Best take away from this module This module is part of a series focused on

Best take away from this module This module is part of a series focused on the individualized education program. Throughout the series, you will hear the individualized education program referred to by its associated acronym, IEP. In this module you will learn about the IEP Team. The IEP Team is responsible for collaboratively developing all parts of the IEP. Upon completion of this module, participants will be able to: Identify the required and potential members of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team. Explain the roles of team members and their contributions to the team in the development of a high quality IEP. Identify additional considerations from the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that impact team member participation and engagement in the IEP development. Module focuses on two parts. Part 1 focuses on the IEP Team members and their roles in the IEP Team meeting. Part 2 reviews frequently asked questions related to team member participation in the team meeting and development of the IEP. All states must meet the minimum requirements set by IDEA,but many states go above and beyond by establishing additional requirements for the promotion of a high-quality educational program for students with disabilities. Mr. Jones: I have an IEP Team meeting coming up for Josiah, but I have a number of questions about where I start with bringing the team together: Who should be at the meeting, and what are their roles? Am I responsible for developing the IEP alone? What do I need to consider as I communicate with the parents? What if we can’t get together face-to-face? Narrator: Like Mr. Jones, you may have had similar questions about the IEP Team. In this module, we will address Mr. Jones’s questions and hopefully questions you have about the IEP Team. In Part 1, we will start by discussing the required members of the IEP Team and the roles of those members on the team. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA, outlines the required members of an IEP Team who work together to develop the IEP. These members include the parent(s) of the child; at least one general education teacher if the child is, or may be, instructed in the general education environment; at least one special education teacher or provider of the child; a representative of the public agency; and an individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results. IDEA indicates other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child may be included in the meeting at the discretion of the parent(s) or the agency.When appropriate, the child with a disability should also be present at the meeting. Let’s learn more about the members of the IEP Team. Special education teacher: Hey there, I’ve been invited to the meeting as the child’s special education teacher. In my role as a special education teacher on the IEP Team, I must be certified to provide specially designed instruction. I work closely with the regular education teacher when the student spends any time in the regular education setting, and I also suggest and support the implementation of educational, behavioral, or functional interventions for the student. For a student receiving special education services by a related service provider, the related service provider may meet this role. Evaluation data (School Psychologist) : Hi, I’ve been invited to the IEP Team meeting to support the interpretation of the child’s evaluation results. I can help interpret the data providing a profile of the student’s current strengths and needs and use this information to help the team set measurable annual goals and develop an instructional program for the student that promotes progress. I may be a school psychologist, diagnostician, or special educator or have a different role. The key thing is that I understand how to interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results. Other invited member: I have been invited to the meeting at the invitation of the parent or public agency because I have knowledge and special expertise regarding the child’s needs. My role may vary based on the individual needs of the child. I could be a related service provider, an English as a second language teacher, a behavior specialist, a family member, an advocate, or another teacher working with the student. I have been invited because I can enhance the team with my knowledge of the student, but I attend only at the discretion of the parent or public agency. Student: Hi, I am the student, and this is my IEP. I have been invited to attend the meeting because I am 17 and we are discussing my postsecondary goals and the transition services that I need to reach my goals. If I can’t attend the meeting, the public agency must take steps to ensure that my needs and preferences are considered. Did you know that, when we are working on my transition planning, to the extent appropriate and with consent from my parents (or me if I have reached the age of majority), the public agency must invite a representative of any participating agency that is likely to be responsible for providing or paying for transition services? I wasn’t always invited to attend the IEP meeting before I turned 16, but participating in these meetings can help me to gain self-advocacy skills! I have heard of friends in other states who have to be invited to attend before they turn 16 because of their state regulations. When