For many parents,
the annual IEP meeting is something that incites a great sense of overwhelm, frustration
and doom. This is probably one of the reasons that tons of parents don’t even show
up. Most of you might find this really hard to believe (because you’re passionately
involved in your child’s education), but it’s true, there are schools where
less than 25% of the families attend the annual IEP meeting ☹
This not
only has a negative effect on their own child’s education, but it impacts other
families as well. Think about it… If you are the only parent asking for
paraprofessional support so that your child can be successfully included in a
regular classroom, that could be the reason they look at you like you’re a
crazy person as they tell you that, “Nobody gets that here.” When we ALL show
up, systemic change is possible.
LOOK OUT!
There are
some things to watch out for when it comes to IEP meetings. Being familiar with
these in advance will help you recognize what’s possible and how to circumvent
certain issues BEFORE they pop up:
-
The
school calls to set the annual meeting within 3-5 days of the due date. This
generally means that they nearly forgot all about you and are scrambling to get
it done, OR they typically wing-it and don’t put much thought or emphasis into
planning in advance.
-
If
you’re in a school district that gives parents a draft of the IEP a week before
the meeting, and it’s nowhere to be found, this is cause for concern.
-
The
goals in the IEP, or worse yet, the Present Level of Performance, has another
student’s name in it. This means that it’s a copy and paste and that the plan
isn’t as “individualized” as you might think.
-
The
Present Level of Performance only includes testing data from the assessment that
they MUST do for all students – state standardized tests. But tests that actually
show how your child thinks or what they CAN do are not included.
-
You
get to the meeting, and they inform you that they have 30 minutes to get an annual
IEP done when this is the first time you’re seeing any information on current assessments
or the proposed goals.
-
Before
you get to the meeting, the person who runs your IEP meetings tells you that
the services will remain as is. That’s called Predetermination and is not permitted
in IEP meetings. Do NOT let this happen. Your input is required under federal law.
-
Goals
are generic and you’re not really sure what will be measured to determine if
the goal has been mastered. This could be like, “Johnny will know how to make
new friends in a year’s time.”
-
There
are missing members of the IEP team, or they breeze in and out while the meeting
is taking place. The IEP team has 5 required members – for ALL IEP teams (parent/student,
general education teacher, special education teacher, local education agency
representative, evaluation specialist)
-
You
ask for data supporting the claims of the IEP, and team members look at one
another as though to say, “You have that information, right?”
-
The
same goals appear on your IEP year after year. Students are covered by a law
that says that they should make meaningful progress, which is different for each
kid, but “meaningful” is not what the supreme court refers to as “de minimis”,
which is an ever-so-slight improvement.
-
No
one seems to have any answers when you ask, “What else can be done to help my
son learn how to read?” (or other areas of learning)
-
Every
IEP meeting should include discussion about inclusive education, no matter who
your child is and what their needs are. After all, the goal of special education
in general is to give kids what they need SO THAT they can be more prepared for
a regular education environment. Waiting for the child to change who they are
is NOT the answer. It’s the system that needs to change to accommodate the needs
of the child. Some kids are included all day, some for just a portion, but the
goal for all kids is to move in the direction of the least restrictive environment.
Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.
Remember
that the IEP is a federally enforced document that gives you and your child protections
like nothing else can. If it’s not written, it’s as if it wasn’t discussed, so
don’t just talk about it… document it. A great way to do that is to utilize the
Parent Input section, which is HUGELY important. Here is where you want to document
what your concerns are, what you think your child needs and what you’re
providing outside of the school setting. Oftentimes, when a parent puts their concerns
and requests in this section, it motivates the rest of the team to get more
creative in securing the education that your child deserves.
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