IEP Membership and Roles Betsy Peterson Coordinator Office of Special Programs

Purpose of an IEP Team Meeting Policy 2419: Regulations for the Education of Students with Exceptionalities states: The primary purpose of an IEP Team meeting is to design and IEP that will meet the unique needs of an eligible student. The IEP Team plans the special education and related services designed to provide access to and progress in the general curriculum. The IEP Team members should come prepared to participate in an open discussion regarding the student’s individual needs and how those needs affect the student's mastery of the content standards and objectives.

Goal INDIVIDUAL The Goal of EVERY IEP Teams is to develop an IEP that meets each student’s INDIVIDUAL needs!

IEP Development Process Desired Outcomes/ Instructional Results Write Measurable Goals Select Instructional Services & Program Supports Implement & Monitor Progress General Curriculum Expectations Current Skills and Knowledge Area of Instructional Need PLAAFP Statements on IEP Form Developing PLAAFP Statements

You:  Know where you want to go  Enter data about where you are  Create a map  Adjust to opportunities/barriers  Arrive and choose a new long-term goal IEP Development: a “GPS”

 Knowing where you want to go  Using data as the basis Planning: Two Critical Components

IEP Team Membership Required Membership: – Parent(s) – General Education Teacher – Special Education Teacher and/or – Special Education Service Provider or related service provider – Representative of the District – Individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results – Others with knowledge or special expertise at the parent or district discretion

IEP Team Membership Required Members continued – The Student when appropriate, but required during transition meetings – A Representative of any Participating Agency – Part C Coordinator if necessary – A representative of the Private School or Facility

Roles of IEP Team Members Parent(s) – Natural, adoptive or foster parent, guardian, an individual acting in the place of a natural or adoptive parent with whom the child lives or an individual assigned to be a surrogate – Knows the student’s history – Knows the student’s strengths and needs – Can be the only stability in a student’s life

Roles of IEP Team Members General Education Teacher – Required to participate in developing the IEP of a student who is, or may be, participating in the general education environment. State Code requires the receiving and referring teachers participate in the development of the student’s IEP (WV Code § c (2)) – Knows the skills – academic and social, required for the grade level – Participation may be via the Classroom Teacher Report to the IEP Team

Roles of IEP Team Members Special Education Teacher – Can make suggestions as to supports/modifications/accommodations needed in the General Education classroom – Can explain why the supports/modifications/accommodations are necessary – Can provide input as to placement

Roles of IEP Team Members Other Special Education Personnel or Related Service Personnel – Speech language pathologist, School Nurse, OT, PT, etc. Provide input as to why the student needs the service or why they do not need the service Discuss goals and activities that they will provide Discuss progress on the goals and activities Suggest other evaluations, as necessary Provide activities for the parents to do at home to support their services

Roles of IEP Team Members Representative of the District – Must be qualified to provide or supervise the provision or supervise the provision of special education – Must be knowledgeable about the general education curriculum – Must be able to allocate resources (one of the other team members may be so designated if he/she meets these requirements) – For speech only IEP Team members, the speech/language pathologist may serve as the district representative, if the criteria are met

Roles of IEP Team Members Someone who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results – This person may be one of the other IEP Team members – Examples: Special Education Specialist Audiologist Special Educator Speech/Language Pathologist Related Service Provider School Psychologist

Roles of IEP Team Members The Student (if appropriate) – Required when the student is 16 years old – Required when the purpose of the meeting is consideration of the postsecondary goals and transition serviced needed for reaching those goals

Roles of IEP Team Members A Representative of any Participating Agency – Responsible for providing or paying for transition services – If no representative attends, steps must be taken to obtain participation from the agency – Permission must be given by parent or adult student to attend the meeting

Roles of IEP Team Members Part C Service Coordinator or Other Representatives of the Part C Program – Transition from Birth to Three into the School System – Assist with a smooth transition – Provide information to the school system about the student – Assist with placement/evaluation decisions

Roles of IEP Team Members How Do I know Who is What??? Roles of each member will be designated on the IEP Form

Roles of IEP Team Members A member of the IEP Team is not required to attend an IEP meeting, in whole or in part, if the parent of a student with a disability and the district agree, in writing, that the attendance of the member is not necessary because of the member’s area of the curriculum or related services is not being modified or discussed at the meeting Policy 2419, Chapter 5, page 43

Educator’s ABCs for IEPs A AAccept parents as they are B BBuild relationships with parents C CConsider assistive technology needs D DDesignate a rapport builder for the IEP Team meeting E EEncourage parents to actively participate in the development of the IEP

Educator’s ABCs for IEPs F FFamiliarize yourself with the needs of the student and his/her family G GGive parents opportunities to express opinions about their child H HHelp parents understand the information presented I IInvite parents to be part of the IEP Team

Educator’s ABCs for IEPs J JJudge not, for you have not walked in their steps K KKnow what educational options are available L LListen to others’ perspectives M MMake appropriate modifications and accommodations for the student N NNever say it can not be done

Educator’s ABCs for IEPs O OOffer opportunities for parents to visit suggested programs P PPlan goals, objectives and benchmarks from accurate assessment data Q QQuestion parents about their concerns and issues R RRemember, you may be working with this family for several years

Educator’s ABCs for IEPs S SShow that you are a professional – control your emotions T TTreat parents and other professionals with respect U UUse understandable language – not educational jargon V VValidate parental involvement and input

Educator’s ABCs for IEPs W WWin-win situations are best X XX-ray your own position Y YYou must look at students’ strengths and weaknesses Z ZZealously guard against win-lose or lose- lose situations

Finally Parents need professionals, Professionals need parents, And the students need us all!

Thank YOU! Betsy Peterson Parent Coordinator Office of Special Programs