How to Explain the Implementation of Service Minutes

When writing an IEP, the most important part we as Special Education teachers must adhere to are the services.  If you write in the IEP that you are going to see a child 5x a week for 30 minutes, then you need to make sure you see that child 5x a week for 30 minutes so that you are not out of compliance.  But what does that really mean?  

If you write that a child is receiving Reading / ELA services 5x a week for 30 minutes, but you have 2 to 3 annual goals – maybe a fluency goal, a comprehension goal and a decoding goal – how do you know what needs to be worked on and for how long?

Explaining the Implementation of Service Minutes

Let’s break it down a little.

  • In some areas, when the annual goals are written, each goal is written with an allotted amount of time that goal should be addressed, but let’s pretend that we don’t have to do that and just have one specific service delivery.
  • Your service delivery should specify the frequency the services are provided, the duration of the services, and the location – meaning are you pushing into the general education setting, or are you pulling them out into a separate special education setting – which would really just be your classroom or a different area away from their peers.
  • Now you get to the actual academics – if you are pulling your students into a separate setting, most of the time your district provides you with a program to follow, when  – if you really think about it – can allow you to address different goals in one.
    • Example – Reading – One program that can be used is Letterland for your little learners.  This program incorporates decoding & encoding, fluency in reading sentences, and comprehension in the phonics readers.  There you go. 
  • What about something like Math?  You may have different goals for different areas of math.  Maybe a rote counting, and identifying the equation in and solving a word problem.  You could start everyday by practicing your rote counting, then continue with working on word problems.
  • If you are providing push-in services, you would obviously spend the required amount of time and frequency in the classroom during that learning time and provide support while they complete their work.  If they are participating in a free choice activity, or an independent activity, you can pull them to a different area of the room (as long as they are not being removed from their same age peers) and work on some skills that may need more reinforcement and support that aren’t being addressed in the classroom at that moment.

Need help documenting service delivery?  Grab this template when you join The Intentional IEP here or by clicking the image above.


All in all – while there is no specific way to describe how long and often a specific goal is being worked on, your special education service minutes will dictate how long and often you are addressing the specific topic. What you work on specifically will be decided based on what your students annual goals are, how many annual goals they have, and what types of programs your district requires.

One way to really make sure you are in compliance is to discuss it with your team members, administration and/or your coordinating teachers/central office workers. Reach out to experienced people in your area on what is really looked for during those service delivery times.

 

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