WRDSB Support 4 Students IEP Writer Support Guide

April 2014

Table of Contents

Getting Started: 1 Getting in/ Browser - Operating System Requirements/ Turning off Pop Ups 2

Customizing your settings/My Preferences (IEP System Tab) 3

Navigating IEP Writer/Basic Set Up/Types of Accounts 4

IEP Main Tab: 5 Find An IEP 6

Create An IEP 7

Student Information 8

IEP Particulars 9

Subjects and Courses 10

Accommodations 11

Working with Modified and Alternative Expectations 12-13

Copy and Pasting 14

Transition Plan 15

Consultation and Review 16

Alternative Program Report Card 17

IPRC Forms Tab: 18 IPRC Meeting Notification Form 19

IPRC Determination Form 20

IPRC Waiver Form 21

Printing Tab: 22 IEP Print Menu 23

Manage IEP Tab: 24 IEP Archive 25

IEP Delete 26

IEP Change Owner 27

IEP Promote 28

September Start Up: 29 September Start Up 30

Getting Started

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Getting In:

1. There are several ways you can access the Support 4 Students website. 2. Click on the Support 4 Students Quick link section (formerly IEP Writer Quick Link) on the WRDSB home page. You can

also access the website using the Staff Login tab on the WRDSB home page. The web address for Support 4 Students is https://s4s.wrdsb.ca (Support 4 Students is now the log in for SERS, IEP Writer and other intervention modules).

3. Use your WRDSB Username and PAL login

Operating System and Browser Requirements: At school IEP Writer needs to be accessed on the Windows side only. The Mac side is not supported. For home use IEP Writer will work on IE 7, 8 and 9 and for Macs Safari 505. Technical support is not provided for home use.

Pop Ups: In order for IEP Writer to function correctly, Pop-ups must be enabled on your computer. Click on Turn off Pop up Blocker.

Useful Tips:

1. If you forget your username or password contact the IT Helpdesk (http://ithelpdesk.wrdsb.on.ca).

2. DO NOT USE THE INTERNET NAVIGATION BUTTONS (back, refresh, X, etc) while working in the IEP Writer program or you will be kicked out of the program and may lose data!

3. You MUST use the Log Out button (on the Nav Bar, midway down) to leave the program, or you will be locked out of the IEP you are currently working on for 25 minutes. (Other IEPs are still accessible)

4. Idle Time: IEP Writer will log off a user who has been idle for 25 minutes.

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Customizing your settings:

Some customizing of settings is provided through the IEP System tab. Selecting this tab brings up – My Preferences on the Nav bar.

Selecting My Preferences allows the teachers to have the IEP’s they own own automatically appear when they log on. Click on the yes radial button.

DO NOT change hover colour!!

Once choices have been made, click on Accept and then click on Exit.

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TAB BAR

Navigating the IEP Writer:

Basic Set Up: Each Tab across the top has its own Nav Bar on the left. (Imagine each Tab is a file folder, and the

Nav Bar tells you what files are in each file folder). Hovering over tab gives you quick access to the different pages.

Use the Exit button when moving between tabs and some screens. (if you see this click Exit).

Types of Accounts:

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The level of access to IEP Writer is determined by your role in the school. SERTs have Super User access and

abilities. Any User at a school may view IEPs at that school. Any user can add a modified/alternative program to the

subject pages of an IEP, thus creating and OWNING the modified program page. The owner of an IEP may assign

ownership of a page 4 to another user at the school. If the user does not own the IEP, they will have read only access

.

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NAVBAR- Navigates through sections of IEP

Log out And Exit buttons

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IEP Writer Tab

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Find an IEP:

This is the screen you will select when you first log into IEP Writer.

1. Select your school name, if it doesn’t automatically appear.

2. Input the grade or first few letters of the student’s last name, etc to narrow the search

(IEP Writer looks for the student’s legal name as stored in Trillium) or Board ID.

