Using Google Survey for IEPs

How to efficiently collect data for present levels of performance

There are many things we must juggle as special educators - several students on our caseloads, differentiating instruction, modifying classroom materials, and of course, writing IEPs. One of the most time consuming - and at times difficult - parts of writing the IEP is obtaining notes from general education teachers for the Present Levels of Performance.

This is where Google Forms has helped me the most. Teachers always want what is best for their students, but they may not always be aware of what information is needed in an IEP for their teacher notes. Google Forms has many functions that can take that stress away for you and the general education teachers you work with. It takes time to set up the form at first, but once it is created, it is very easy for you and your co-teachers to use. See the pictures and steps listed below for more information.

First Page on Google Survey

Include these sections:

1. Teacher name
2. Student they are writing about
3. The subject area they teach the student in

Second Page on Google Survey

This is the STEM section. Include:

1. Academic Strengths (checkboxes)
   1. One write-in section where the teacher provides two specific examples that they have seen in the classroom to substantiate their evidence
2. Academic Needs (checkboxes)
   1. One write-in section where the teacher provides two specific examples that they have seen in the classroom to substantiate their evidence
3. Goals - include a link to CCSS

Third Page on Google Survey

This is the Humanities Section. Include:

1. Academic Strengths (checkboxes)
   1. Write-in evidence section
2. Academic Needs (checkboxes)
   1. Write-in evidence section
3. Goals - include a link to CCSS

Fourth Page on Google Survey

This is the Motor Skills section. Include:

1. Strengths (checkboxes)
2. Needs (checkboxes)

Fifth Page on Google Survey

This is the Social and Behavioral Skills Section. Include:

1. Socioemotional Strengths (checkboxes)
   1. Write-in evidence section
2. Socioemotional Needs (checkboxes)
   1. Write-in evidence section

Sixth Page on Google Survey

This is the Suggested Supports Section. Include:

1. Academic Supports (checkboxes)
2. Behavioral Supports (checkboxes)

This is a form that can be emailed to teachers. When they complete the form, you can have the information they provided you with input into a Google Sheet document. From there, it is a simple copy and paste job into the IEP, with some formatting checking here and there. These notes can also easily be uploaded to the IEP as an attachment.

For information on how to use Google Forms, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LxlfPLPI0wM 

Author: Haydenn Harper