Validating The Effectiveness of Individualized Education Plans (IEPS): Identifying Opportunities for Improvement
– This study evaluated the operational effectiveness of Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) for Learners with Special Educational Needs (LSENs) within the selected Senior High Schools (SHS) of the Second District of Leyte, namely Damulaan National High School, Dr. Geronimo B. Zaldivar Memorial School of Fisheries, Isabel National Comprehensive High School, and Matlang National High School. Utilizing a descriptive-evaluative research design, data were gathered from a balanced, purposive sample of 60 respondents (n = 20 teachers; n=40 students) alongside institutional inputs from school administrators and parents. Data collection was executed using a contextualized, 4-point Likert-scale research instrument assessing three core dimensions: Instructional Adaptation, Goal Attainment, and Transition Planning. The empirical findings revealed an unsatisfactory overall implementation mean (2.27), categorizing the current IEP system as Less Effective. While basic administrative compliance in written examination modifications was met (2.62), severe execution gaps were identified in practical workshop task adaptation (1.95) and post-graduation workforce transition planning (2.05). The primary institutional obstacles identified by local educators included a critical shortage of track-contextualized instructional materials (1.55), absolute scarcity of assistive technologies (1.68), and heavy daily workloads (1.72). Inferential testing (t-test and ANOVA) demonstrated highly significant differences in perceived effectiveness when respondents were grouped by school environment (t =3.42, p = .001) and curriculum tracks (t = 2.89, p = .006), revealing that standardized templates break down within specialized vocational strands such as fisheries and maritime laboratory simulations. Conversely, variance across parents' socio-economic status was not significant (p = .472), showing uniform dissatisfaction with transition outcomes across all income brackets. To bridge this systemic compliance-performance gap, the study developed The IEP Optimization Framework, a 10point structural action matrix embedding track-differentiated accommodation protocols, cloudbased progress tracking, and flexible home-school collaborative networks to secure sustainable post-secondary workforce and tertiary readiness for inclusive high school learners.