I am not at the meeting, it is still important you ensure my preferences and interests are considered in the development or refinement of my IEP. Parent: Hi, I am the parent. My voice is an important part of the IEP Team. I was the child’s first teacher and have the historical context about my child, as well as the big picture about their experience both in and out of school. I can share valuable information about what does and doesn’t work for my child, share their needs and strengths, and discuss how the skills they are learning at school are being applied at home. I can also provide additional context school staff may not be aware of. As a result, I am a critical and active decision maker when developing my child’s IEP. Although I am my child’s biological parent and my spouse is the child’s adoptive parent, I have friends who participate in IEP meetings as the child’s foster parent or guardian. I know IDEA allows an individual acting in the place of a biological or adoptive parent, including a grandparent, stepparent. Who can act as a parent sometimes varies state to state, so I always check my state law to confirm my state’s specific regulations. Regular (General) education teacher: Hi, I’ve been invited to the IEP meeting as a general or regular education teacher because the student spends instructional time in the general education setting. I am responsible for providing expertise on the general education curriculum as part of the IEP Team. I work collaboratively with other members to develop the IEP. Based on my understanding of the student in the general education setting, I might suggest potential aids and services that could assist the student to access the general education curriculum or behavioral strategies and supports to implement if there is a behavioral issue. It is possible for an IEP Team member to serve in multiple roles. For example, the special education teacher may have specific knowledge regarding the child in addition to expertise in interpreting the evaluation results. You just met the members of the IEP team. Although there are key roles that must be filled on the IEP Team, each team should reflect the individual needs of the student being discussed and the staffing at the school the student attends. The number of participants and their roles might vary, but the goal of collaboratively working together to develop an IEP that meets the unique needs of the child and promotes progress is consistent. Each member of the team adds value based on their knowledge and expertise, and the collective wisdom of the team is needed to develop the IEP. IEP Team meetings should not be the only time that team members communicate. Teams benefit from building regular communication between the student, family, and educators and among educators on the team. This regular communication allows the team to maximize the time at the team meeting in developing a high-quality IEP. You have probably heard the saying that there is no I in team; but, in fact, there is an I in the IEP Team that is focused on the individual needs of the student. Now that we’ve covered who is on the team and the importance of the team working together collaboratively to design an IEP that promotes progress for the student, In Part 2 we will discuss some other considerations that we need to keep in mind that may impact IEP Team membership and participation. Because Mr. Jones is a new teacher, he reached out to his mentor, Ms. Richards, to learn more about the IEP Team and ask some questions that he still has about the IEP Team and the IEP Team meeting. (Mr. Jones) What if one of the team members can’t attend the IEP Team meeting? (Ms. Richards) Let’s look at what the IDEA requirements say for this. (Ms. Richards) It looks like it says: A required member of the IEP Team, as described in Part 1 of this module and Parts a2 through a5 of this section of IDEA, is not required to attend an IEP Team meeting, in whole or in part, if the parent of a child with a disability and the public agency agree, in writing, that the attendance of the member is not necessary because the member’s area of the curriculum or related services is not being modified or discussed in the meeting. Let’s look at Part 2. It says: In addition, a member of the IEP Team may be excused from attending an IEP Team meeting, in whole or in part, when the meeting involves a modification to or discussion of the member’s area of the curriculum or related services, if-when the meeting involves a modification to or discussion of the member’s area of the curriculum or related services, if-The parent, in writing, and the public agency consent to the excusal; and The member submits, in writing to the parent and the IEP Team, input into the development of the IEP prior to the meeting. (Narrator) It is important to note, in both cases, the parent and the public agency must agree in writing, and, although IDEA provides these provisions, it is important to consider the impact of excusals on the team’s ability to develop an IEP that will promote progress for the student. Parental consent is necessary for each excusal. (Mr. Jones) Thanks! That is helpful, but how do we ensure parent participation in the IEP Team meeting? (Ms. Richards) Well, according to Section 300.322 of IDEA, the public agency must take steps to ensure that one or both of the parents of a child with a disability are present at each IEP Team meeting or are afforded the opportunity to participate, including . . .