intervention specialist works with a dozen fifth and sixth grade students who rely on individualized education plans, commonly known as IEPs, to close gaps in their reading, writing or arithmetic skills.
The legal documents outline how public schools intend to improve educational outcomes for children with physical, intellectual or learning disabilities.
Interventions are developed with input from the child's parents, teachers, counselors and principals, and may follow a child through college if needed.
The proliferation of education plans compelled public schools to integrate disabled students in regular classrooms, rather than segregate them for the duration of the school day.
"There's less stigma," Woods said. "They're part of everything."
In any given week a student who struggles with oral reading comprehension may come to Woods's classroom to practice reading passages out loud.
Another may need Woods to read their test questions aloud, while yet another may need permission to use a calculator on an exam.
Woods co-teaches with two English teachers too, which allows her to observe her students in their regular classrooms and to work alongside students who don't qualify for an IEP, but who still benefit from extra attention.
"She has to individualize every single thing for every single activity for every single student," said John Zerbe, principal of Spencerville Middle School, who estimated his school has at least 35 students on IEPs this year.
"It's a challenge for our special education department, because they have to differentiate everything they're doing," Zerbe said. But students are "being pushed, even though they have those accommodations," he said.
Spencerville schools employs seven intervention specialists across its three schools to work with students on education plans.
The Ohio Department of Education and Workforce estimates 16% of Ohio preschool and school-aged children have a disability and are eligible for special education services.
Learning disabilities are the most common disability reported by Ohio students, the majority of whom spend most of their school day in regular classrooms thanks to IEPs.
Students who report to multiple-handicap classrooms because of a physical or developmental disability are included as often as possible too, even in gym class or the cafeteria, Zerbe said.
"That changed education for the better," Zerbe said.
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