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Moline-Coal Valley School District Professional Development · May 5, 2026
An AI Activity for Educational Leaders

Drafting an IEP with AI

A guided walkthrough for using AI to draft a federally-aligned Individualized Education Program — while modeling student data privacy.

— 01

What we're doing

In this activity, you'll use AI to draft an IEP for a fictitious student profile. The point isn't just speed — it's seeing how thoughtful prompting, structured frameworks, and privacy-conscious habits make AI a true partner for instructional leaders.

By the end, you'll have a complete first-draft IEP aligned to the IDEA framework, plus a model you can adapt for real student work — without ever exposing student data to a public AI tool.

Privacy first We will never enter a real student's name into AI. Throughout this activity, we'll use the placeholder [STUDENT] in place of any identifying information. This is the same habit you should model for your faculty when they begin using AI in their own workflows.
— 02

Meet [STUDENT]

Our fictitious student profile is intentionally common — a learner most special education teams will recognize immediately.

Grade 5th Grade
Age 10 years old
Primary Disability SLD (Dyslexia)
Co-Occurring ADHD-PI

[STUDENT] is a 10-year-old 5th grader with strong verbal reasoning and creative thinking. [STUDENT] reads at a 2nd grade equivalency and struggles with decoding, fluency, and sustained attention during independent work.

Math computation is near grade level, but word problems present a barrier due to reading demands. [STUDENT] benefits from preferential seating, chunked tasks, and frequent check-ins.

Parents report that [STUDENT] enjoys LEGO building, science, and soccer, but expresses frustration and low confidence around reading tasks. [STUDENT] has not previously received special education services.

— 03

The IDEA framework

Every IEP — in Illinois and nationwide — must include these eight components, mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. We'll ask AI to address all of them.

i

PLAAFP

Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance.

ii

Measurable Annual Goals

Specific, measurable, achievable goals tied to the PLAAFP.

iii

Special Education Services

Type, frequency, and provider of services and related supports.

iv

Participation with Peers

Extent to which the student participates in general education.

v

Assessment Accommodations

Adjustments for state and district assessments.

vi

Service Logistics

Dates, frequency, location, and duration of services.

vii

Transition Services

Required by age 16 — postsecondary planning and skill-building.

viii

Progress Monitoring

How and when progress will be measured and communicated.

— 04

Your prompt

Open Gemini in a new tab and enable Canvas Mode. Copy the prompt below, paste it in, and press enter — then we'll examine the document AI produces.

Before you paste · Canvas Mode In Gemini, select Canvas from the prompt toolbar before submitting. Canvas Mode renders the IEP as a live, editable document — tables, headers, and formatting display cleanly, and you can refine individual sections (a single goal, the PLAAFP, a service line) without re-prompting from scratch. This is what transforms a chat reply into a usable working draft.
Draft a complete IEP for [STUDENT] using the Federal Model IEP Form (OSEP standard) and a Grid-based Service Delivery Matrix. Student Profile: - Age/Grade: 10-year-old, 5th Grade - Eligibility: SLD (Dyslexia) and ADHD (Inattentive) - Data: Reads at 2nd-grade level; struggles with decoding/fluency. Math computation is grade-level; word problems are a barrier. - Strengths/Interests: Verbal reasoning, creative thinking, LEGOs, science, soccer Structural Requirements: 1. PLAAFP: Format using two distinct sub-sections: "Strengths/Interests" and "Impact of Disability." 2. Goals: Present in a table including Area, Goal Statement, and Success Criteria. 3. Service Matrix: Use the Grid A/B/C format (Consultation, General Ed, and Special Ed settings). 4. Accommodations: Categorize as Environmental, Instructional, or Assessment. 5. IDEA Compliance: Include all 8 required components (Transition, LRE, Progress Monitoring, etc.). Output Style: Use professional, compliant language suitable for a legal document. Format using Markdown tables and bold headers for high scannability. Use [STUDENT] as a placeholder throughout — do not generate a fictional name.
— Option A

Type or paste

Copy the prompt above and paste it directly into Gemini. Notice how a structured prompt produces a structured response.

— Option B

Upload an image

Photograph this page with your phone and upload the image to Gemini. Watch how multimodal input changes the output — and compare with a colleague.

— 05

After you see the output

Don't just read what AI generated — interrogate it. Use these prompts at your table.

  1. Did AI address all eight IDEA components, or did it skip any? Which ones, and why might that matter?
  2. Are the measurable annual goals actually measurable? Could you take what AI wrote into an IEP meeting today, or does it need rework?
  3. What did AI assume about [STUDENT] that wasn't in the prompt? Are those assumptions reasonable, or do they introduce bias?
  4. What's missing that an experienced special educator would have included? What does that tell you about AI's role in this work?
  5. Where would human expertise need to enter the draft to make it ready for a real student?
— 06

Use AI responsibly EVERY time

AI's first draft is a starting point — never a finished product.

Before any AI-generated IEP language enters a real document, the EVERY framework gives us a habit for evaluating it: a pause built into the workflow that keeps the educator firmly in the driver's seat.

Source: https://www.aiforeducation.io/ai-resources/how-to-use-ai-responsibly-every-time (updated Sept. 10, 2024). Click this link for the Long Description of the "How to Use AI Responsibly EVERY Time" image.