Student
Summary of Performance
The Student
Summary of Performance (SOP) is required under the Individuals
with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA
2004). The language as stated in IDEA 2004 regarding the SOP
is as follows:
For a child whose eligibility under special education terminates
due to graduation with a regular diploma, or due to exceeding
the age of eligibility, the local educational agency “shall
provide the child with a summary of the child’s academic
achievement and functional performance, which shall include
recommendations on how to assist the child in meeting the
child’s postsecondary goals” §Sec. 300.305(e)(3).
The Summary
of Performance, with the accompanying documentation, is important
to assist the student in the transition from high school to
higher education, training and/or employment. This information
is necessary under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and
the Americans with Disabilities Act to help establish a student’s
eligibility for reasonable accommodations and supports in
postsecondary settings. It is also useful for the Vocational
Rehabilitation Comprehensive Assessment process. The information
about students' current level of functioning is intended to
help postsecondary institutions consider accommodations for
access. These recommendations should not imply that any individual
who qualified for special education in high school will automatically
qualify for services in the postsecondary education or the
employment setting. Postsecondary settings will continue to
make eligibility decisions on a case-by-case basis.
The SOP
is most useful when linked with the IEP process and the student
has the opportunity to actively participate in the development
of this document.
The SOP
must be completed during the final year of a student’s
high school education. The timing of completion of the SOP
may vary depending on the student’s postsecondary goals.
If a student is transitioning to higher education, the SOP,
with additional documentation, may be necessary as the student
applies to a college or university. Likewise, this information
may be necessary as a student applies for services from state
agencies such as vocational rehabilitation. In some instances,
it may be most appropriate to wait until the spring of a student’s
final year to provide an agency or employer the most updated
information on the performance of the student.
Summary
of Performance Model Template:
A model
template for the Summary of Performance has been developed
by the National Transition Documentation Summit © 2005
based on the initial work of Stan Shaw, Carol Kochhar-Bryant,
Margo Izzo, Ken Benedict, and David Parker. It reflects the
contributions and suggestions of numerous stakeholders in
professional organizations, school districts and universities
particularly the Connecticut Interagency Transition Task Force.
It is available to be freely copied or adapted for educational
purposes. The model template has been formally ratified by
the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division on Career
Development and Transition (DCDT), Division on Learning Disabilities
(DLD), and Council on Educational Diagnostic Services (CEDS),
Learning Disability Association (LDA), the Higher Education
Consortium for Special Education (HECSE), and the Council
for Learning Disabilities (CLD).
The
Student Summary of Performance Model Form, along with instructions
for completion, is available here in WORD
and PDF.
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