What exactly is this you may ask, well its a binding contract between you and the school that will focus on specific areas that the involved child will need to be successful in school.
"As mandated by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), every public school student receiving special education and other related services is required to have an Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP is designed to meet the unique educational needs of one child, who may have a disability, as defined by federal regulations and is intended to help children reach educational goals more easily than they otherwise would. It should describe how the student learns, how the student best demonstrates that learning, and what teachers and service providers will do to help the student learn more effectively." read rest of article here good info
As I talk to other parents I have become aware that many , like myself, are still really unclear about our rights and what we can request as far this goes for our student. Many parents feel intimidated about the whole process and some even leave it to the schools discretion to create it for their child. Certainly something I would never advise or recommend. As parents we know our kids and are our child's best advocate.
We should be as informed and educated as possible and go to these meetings as prepared as we can. It is fully within a parents rights to bring someone with us as well.
Whether it be another parent that is familiar and helpful, the child's therapist or a local advocate. Sometimes parents have needed to include lawyers for various reason but of course that is the extreme scenario.
Helping to be prepared these articles give some insight, there is a bit or repetitiveness but enough different wording that I wanted to included them both......
Before you go to an IEP Meeting
By Terri Mauro
Updated June 20, 2014
The night before and morning of an IEP (Individualized Education Program) meeting are tense times for many parents, as you anticipate challenges and disagreements and wonder if you're as prepared as you should be. Use all that nervous energy to gather your thoughts, your to-do list, and your supporting paperwork. Here are eight things to do before you head off to that meeting, to make sure you're ready for your job as a full-fledged team member.
Read last year's IEP.
You may not have looked at that document much since it came in the mail last year, but now's the time to pull it out, dust it off, and give it a good going over. Mark any errors and inaccuracies so that they can be fixed this time around. Cross out goals you think your child has achieved, or placement details he has outgrown. Highlight items you need to make sure stay in the IEP -- bus pick-up, for example, or a one-on-one aide. Jot down any questions you have about past provisions or suggestions for future ones. Bring the IEP with you and make sure the issues you've marked out are addressed. read the rest here
How to Prepare for an IEP Team meeting.....
By Ann Logsdon
Updated December 15, 2014
IEP Team meetings are an important part of your child's special education program. Learn what to expect during meetings and how you can actively participate in this important decision making process. Learning how to prepare for an IEP team meeting in advance is important for your active and effective participation. Before the meeting:
- Be as informed as possible about your child's educational abilities. Review your child's report cards, progress reports, the results of any assessments, grades on classwork and homework to identify areas of strength and weakness that you want to be addressed on the IEP;
- Know the purpose of the meeting. Reflect on issues you feel are important;
- Find out who will attend the IEP team meeting and their roles; and
- Make your own notes about what you would like to discuss. Refer to your notes during the meeting to help you ensure your concerns are addressed.
- Know Your Rights as a Parent and IEP Team Member
- As the parent of a child with a learning disability under IDEA, you have specific parent rights. If you have a copy of your rights, it can be helpful to review them before the meeting. If you have questions about your rights, talk with your school's IEP team chairperson or your school district's special education coordinator.
- read the rest here
- Once at the IEP meeting parents will hopefully feel comfortable enough to talk about the issues they feel should be dealt with, ask questions and feel that they are being heard. To me this is the most important factor. To be heard. Because we know our child and have taken the time to get as prepared for this meeting as much as possible. I want to know that my thoughts are valuable and then in turn heard
- Having been to a few IEP's I will tell you that I go with things written down. Whether they are just talking points that I don't want to forget or actual ideas that I have to be included, I go prepared by organizing my thoughts beforehand. This ensures for me that I stay focused and don't get flustered by what is happening. It's also a good reference for me to stay on task.
- If I have a thought or concern about a particular issue I come prepared with as much info as I can give. Days before the meeting I start to keep track of data so that I can give more specific details at the meeting.
- An example would be a certain behavior that has been going on with your child. I would document what I was seeing, when it occurs, if there was a trigger for it happening and how it was resolved or possibility not resolved.
- This is then invaluable info to share with the IEP team. After listening to their thoughts and ideas on implementing a plan of action I would either of course agree or bring my concerns to the table with what I had just heard and how I may want things different.
- Speaking up is so important, being respectful but disagreeing is totally okay. It may be a bit awkward but we are there representing our child and their future, its important to represent them as fully as needed to get them to the next level what ever that maybe and mean.
- With that being said it also quite possible to go into the meeting with great intentions but still feel like you dropped the ball. I read this article from a couple of parents that talk about the 10 common mistakes us parents make..
- Ten Common Mistakes Parents Make During the IEP Meeting
- by Matt Foley, M.Ed., L.P.C. & DeAnn Hyatt-Foley, M.Ed.
- When our son was diagnosed with PDD-NOS in 1990, we found ourselves ill-equipped for our new role as advocates for our son. Our first Individual Education Program (IEP) meeting was over-whelming. We found it very difficult to follow what the educators were talking about. We certainly did not know what our role was in the process. We had the expectation that the trained educators of our IEP team would make the best possible decisions for our son's education. Six months later, it became abundantly clear that the decisions we had agreed on in the IEP meeting were not the best for our son's education. It was at this time that we began to educate ourselves about PDD-NOS and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). In 1991 we began working with other parents to help them become informed about their child’s disability and the educational laws that are in place to provide a Free Appropriate Public Education.
It is important that parents become informed and involved in their child’s education. There are many sources of information and support in your state. However, the more skills you have and the more information you learn, the better you can advocate for your child. Over the past few years we have found that parents tend to make some common mistakes during the Individual Education Program (IEP) meeting. The following is a list of the common mistakes and some suggestions for avoiding them:
1. Believing the professionals are the only experts.
It can be very intimidating to sit at a table with several educators and professionals. Professionals/Educators do bring a great deal of knowledge and experience to the table. Although most parents do not have a background or degree in education, they have a great deal of knowledge and experience regarding their child. Parents are experts in their own right; they also provide historical information and the big picture from year to year. They know what works and does not work with their child and can be a great asset to the IEP team.
Parents have an intuitive sense as to what is appropriate for their child. After working with parents for nine years, we are still amazed at how parents are usually intuitively correct about what will work for their child. We encourage parents to follow their hunches. If something does not sound right, check it out. Usually after some research, parents will discover their hunch was correct.
read 2 thru 10 here
Of course there is so much out there. And I hope that your experiences are positive ones. If conflict does arise I wish you the best advice that I can think of. Stay calm and speak up, go prepared , be respectful and make yourself heard.
A few last IEP sites....
Top 8 Parts of an Individual Education Program
The Short-and-Sweet IEP Overview
Top Ten Questions to Ask at an IEP
http://www.specialeducationadvisor.com/top-ten-questions-to-ask-at-an-iep/