3. Click ‘Search’.

4. Click on the student’s name from the list that appears.

5. Super Users can also search IEP’s using modified, alternative or accommodated expectations as part of the search parameters.

Useful Tips:

1. You can click the ‘My IEPs’ button above the student’s last name field to bring up the list

of all the IEPs that you own (if you have set the My Preferences to list my IEPs).

2. If you keep your search broad (e.g. My IEPs, school list or grade list), once you are

working in an IEP the list that you pulled up will appear in the ‘Quick Navigation menu’ at

the top of each IEP page. This is handy if you want to copy and paste between IEPs.

3. To find an archived student who has left WRDSB, clear all search criteria and use only

their Board ID number. Click search.

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Create an IEP:

1. Select your school name, if it doesn’t automatically appear

2. Input the first few letters of the student’s last name, or the student’s grade or narrow the

search (otherwise you will get every student enrolled in your school)

3. Click ‘Search’

4. Click on the student’s name from the list that appears

5. When the Student Information page appears, check to make sure it is the correct

student

- If it isn’t the correct student, click the ‘Cancel’ button on the left Nav Bar to return to

the Search page and refine your search

- If it is the correct student, click the ‘Create This IEP’ button half way down the left

Nav Bar

You can now begin adding data to the IEP

Useful Tips:

1. You can narrow your search by inputting the first few letters of the student’s last name

and/or the grade number

2. Note that each time you switch screens in the IEP Writer your data automatically saves

Use the Exit button when moving between tabs and some screens (if you see this click Exit). NEW

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Student Information:

This screen has personal student data from the board’s student information system (Trillium).

The information is current from Trillium as of the previous evening. It is refreshed nightly. No

changes can be made to this page. If there is a discrepancy with the information, speak to your

school secretary to ensure the data is entered correctly into Trillium.

NOTE: This information and all other information in the IEP Writer is protected, covered under the

Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Acts, like all information in the

student’s OSR. Please treat it with the highest confidentiality.

Useful Tips:

1. Log off when you walk away from your computer to keep others from viewing confidential student information

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IEP Particulars:

Most of the student data at the top fills in automatically, including the IPRC date, the exceptionality

and placement.(This information is extracted from the IPRC Forms found under the IPRC Forms

Tab).

All other fields have a help box to guide you if you double-click on the title of the section.

1. Click in a data field to enter data

2. Some fields (e.g., ‘Strengths’ and ‘Needs’) allow you to select from a checklist and/or type

in your own information

(One click will allow you to type/edit directly into the box; two clicks will take you to the pull

down menu/editing pop up box)

Useful Tips:

1. Click on the ‘Strengths’ and ‘Needs’ title(s) for the Help box for some helpful tips regarding

Strengths and Needs from the Ministry standards.

2. More information about IEPs can be found in the Ministry’s IEP Guide 2004.

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Subjects and Courses:

(F applies to full year courses secondary panel)

‘Subject/Course’ section:

1. Select the correct term: Term 1 or 2 Click AC, MOD or ALT first.

2. Click the blank data field and select a course.

3. For Secondary students, you can click the ‘Copy Time Table’ button and select the

courses from the student’s current timetable that require accommodations, modifications,

or alternative programming

‘Human Resources’ section:

1. There MUST be data in this field

2. Click on a grey or white field to select each person that will be supporting the student and

fill in the details

3. If the position you need isn’t in the ‘Type of Service’ pull down list, or you want to add a

note of clarification after a position, you can type in the box below the ‘Type of Service’ list.

‘Provincial Assessment’ section:

1. All provincial assessment accommodations selected will automatically

fill in on the Accommodations page as well. This section will be

completed for Grades 3, 6, 9, 10.

Useful Tips: 1. To save extra clicking if you plan on copying and pasting between mod/alt program pages

for some students, you can use the Quick Navigation Bar to toggle between students.

