What IS an IEP?
Over my two decades as a special educator, I have had many parents and caregivers ask “how do I get my child one of those plans for extra help?” What they are actually referring to is an Individualized Education Plan or IEP.
For simplicity's sake, it may appear that these are simply documents that provide “extra help” for a student, but they are actually an invaluable tool (and legally binding document!) for providing equity and accessibility to education for students with disabilities.
Thanks to the passing of the Individuals with Disabilities Act (IDEA) in 1975, students with disabilities now have legal protection and rights for access to the same free and appropriate education as students without disabilities.
From the IDEA website: “The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a law that makes available a free appropriate public education to eligible children with disabilities throughout the nation and ensures special education and related services to those children.”
What is an IEP?
So, what IS an IEP then? IEPs are legally binding documents created and implemented by school personnel in collaboration with parents/caregivers as part of a team process. These plans identify areas of strength for a student and also areas for growth as related to how their disability impacts their accessing grade level curriculum in school with their peers.
While the format and structure of IEPs may vary from state to state, all will include:
Parent input: you are a valuable member of your child’s team and your input is critical. We always recommend you come to the meeting with your concerns and questions written out ahead of time!
A summary of evaluations conducted for initials and/or re-evaluations
Accommodations and Modifications
Student’s current skills (what they can do) and annual goals/objectives to be a focus of their specialized instruction/services to access the grade level standards.
Services (i.e. speech therapy, occupational therapy, reading, counseling) that support students and where the services will take place (in or out of general education classroom)
Vision of student and transition planning documentation
Placement - always aiming for the Least Restrictive Environment to support the learning needs and progress of the individual student. This can look like full inclusion, partial inclusion, a separate classroom within the school in the students’ district or a school out of the district.
A student’s needs for transportation, extended school year and assistive technology are also addressed in this document
All parts of the IEP should be related to the student’s strengths and their unique needs related to their identified disability.
To learn more about the evaluation process and eligibility for an IEP, read our blog and check out the webinar HERE:
Who is involved in the IEP creation and implementation process?
Parents and caregivers
General education teacher
Special Education teacher
Related service providers such as speech language pathologists, behavior specialists, and occupational therapists.
Might also include: school psychologist, educational advocate, school nurses
Interpreter if parent/caregiver needs one.
Student - must be invited at age 14 (see blogs: transition planning and student voice)
Caregivers/parents should receive ample notification of a meeting, at least 10 days beforehand with a formal invitation and attendance sheet of folks who are invited to the meeting. If a necessary member of the team will not be in attendance, the school should notify parents/caregivers in advance to request formal excusal of this service provider. This service provider should then provide a written summary of progress for parents/caregivers to review.
Caregivers can (and are encouraged to) also bring/invite other folks from outside the school who have knowledge of the student such as an advocate, a medical provider, home service provider or even a family member/friend to support them at the meeting. It is helpful to let the school team know if you will be bringing someone with you. *If you are bringing a lawyer, definitely let the school know ahead of time as the district will also have to have a lawyer present in this case and will require some scheduling time to ensure all parties are present!*
Where: The team will propose a date and time to meet. This should be a mutually agreed upon time with the caregivers/parents, within school hours. Since the pandemic, accessibility for participation in meetings has actually increased with school districts now offering more options such as on google meets or zoom and phone conferences in addition to meeting in person at the school. Caregivers/parents should receive ample notification of a meeting, at least 10 days beforehand with a formal invitation and attendance sheet of folks who are invited to the meeting.
When: The IEP meets at least once a year for an annual review, three years for a re-evaluation to redetermine eligibility and parents/caregivers can request to meet at any time during the year to discuss progress and/or concerns. The team might also reconvene sooner than the annual to discuss an evaluation from an outside provider or if there are concerns about progress and the IEP might need to be amended to provide different, more or less services, accommodations etc.
How is the IEP developed?
Within the team meeting, the team will discuss the student’s strengths, progress from the previous year, current performance in school and how their current services, accommodations, modifications and placement are supporting the student to access their education and progress across all areas. New goals and objectives should be drafted and adjustments to services can be made at this time as needed. Placement is also discussed. The goal is always to have a student in the least restrictive environment, with the aim for full inclusion (mostly in regular education classes with their grade level peers in a public school), however, some students require more services and support outside the general education classroom to progress effectively.
What happens next?
At the end of the meeting, caregivers should walk away with a summary sheet of what was discussed at the meeting. Nothing needs to be agreed to or signed at the meeting. Caregivers should receive a copy of the draft IEP within 10 school days of the meeting and have 30 days to review and respond.
If parents/caregivers require translated documents, these should be provided promptly so parents can appropriately review the documents.
Once signed, the school can begin to work on the updated plan.
What if parents/caregivers don’t agree with the proposed plan?
Even the most collaborative team can have differing opinions and points of view on what is best for the student. If you do not agree with the proposals of the school, you have the right to reject or partially reject the plan. While you are reviewing the proposed plan, the current active IEP and placement remains as a “Stay Put” meaning, until a new, updated plan is agreed to, this is the plan the team at school should be following. If you do not agree with a proposal, it is best to partially reject that particular piece or pieces as opposed to in full so that the pieces you DO agree with can be implemented by the team as opposed to having to work completely from the stay put, old IEP from the previous year.
Common things that could be in disagreement about:
Amount of services
Need for transportation or Extended School Year
Placement
Feeling overwhelmed with this information? Not sure if you should accept or reject your child’s proposed plan? We’ve got you! Set up your free 20 minute complimentary consultation with us today to chat about how Michelle and Dana Marie can support you with navigating this process for the best outcomes for your child!