The IEP Process
Educating a child is already a big job and finding out that your child needs additional supports for optimum learning can make the job seem even more challenging. Parents often have a lot of questions and a lot of valuable input about how to help meet their child’s learning needs. That is why you are part of your child’s IEP team.
IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan. Every child who qualifies for special education supports and services has a individualized plan written for him or her once a year by those who are involved in that child’s education. That team includes your child’s regular education teacher, special education teacher, related service providers such as an occupational therapist or speech/language pathologist if your child’s plan indicates such service, the special education coordinator, an administrator and most importantly, YOU, the parents or legal guardians! Parents/legal guardians are the most important members of the team. Your input is crucial, from the beginning of the process when we ask you to identify concerns you have and strengths that you see in your child, to participation in the IEP meeting where the plan is made, and you approve the plan or request revision, to the monitoring of progress being made. You are part of every step. Understanding how the IEP process works can help you feel comfortable with your place on the team, so I’d like to share an overview of the process with you. You can contact me for more info if you still have questions.
The first thing that happens when a child is qualified for special education is that a date is set for an IEP meeting. The special education coordinator, Ashley Hayes, mails out a notice of meeting with a day and time for the meeting to make your child’s plan. The notice also indicates who will be attending the meeting with you. You will reply to that notice that you can either make the meeting or you need to reschedule. Your suggestion of available times will help if rescheduling is needed. You can also request that additional members of the team not already listed, such as a social worker or nurse, attend if you feel their input is needed. Along with that notice of meeting, you will receive a form requesting your input about your child’s educational strengths and weaknesses/needs. Please complete that form and return it so that the case manager who will write the draft plan can include your input in the draft plan. You will receive a copy of the draft plan several days before the meeting so that you can read it and feel prepared to ask questions or suggest any changes to the draft when you come to the meeting. You may request a translator if your primary language is not English.
On the day of the meeting, we’ll meet in the office. You’ll be offered a copy of your rights as a parent and member of the team, and procedural safeguards. The case manager (usually the special education teacher) will bring a preliminary plan that has been drafted based on the current data we have from testing and evaluation, your input, progress reports from the previous IEP, and current baselines. We’ll go through the plan step by step with you, so that you can ask questions, make suggestions, and approve or reject the plan. Sometimes, we have to make revisions to the draft before the IEP is finalized, or you might request to go home and think about the plan before it is finalized, but usually we have done enough homework in advance to present and agree on an appropriate plan to meet your child’s needs. You’ll be asked to sign in agreement on three things:
* Were you offered a copy of your rights/safeguards as a parent, according to the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA)?
* Are you in agreement with the planned educational programming for your child?
*Are you in agreement that the setting or placement is appropriate to effectively meet your child’s learning needs?
If you sign, the plan takes effect the next day. You do have 10 days to consider the plan before signing if desired.
So what goes into an IEP?
Hopefully, this information will be a helpful heads-up on the process for getting your child the extra help he or she needs in order to feel successful and make good progress in his or her education. We are all very invested in helping your child. Please feel free to call on any one of your child’s team members at any time this year.
IEP stands for Individualized Education Plan. Every child who qualifies for special education supports and services has a individualized plan written for him or her once a year by those who are involved in that child’s education. That team includes your child’s regular education teacher, special education teacher, related service providers such as an occupational therapist or speech/language pathologist if your child’s plan indicates such service, the special education coordinator, an administrator and most importantly, YOU, the parents or legal guardians! Parents/legal guardians are the most important members of the team. Your input is crucial, from the beginning of the process when we ask you to identify concerns you have and strengths that you see in your child, to participation in the IEP meeting where the plan is made, and you approve the plan or request revision, to the monitoring of progress being made. You are part of every step. Understanding how the IEP process works can help you feel comfortable with your place on the team, so I’d like to share an overview of the process with you. You can contact me for more info if you still have questions.
The first thing that happens when a child is qualified for special education is that a date is set for an IEP meeting. The special education coordinator, Ashley Hayes, mails out a notice of meeting with a day and time for the meeting to make your child’s plan. The notice also indicates who will be attending the meeting with you. You will reply to that notice that you can either make the meeting or you need to reschedule. Your suggestion of available times will help if rescheduling is needed. You can also request that additional members of the team not already listed, such as a social worker or nurse, attend if you feel their input is needed. Along with that notice of meeting, you will receive a form requesting your input about your child’s educational strengths and weaknesses/needs. Please complete that form and return it so that the case manager who will write the draft plan can include your input in the draft plan. You will receive a copy of the draft plan several days before the meeting so that you can read it and feel prepared to ask questions or suggest any changes to the draft when you come to the meeting. You may request a translator if your primary language is not English.
On the day of the meeting, we’ll meet in the office. You’ll be offered a copy of your rights as a parent and member of the team, and procedural safeguards. The case manager (usually the special education teacher) will bring a preliminary plan that has been drafted based on the current data we have from testing and evaluation, your input, progress reports from the previous IEP, and current baselines. We’ll go through the plan step by step with you, so that you can ask questions, make suggestions, and approve or reject the plan. Sometimes, we have to make revisions to the draft before the IEP is finalized, or you might request to go home and think about the plan before it is finalized, but usually we have done enough homework in advance to present and agree on an appropriate plan to meet your child’s needs. You’ll be asked to sign in agreement on three things:
* Were you offered a copy of your rights/safeguards as a parent, according to the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA)?
* Are you in agreement with the planned educational programming for your child?
*Are you in agreement that the setting or placement is appropriate to effectively meet your child’s learning needs?
If you sign, the plan takes effect the next day. You do have 10 days to consider the plan before signing if desired.
So what goes into an IEP?
- Student strengths are identified. What grade level skills does the child have?
- Needs are identified. What areas are weaknesses/not grade level for your child?
- Evaluation data is presented that determines present levels of performance...where are we right now?
- Appropriate supports and services are identified that will help your child make better progress in the areas that have been below grade level. Sometimes the student just needs some accommodations to the way grade level information is presented or the way they show their understanding. Sometimes modifications to the curriculum are needed because the child is not successful with grade level work, even with accommodation. Sometimes a service such as occupational therapy or counseling is needed to remove obstacles to learning for a child. This section answers the question “How will we provide instruction?”
- Goals will be drafted that will be used to monitor your child’s growth and progress over the course of the year in each area of need. These goals identify what will we be teaching & how we will know when the student is making progress.
- The best setting for instruction will be identified. Where will your child learn most effectively, given the identified needs and goals that have been set? The choices most frequently selected are: regular classroom with support or accommodations, regular education and special education combo (some time in homeroom/some time in resource room), or special education in a separate classroom for all instruction.
Hopefully, this information will be a helpful heads-up on the process for getting your child the extra help he or she needs in order to feel successful and make good progress in his or her education. We are all very invested in helping your child. Please feel free to call on any one of your child’s team members at any time this year.