2. To add more lines in Subjects and Courses click the save button.

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Accommodations:

Accommodations:

1. Click in a data box to select or type in accommodations applicable to the student

2. Don’t forget to type in the IEP ‘date of completion’ – 30 school days after the start of the

new Special Ed program (mid October for most IEPs)

3. Note that the ‘This IEP also includes’ section at the bottom cannot be selected manually. If

you create a Transition Plan page and/or modified or alternative programming pages it will

be checked automatically.

Useful Tips:

1. You can flip between IEPs easily using the ‘Quick Navigation Menu’ at the top of the

screen with the student’s name in it – it will take you to the same page for each student

you select.

2. In some instances a subject that was previously modified (this is done in the subject

and courses section in IEP Writer) May later only need to be accommodated. Make

sure when you make this change you click the clear button to delete the course first

and then re- add the course as accommodate. This will stop phantom subject pages

from printing.

Working with Modified and Alternative Expectations:

As indicated above, once a Modified or Alternative course is identified, clicking the **Modified & Alternative Pages** drop down on the upper Navbar brings up a list of courses for which a Subject has been created. Clicking on the course name brings up the actual subject page. A complete list of the available expectations is

provided in the support document IEPWriter Alternative Programs, Subjects/Courses and Expectations – Version 2.2 – December 2009.

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The Baseline Level of Achievement refers to the assessment results for the student in the previous year or term. The first two lines are for secondary students. Elementary information is entered at the bottom of the window. If the student is continuing in a previously created modified program then this is indicated

here. The actual achievement results (from the most current report card) go in the field on the right.

Clicking in the Annual Program Goal Field brings up a free text field in which the program goal can be entered.

Clicking on ‘more…’ above the data field for ‘Learning Expectations’ will give you access to viewing Ontario curriculum expectations to support the crafting of your expectations.

Clicking on ‘more…’ above the data field for ‘Assessment Methods’ and ‘Teaching Strategies’ will give you access to a list of possible assessment methods, or you can type your own directly into the data field.

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To change the ownership of a subject page, use the drop down at the bottom of the subject page to

select the teacher. NB! Note: The ownership of a Page 4 can only be given to individuals who have

access to IEP’s at the same school as the student.

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COPYING AND PASTING BETWEEN IEPs:

1. Click the square box beside the expectation(s) you want to copy (it copies the entire line).

2. Go to the Subject you want to paste on and click the round ‘Paste _ items from

clipboard to this page” button at the bottom of the screen

Useful Tips:

1. You can flip between IEPs easily using the ‘Quick Navigation Menu’ at the top of the screen with

the student’s name in it – it will take you to the same page for the student you select (mod or alt

pages MUST have the same name and grade though).

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Transition Plan:

1. On the transition page, all fields must be completed

2. Click in a data field to enter or select data

3. In the ‘Transition Plan Goals’ field, you can select from the list, type your own

goals , or select from the list and customize it to make it specific to the student.

Useful Tips:

1. More information about transition plans can be found in the Ministry’s PPM 156

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Consultation and Review:

You MUST have at least one entry in this section, or this signature page will not print!

1. Scroll to the BOTTOM of this page for the ‘Record of Parent /

Student / Staff Consultations and IEP Updating’ section

2. Click on a grey or white line to open the data entry box

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Alternative Program Report Card: After the Alternative Pages have been created in the IEP:

1. Select the Alternative Program Report Card in the left hand Nav Bar.

2. Click on the radial button for the first Alternative subject (course) you wish to report on. Note the report cards are broken into term1 and term 2 report periods. Term 1 will have two reporting dates- the progress reporting date (first date) and the achievement reporting (second date). When composing the achievement report in term 1, you will need to clear the progress report comments. Each report card will be saved separately. All three report cards will have the title Alternative Program Report Card. (The progress report card button has been disabled and is not for our board.)

3. Select the reporting date. Note the title will confirm which term has been selected.

4. The list of subject areas indicates whether or not a report card has been generated. Each subject area (course) saves separately.

