How to Create a Life Skills Portfolio for Special Education Students

Accommodations help students succeed

Special education students require more assistance than most students. Because these students typically struggle with verbal and written language, additional assistance is needed for them to learn and retain knowledge. Because each child’s learning abilities are unique, an individual plan is needed for each special education student. The individual plan puts assistance and accommodations where they are needed for an individual to actualize potential abilities. Here's how to create a life skills portfolio for special education students.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Word processing software
• Three-ring binder
• Clear holders for binder
• List of student goals
• Student's prior accomplishments

Instructions

1. Write 6 Life Skills Portfolio (LSP) goals to be achieved by the end of the school year. Write the procedures to be used for evaluating and demonstrating progress and record keeping procedures in clear language so that everyone understands what is expected (see Resources below).

2. Clarify each team member’s role in helping the student to accomplish goals. Each team member’s role should be in writing.

3. Document the team’s decisions about alternate assessment options for tracking the student’s progress. These include parent input, classroom teachers and therapists, to name a few. The team should follow written procedure guidelines to determine which alternate assessment is the most appropriate for the student.

4. Include a copy of the student’s current IEP in the Life Skills Portfolio (LSP). If the student has an IBP or 504c plan, those should be included in the LSP as well. IEP stands for Individual Education Plan, IBP is Individual Behavior Plan and 504c is individual accommodations for a documented medical condition that affects a student’s scholastic abilities.

5. Identify three unique learning outcomes for the first goal area, which is "Communication." Each unique learning outcome will require programming data to allow for tracking a student’s progress by scoring.

6. Identify three unique learning outcomes for the "Problem Solving" goal area. Each unique learning outcome will require programming data to allow for tracking a student’s progress by scoring.

7. Reference a specific goal or objective for each of the required learning goals.

8. Type a coversheet for the LSP, listing the documents included. These include a copy of the Documentation of Eligibility, IEPs, IBPs or 504c that cover the school year, Table of Learning Outcomes and Problem Solving Table of Learning Outcomes.

9. Type a letter to include with the LSP that explains any relevant circumstances that are not included in the other documentation but may impact the student's progress over the school year. Items to consider are changes in the program, personnel, foster care, health and medication.

10. Submit the LSP to the school district for scoring by June 1 so it can be ready for the student when school starts back up in the fall.

Tips & Warnings

• Be assertive and insist on accommodations that you feel your student needs to succeed.

• Do not sign an LSP that you do not agree with, since it will be in place for an entire school year.

Resources

• Lifeskills Portfolio (LSP) Assessment