When a student is eligible for an IEP, the first thing that needs to be established is an IEP team. The team usually consists of the student’s parents, special education teacher(s), general education teacher(s), representatives of the school system and possible transition services, and other knowledgeable individuals (Kupper & Kohanek, 2000). Sometimes, the student is also involved. Student involvement is particularly important when the student reaches high school and needs to start thinking about post-secondary transition services (Kupper & Kohanek, 2000).
I tried to watch this video series from a parent’s
perspective before thinking about IEP meetings as a general education teacher. I
did not realize how much planning a parent has to do for an effective IEP
meeting. First and foremost, parents need to keep good records of their student’s progress. This includes
report cards, letters, evaluations, and samples of their student’s work (The IEP Team Process: Chapter 4 - Getting Ready for the IEP Meeting, 2011). I am
sure a lot of parents do not realize that they should be keeping every little
thing related to their child’s disability and school performance. When I was growing up, my parents kept a lot of my school stuff, but not all of it. I am sure that if a situation arose where they needed every single project and assignment that I completed in school, they would be scrambling.
In addition to collecting information on the student, it is also crucial to review it (The IEP Team Process: Chapter 4 - Getting Ready for the IEP Meeting, 2011). Parents need to know what the student's evaluations mean. Where is the student struggling in school? What is the student's diagnosis? What accommodations can be made to help their child in school? Parents should also be aware of their student’s academic standing. If the accommodations outlined in the student's IEP are not working, it might be time to try something else.
Most importantly, parents need to be advocates for their student. I feel like this is a given, but it is important to remind parents that they play an active role in their student's IEP. Parents should communicate with their student about how he or she feels about school. However, they need to be deliberate with the kinds of questions they ask. For example, instead of just asking "How was school today?" they should ask more specific questions like "What do you find challenging at school?" Parents also need to create a positive student profile for their child. These profiles are helpful for the IEP team members. The members of the student’s IEP team will be more willing to compromise and try to find the best possible solution if they have another perspective on the student’s learning (The IEP Team Process: Chapter 4 - Getting Ready for the IEP Meeting, 2011).
In addition to collecting information on the student, it is also crucial to review it (The IEP Team Process: Chapter 4 - Getting Ready for the IEP Meeting, 2011). Parents need to know what the student's evaluations mean. Where is the student struggling in school? What is the student's diagnosis? What accommodations can be made to help their child in school? Parents should also be aware of their student’s academic standing. If the accommodations outlined in the student's IEP are not working, it might be time to try something else.
Most importantly, parents need to be advocates for their student. I feel like this is a given, but it is important to remind parents that they play an active role in their student's IEP. Parents should communicate with their student about how he or she feels about school. However, they need to be deliberate with the kinds of questions they ask. For example, instead of just asking "How was school today?" they should ask more specific questions like "What do you find challenging at school?" Parents also need to create a positive student profile for their child. These profiles are helpful for the IEP team members. The members of the student’s IEP team will be more willing to compromise and try to find the best possible solution if they have another perspective on the student’s learning (The IEP Team Process: Chapter 4 - Getting Ready for the IEP Meeting, 2011).
Throughout this semester, I have learned a lot about special education, especially IEPs. I thought it was helpful to watch a mock IEP meeting this week. In this situation, the special education teacher facilitated the meeting. In addition to the student's special education teacher, his general education teacher, parents, school psychologist, assistant principal, middle school representative, and a note taker are present (The IEP Team Process: Chapter 5 - The IEP Meeting, 2011). I believe that the facilitator (the special education teacher) has the most difficult role in the meeting. The facilitator needs to make sure that every member is heard and that their concerns are addressed and resolved. I also believe that special education teachers have an inherently difficult role in the IEP process. They do the most hands-on work at school to help the student meet his or her goals.
I thought that the structure of the IEP meeting was interesting. Each team member has a copy of a draft of the student's IEP. In this case, the student is present for the first few minutes of the meeting. The team members ask him questions and he shares his interests and strengths. From there, the facilitator goes through the draft, which is based on the student's current IEP and the standards he needs to meet for his upcoming transition to middle school. As each section is addressed, the IEP team members can chime in. For example, the special education teacher stated that she thought 30 minutes a day in her resource classroom would meet the student's needs. However, the student's mother insisted that he should continue to be in the resource classroom for 45 minutes a day. The special education and general education teachers were hesitant at first, but after the parents reminded the team that the student's goals were ambitious, everyone agreed to 45 minutes (The IEP Team Process: Chapter 5 - The IEP Meeting, 2011). IEP meetings seem very informal, but there is a lot of planning that goes into them.