5. Clicking on the Strengths/Areas for Improvement/Next Steps opens the text box for you to compose. Compose directly in the text box to avoid any formatting issues.

6. When you print, all subject areas (courses) will print on one report page and will be separated by their subject title.

Useful Tips:

1. Remember that the Alternate Report Card is the only page in the IEP that

DOESN ’T SAVE automatically! You MUST click the save button before you leave the page. NEW

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IPRC Forms Tab

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Under the IPRC Tab there are three forms and the forms need to be completed in the following order:

1) IPRC Meeting Notification 2) IPRC Determination Form 3) IPRC Annual Review Waiver

IPRC Meeting Notification Form: At the appropriate time in the school year for either an initial IPRC meeting or an annual review, the process within the IEP Writer is begun by selecting the IPRC Meeting Notification form under the IPRC Forms.

Most of the information on this form is extracted from Trillium with only a few fields requiring user input.

The first of these is the date the invitation is being sent. This is a standard date field and is accessed by clicking on the icon to the right of the date field.

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IPRC Determination Form: Ideally the IPRC Determination form should be completed at the time of the IPRC meeting. This allows decisions to be recorded at the time they are made and for the form to be immediately printed and signed as required.

All of the student demographic information is extracted from Trillium and pre-filled on the form.

In the case of a new referral all of the fields related to the IPRC determination will, of course, be blank. However, in the case of an IPRC Review meeting, where an IPRC has previously been determined and is indicated on the IEP Particulars page, this information is pre-filled in the corresponding fields on the IPRC Determination form, as indicated.

Once the form is completed, it should be saved and then printed by clicking on the print icon. Useful Tips: 1. Indicating that the signed forms have been received enables the Update The IEP button (found to the right of the Date Of IPRC Meeting field and print icon). Clicking on this button will then update the IPRC related fields on the IEP Particulars page.

Note: Once an IPRC Determination form is created within the IEP Writer changes to any IPRC Designation fields can only be made on the IPRC Determination form, not on the IEP Particulars page.

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IPRC Waiver Form: As part of the process of preparing for the annual review of an IPRC contact is made with parents. In many situations it is agreed that the current IPRC designation and program is to be continued without change and that the parents waive the right/need for the annual review meeting. In this case the IPRC Annual Review Waiver form is created.

On the top right of the form indicate the date the form is to be sent home. Then save the form and print it by clicking on the print icon to the left of the Date field. When the signed form is received enter the same date as indicated on the form in The Date Signed field just below. Then click on the Update The IEP button and this date is then entered in the appropriate field on the IEP Particulars page.

Date form sent home

Date waiver signed

Printing Tab

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IEP Print Tab Menu >>

PRINT IEPS:

1. Make sure your internet ‘Pop Up B locker’ is turned OFF under your internet Tools menu!

2. Under ‘Selection Options’ select the student(s) name(s), or click the ‘Select All’

button to select everyone on the list (this list is fed from your selection in the Find

An IEP screen)

3. Under ‘Report Options’ select the page(s) you want to print, or click the ‘Select All

Pages’ button below the page list.

4. Click the ‘Include Page Numbers’ button below the page list.

5. If you are printing double-sided copies for multiple students, click the ‘Duplex Print’

button (this adds a blank page when needed so you won’t have a page one on the

back of someone else’s last page).

6. Click the ‘Preview’ button at the bottom of the screen. The IEP Writer will turn

your IEP data into a .pdf document. It may take a few seconds to spool.

7. When the prompt says, “Processing Complete…” click the ‘Okay’ button

Your IEP(s) will open as a pdf document.

