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The Use of Individual Education Programs for Children in Australian Schools

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  15 June 2012

Ian Dempsey
Ian Dempsey*
Affiliation:
Centre for Special Education and Disability Studies, University of Newcastle, Australia
*
Correspondence: Ian Dempsey, Centre for Special Education and Disability Studies, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW 2308, Australia. E-mail: ian.dempsey@newcastle.edu.au
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Abstract

A cornerstone of special education practice is customising instruction to meet individual students’ needs. Individual education programs (IEPs) are used in many countries to document the manner in which such instruction is customised and to provide a record of student outcomes. Using 2009 data from the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children, this paper examines a range of student and school variables associated with Australian children aged 8 to 9 years who had an IEP at the time. There were significant differences across government, Catholic and independent schools, and significant differences across the states and territories in the use of IEPs. The Discussion section of the paper explores possible reasons for those differences and the desirability for more consistent use of IEPs with students with a disability in Australia.

Keywords

individual education programIEPspecial education policyspecial education law
Type
Articles
Information
Australasian Journal of Special Education , Volume 36 , Issue 1 , July 2012 , pp. 21 - 31
Copyright
© The Authors 2012

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