I thought that the structure of the IEP meeting was interesting. Each team member has a copy of a draft of the student's IEP. In this case, the student is present for the first few minutes of the meeting. The team members ask him questions and he shares his interests and strengths. From there, the facilitator goes through the draft, which is based on the student's current IEP and the standards he needs to meet for his upcoming transition to middle school. As each section is addressed, the IEP team members can chime in. For example, the special education teacher stated that she thought 30 minutes a day in her resource classroom would meet the student's needs. However, the student's mother insisted that he should continue to be in the resource classroom for 45 minutes a day. The special education and general education teachers were hesitant at first, but after the parents reminded the team that the student's goals were ambitious, everyone agreed to 45 minutes (The IEP Team Process: Chapter 5 - The IEP Meeting, 2011). IEP meetings seem very informal, but there is a lot of planning that goes into them.
From a teacher’s perspective, I thought the IEP meeting was effective. As a regular educator, I am required to "determine 'appropriate positive behavioral interventions and supports... (as well as) supplementary aids and services (and) program modifications'" (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2010) for the student. I believe the regular educator in the mock IEP meeting did just that. She suggested that the student, who struggled with writing, use a combination of online and physical tools. The teacher was also willing to agree to more time with the special education teacher, even though she wanted to keep him in the regular classroom as much as possible.
I appreciate the fact that the parents did their research and were not afraid to speak up and voice their concerns. They obviously care a lot about their child’s education. As a teacher, I care about each and every one of my students and their education. However, I have over 150 students every school year. On top of lesson planning, I need to provide differentiation for students who need it. It will be a lot easier for me to differentiate my lessons if I am provided with effective, clearly written IEPs. Although I strive to build strong relationships with my students, their parents know them better than I do.
The whole IEP process is a little overwhelming. However, I am only one member of the IEP team. In practice, we will all have to work together to write the most effective IEP and give the student the best education possible. In high school, students have more than one teacher, so I will not be present at every single student's IEP meeting. However, it is important that I am "well-informed about (each student's) IEP" (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2010). This includes the student's goals, classroom and testing accommodations, and the necessary supplementary aids and services (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2010).
I appreciate the fact that the parents did their research and were not afraid to speak up and voice their concerns. They obviously care a lot about their child’s education. As a teacher, I care about each and every one of my students and their education. However, I have over 150 students every school year. On top of lesson planning, I need to provide differentiation for students who need it. It will be a lot easier for me to differentiate my lessons if I am provided with effective, clearly written IEPs. Although I strive to build strong relationships with my students, their parents know them better than I do.
The whole IEP process is a little overwhelming. However, I am only one member of the IEP team. In practice, we will all have to work together to write the most effective IEP and give the student the best education possible. In high school, students have more than one teacher, so I will not be present at every single student's IEP meeting. However, it is important that I am "well-informed about (each student's) IEP" (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2010). This includes the student's goals, classroom and testing accommodations, and the necessary supplementary aids and services (National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities, 2010).
References
Exceptional
Children’s Assistance Center. (2011, October 30). The IEP Team Process: Chapter 1 – IDEA and IEPs. [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=94&v=bSm3wOjkkVw
Exceptional
Children’s Assistance Center. (2011, October 30). The IEP Team Process: Chapter 2 – The IEP Team. [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMctXPmG7bc
Exceptional
Children’s Assistance Center. (2011, October 30). The IEP Team Process: Chapter 3 – What’s Included in the IEP.
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BIi0xanOVcs
Exceptional
Children’s Assistance Center. (2011, October 30). The IEP Team Process: Chapter 4 – Getting Ready for the IEP Meeting
[Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDhLjYSbwCc
Exceptional
Children’s Assistance Center. (2011, October 28). The IEP Team Process: Chapter 5 – The IEP Meeting. [Video file].
Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok0irMNfKmY
Kupper, L. &
Kohanek, J. (2000, July). “The IEP Team Members.” Reading Rockets. Retrieved from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/iep-team-members
National
Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. (2010). “The IEP Team.” Reading Rockets. Retrieved from https://www.readingrockets.org/article/iep-team
0 comments:
Post a Comment