Useful Tips:

1. If you accidentally select a student name that you don’t want, click on it and it will disappear.

2. If you are saving hard copies to your computer, ensure that your computer is secure and there is no public access to your file

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Manage IEP Tab

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Archive:

Only a single active IEP can be on file for any one student at a time. The IEP function

makes the current copy of the IEP inactive/closed. Each summer the IEPWriter System

Administrator closes/archives all the WRDSB IEPs for the previous school year. You may

decide to close/archive an IEP if a student no longer requires an IEP.

1. Under the IEP Writer tab, go to the Find an IEP screen and make sure the IEP(s)

you want to close/archive appear in the selected IEP list.

2. Click Exit

3. Go to the Manage IEP tab.

4. Select Archive IEP in the left Nav Bar

5. Select the student’s name from the Student List at the top of the screen

6. Click the Archive button in the middle of the left hand NavBar.

Useful Tips:

1. You can view any Archived IEPs in your school in Find an IEP under the IEP tab by

selecting ‘Archived’ rather than ‘Open’ in the upper right corner of the screen. You

will see every archived copy for the student(s) selected. They are numbered so you

can find the most recent one.

2. If you accidentally archive an IEP, go to the Promote IEPs page in this instruction

manual to re-activate it.

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IEP Delete:

The delete function removes the IEP from the database and should be used with

extreme caution. It would typically be used to remove an IEP created in error. Only

users with Delete Access have access to this option.

1. Under the IEP Writer tab, go to the Find an IEP screen and make sure the IEP(s)

you want to delete appear in the selected IEP list.

2. Click Exit

3. Go to the Manage IEP tab.

4. Select Delete IEP in the left Nav Bar

5. Select the student’s name from the Student List at the top of the screen

6. Click the Delete button in the middle of the left hand NavBar.

Useful Tips:

1. If you don’t have access to the Delete IEP option but you accidentally created an

IEP that you want deleted, contact your school SERT ( Super User) to see if they

have access, or log a ticket through the IT Help Desk for IEP Writer support.

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IEP Change Owner:

The IEP Change Owner option is used to change the ownership of all pages of an IEP to a

different user. The program is designed to change the ownership of multiple IEPS at one

time. The IEPs displayed are those that are currently appearing in the user’s working list

(in Find an IEP under the IEP tab).

1. Under the IEP Writer tab, go to the Find an IEP screen and make sure the IEP(s)

you want to change the owner of appear in the selected IEP list.

2. Click Exit

3. Go to the Manage IEP tab.

4. Select Change Owner in the left Nav Bar

5. Select the new owner from the ‘New Owner’ pull down menu beside their name

6. Click the Change button in the middle of the left hand NavBar.

Useful Tips:

1. To change ownership for all of the IEPs to one new owner, use the ‘Set All IEPs to

be Owned By’ box at the bottom of the screen

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IEP Promote:

Reactivating an archived IEP is called Promoting.

The IEP Promote option is available to Super Users only. Please see the ‘September Start Up’

section for detailed instructions for Promoting IEPs.

Useful Tips:

1. ALWAYS double-check the school year at the bottom of the screen to ensure you have the correct year selected.

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September Start Up

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Promoting IEPs:

SEPTEMBER START UP

In the summer the System Administrator archives all the IEPs from the previous year. In the fall,

the School Super User will promote the archived IEPs to create a new copy for the new year.

1. Go to the Manage IEP tab

2. In the Left Nav Bar click Promote IEPs

3. Select your school

4. Select ‘All Grades’

5. Click ‘Archived Only’

6. Click the ‘Find’ button

7. When the IEPs appear, on the right side, click the ‘Promote’ box to select all

8. At the bottom of the screen select the new school year

9. Click the ‘Promote’ button

ALL the IEPs for your school will now be owned by the Super User that

promoted them. If you need to change ownership of some of them, see

Change IEP Owner instructions in the Manage IEP Tab section of this guide.

Useful Tips:

1. You can use this same process to promote one or a few IEPs at a time if, for example, you

have accidentally archived them during the school year.

Instead of clicking the Promote box in Step 7, you can select individual IEPs by clicking the

box in each row.