When the IEP Team Meets

When the IEP Team Meets

ESE603: Law and Ethics in Special Education

What is an IEP?

An Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is a written document that is created to help students with disabilities. It is a guideline that is established for the student to succeed and is tailored toward each student’s individual needs. It describes the strengths and weaknesses and describes what services will be provided to help the student in the classroom. Once the student is eligible for an IEP, a team of individuals who possess knowledge will gather to determine what goals will be set for the student. We will discuss the roles of the team members, written documentation that the IEP must contain at closing of meeting, procedures that occur during the IEP meeting, importance of placing information in writing, process of deciding placement, and implementing the IEP according to IDEA.

Role of IEP Team Members

There are multiple individuals that make up an IEP Team. This group has expertise on special education and each are a valuable asset to the team. Destini’s IEP team consists of the special education teacher, general education teacher, her parents, a school representative, school psychologist, and Destini if needed. Mr. and Mrs. Marlow, Destini’s parents, are beneficial to the IEP team because both of them know Destini’s strengths, weaknesses, needs, and are experts on her background. The special education teacher will discuss Destini’s goals and what modifications and accommodations may be needed to enhance her learning within the general education classroom. The general education teacher can provide insight on how well Destini is progressing and voice any areas of concern that is needed to assist her in succeeding academically. The local school district representative supervises Destini’s special education program and can discuss resources available to assist her. They also have access to the evaluation results and can explain in detail what they mean based on Destini’s learning disability. Another valuable team member is the school psychologist; they have the expertise in the field and know how to assist Destini with reaching her full potential. Last, if it is appropriate Destini is a valuable member of the team She knows her own interests, strengths, and weaknesses (Stanberry, 2019). Working in collaboration with one another will allow everyone to discuss measurable goals and how Destini will reach these goals.

Required Information

An IEP is created for two main reasons, 1. “Establish measurable annual goals and 2. State the special education and related services and supplementary aids and services that the public agency will provide to, or on behalf of Destini” (Parent Center Hub, 2017). By the conclusion of the IEP meeting, there are three required components the document must contain:

Procedures that occur during IEP meeting

1. Measurable Annual Goals: these goals should help Destini determine what she needs to accomplish by the end of the year. The goals should be positive and state what she will achieve, how will she achieve the goals, in which setting will she achieve them, and how long will she be given to complete them. According to Parent Center Hub (2017), “IDEA states, “A statement of measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals designed to meet the child’s needs that result from the child’s disability to enable the child to be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum; and meet each of the child’s other educational needs that result from the child’s disability” (para. 2).
2. Individualized Supports and Services: not all students learn the same and that is also true for students with disabilities. The IEP will be tailored to meet Destini’s specific needs. The services provided should enhance Destini’s strengths and needs. The team must determine which services are best for the student and what accommodations will need to be made in order for them to reach their full potential (Stanberry, 2019).
3. Present Level of Performance: each IEP must have the student’s current level of academic and functional performance. These serve as a guideline on where Destini is currently and what she needs to improve on. The PLOP lets the team know if Destini is progressing toward her goals or if her goals need to be re-evaluated.

For Destini’s initial IEP meeting, the team will go over her evaluation results so that everyone on the team will understand her strengths and weaknesses and determine what help is appropriate for her to succeed. The team will introduce themselves and explain their role in the meeting. Once everyone has been acquainted, then the team will discuss Destini’s present level of performance, her annual goals, and what accommodations/services will be needed. Everyone on the team has valuable input that will only help Destini succeed both academically and functionally.

The team must also take into consideration if any special factors are identified in IDEA such as does Destini’s behavior interfere with her learning, does she have communication needs, or does she have any visual needs? (Parent Center Hub, 2017). After taking into consideration all the notes and valuable information from the team, they will determine what is best for Destini and create measurable goals. Our main goal is to do what is best for Destini. We are here to ensure that she succeeds in and outside of the classroom.

Placing information in Writing

After the meeting, the IEP will be written. The written IEP will be a guideline to help direct Destini in the right direction. The IEP is in writing because then all of the members of the team will be on the same page and know what to expect from Destini. It will discuss her strengths, weaknesses, services that will be provided, and a time line for reaching these goals. Destini’s parents have the right to have a copy of their child’s IEP. The entire IEP team must have access to the IEP and are required to know what their roles are in implementing the services needed (Parent Center Hub, 2017).

Process of Deciding Placement

“Placement is directly connected to the child’s IEP, is based on the child’s IEP, must be decided by a knowledgeable group of persons, including the child’s parents, but is not necessarily decided by the IEP team” (Parent Center Hub, 2017, para. 36). According to IDEA “placement should be in the least restrictive environment for the student to succeed. The IDEA obliges states to establish procedures assuring that students with disabilities are educated, to the maximum extent appropriate, alongside their non-disabled peers. They can only be removed from general education classrooms if it is determined that the severity of their disability hinders them from learning in the classroom and cannot be achieved with supportive aids and services” (Osborne & Russo, 2014, Chapter 2.2, para. 1).

Implementing IEP according to IDEA

There are two main points of implementing the child’s IEP according to the IDEA. IDEA states, “that as soon as possible following development of the IEP, special education and related services are made available to the child in accordance with the child’s IEP. IDEA also requires that the school system ensure that “each regular education teacher, special education teacher, related services provider, and any other service provider who is responsible” for the IEP’s implementation: have access to the IEP; are informed of their specific responsibilities; and are informed of specific accommodations, modifications, and supports to be provided to the child, in accordance with the IEP” (Parent Center Hub, 2017, para. 38). The IEP must be in effect before the start of the school year for each student who has a disability is eligible for an IEP.

In conclusion, an IEP is a written guideline that discusses the strengths, weaknesses, present level of performance, annual goals, and services needed to assist each student with disabilities. The team meets to determine if the goals are measurable and discuss any concerns anyone may have. Then the IEP is written, teachers and parents sign IEP and then implemented for the student during the year. The main goal is to ensure that Destini’s needs are being met and helping her reach her full potential.

References

Annual Goals. (2017). In Parent Center Hub. Retrieved from https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iepgoals/.

Contents of the IEP. (2017). In Parent Center Hub. Retrieved from https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iepcontents/.

Osborne, A. G., & Russo, C. J. (2014). Special education and the law: A guide for practitioners (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin.

Stanberry, K. (2019). The IEP Meeting: An Overview. In Understood.org. Retrieved from https://www.understood.org/en/school-learning/special-services/ieps/the-iep-meeting-an-overview.

When the IEP Team Meets. (2017). In Parent Center Hub. Retrieved from https://www.parentcenterhub.org/meetings/#happenshttps://www.parentcenterhub.org/meetings/#happens.