Helping students make progress on and master their IEP goals is key to every child’s success, not just for that year’s annual IEP – but for the child’s success with “…further education, employment, and independent living.”
But with dozens of students on a caseload, it can be challenging to find enough hours in the school day to give them both the attention and skills practice needed.
In those instances, IEP work bins can be an effective and integral part of their learning and your teaching.
IEP Work Bins
Before embarking on creating IEP work bins it’s important to understand what they are and why they can be helpful for your students. It’s also helpful to know what materials are needed to create and store them so that you can save time and money.
What are IEP Work Bins?
IEP Work Bins are task boxes that contain learning activities specifically geared toward the individual child’s IEP goals. They are typically designed to be used by one child and activities are added and removed based on the child’s progress with his or her goals.
Unlike traditional work bins or task boxes that focus on one skill at a time, IEP work bins can contain a variety of subjects and activities.
Why IEP Work Bins are Effective
When you are working in a self-contained classroom your students may have anywhere from 10 different IEP goals to 100. That means that a lot of your time will be spent trying to adapt and differentiate your teaching to try to meet them where they are. That can be especially challenging when it comes to having learning centers in the classroom.
IEP Work Bins provide students with hands-on centers that are specifically geared to their IEP goals. That means that they are getting the practice they need to make progress while you are working with a small group or other students individually.
Other benefits of IEP work bins include:
- Direct alignment with IEP goals and objectives
- Encouraging independence with learning and work habits
- Provides hands on, multi-sensory learning opportunities
- Gives you direct IEP-goal data collection and progress monitoring time
- Promotes generalization and maintenance of skills
- Can be used during whole group, small group, during transition times, or when a student finishes work early
- Provides paraprofessionals with structured learning materials and pre-prepped guidance to implement with students
How to Set Up IEP Work Bins
Just like traditional task bins, IEP work bin activities should be stored in a sturdy container. Unlike single skill boxes however, IEP work bins need a little more space so a larger, clear container is often preferred. But you can also make your own IEP work bins quickly and often with boxes you already have on hand (see how here).
Remember, it needs to be easy enough for the student to open, but large enough to hold the centers you’d like them to work on throughout the day.
Adding to and Organizing Activities in the Work Bins
Adding activities to the work bins means keeping track of what centers you have, which ones have been assigned to each child, and which ones the student has already mastered. A simple spreadsheet and labels on each activity makes this much easier.
For example, if your student has a goal for color recognition, you could label the activity on the spreadsheet and with a sticky label on the zip-top storage bag that it’s in as “Color-1”. You could then type in the child’s name who has that center in their IEP Work Bin. Having a separate tab for each child would then allow you to keep track of who has used which center. Make a copy of the spreadsheet I use here.
Activities for IEP Work Bins
There are many different types of activities that you can include in the IEP work bins, but the most effective ones are going to be those that specifically address each child’s needs and learning style.
It’s a good idea to store the activities in zip-top plastic bags that are labeled with the activity code it has been assigned. While you might normally set up work boxes in their own individual clear containers, when those activities are being added to a larger bin, it’s best to store them in clear plastic bags so that they fit better.
IEP Work Bins may not work for every student on your caseload or in your classroom, but they are an excellent resource for those students who can work more independently and who will benefit from extra skills practice.
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