(Ms. Richards) Notifying the parent of the meeting early enough to ensure that they will have an opportunity to attend and Scheduling the meeting at a mutually agreed on time and place. (Ms. Richards) The notice should include information about the purpose of the meeting, the time and location, and who will attend. The notice should also inform parents of the provisions in IDEA that relate to the participation of other individuals on the IEP Team who have knowledge or special expertise about the child Ms. Richards) Remember, notice about the meeting shouldn’t be the first time you connect with the parent. Ongoing and regular communication with the family throughout the school year is essential to develop and implement high-quality educational programming that promotes progress for the student. (Mr. Jones) Okay, but what happens if we can’t convince the parent they should attend? (Ms. Richards) You can conduct a meeting without a parent in attendance if the public agency is unable to convince the parent that they should attend. This, of course, is not preferred; we have discussed the important role parents play on the IEP Team. (Ms. Richards) In this case, the public agency must keep a record of its attempts to arrange a mutually agreed on time and place, such as (1) detailed records of telephone calls made or attempted and the results of those calls, (2) copies of correspondence sent to the parents and any responses received, and (3) detailed records of visits made to the parent’s home or place of employment and the results of those visits. (Mr. Jones) So, I know that I should do my best to ensure parents are present at IEP meetings, but what if they can’t come to the school itself? Do meetings always need to be held in person? (Ms. Richards) Many educators may not be aware that, even prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, IEP teams were allowed “alternative means of meeting participation, such as video conferences and conference calls.”It may also be possible to meet at an off-campus location to accommodate the parent if transportation is an issue. (Ms. Richards) The use of an alternative format does not change other IDEA requirements for the IEP or the team. In fact, no matter the format of the meeting, all required participants including parents should be present and/or appropriately excused from the meeting [if mutually agreed upon in writing]. (Mr. Jones) I’ve learned who should be part of the team, whether or not a meeting can occur without team members present, how to encourage parent participation, and that I can hold a meeting using an alternate format, but how frequently should IEP team meetings occur and how long should the meeting be? (Ms. Richards) The IEP Team must convene to review the student’s IEP at least annually. At these meetings, the IEP team will review the student’s progress and revise the IEP as needed. Note that the language states, “periodically, but not less than annually.” This means teams may determine a need to meet more frequently. Either the parent or school staff can request an IEP Team meeting. (Ms. Richards) There is no prescribed length for an IEP Team meeting. Instead, meeting length should be driven by the needs of the student and volition of the team members. If needed, the team may decide to take a short break or reconvene at a later time. No matter the frequency or length of the IEP Team meeting, the meeting should always be planned in advance. Advance planning will ensure everyone is prepared to attend the meeting with a clear understanding of the agenda and their defined role during the meeting. Ensuring everyone is prepared in advance will facilitate the efficiency and effectiveness of the meeting. (Mr. Jones) If I have parents or other members on my IEP Team who may need interpretation services or other services to engage with the meeting, what should I do? (Ms. Richards) In addition to developing the agenda prior to the meeting to ensure the parent and other members are prepared to participate in the meeting, it is important to ask if additional supports and services are necessary to support parent participation in the meeting. In fact, the public agency must take whatever action is necessary to ensure that the parent understands the proceedings of the IEP meeting. Such actions may include arranging for an interpreter for parents with deafness or whose native language is not English. (Mr. Jones) I know we need to meet at least annually, but do we need to meet every time we make a change to the IEP? (Ms. Richards) Let’s look again at what IDEA says for this. (Mr. Jones) It looks like it says,”In making changes to a child’s IEP after the annual IEP meeting for a school year, the parent of a child with a disability and the LEA may agree not to convene an IEP meeting for the purposes of making such changes and, instead, may develop a written document to amend or modify the child’s current IEP.”And, “Changes to the IEP may be made either by the entire IEP team or by amending the IEP rather than by redrafting the entire IEP. Upon request, a parent shall be provided with a revised copy of the IEP with the amendments incorporated.”(Ms. Richards) Yes, but note, this does not apply to the IEP Team meeting that is required annually and must be agreed upon by both the parent and the agency. (Mr. Jones) To help ensure the IEP Team meeting is efficient, can I write the IEP in advance? (Ms. Richards) Let’s look at some of the key quotes about this topic from the IDEA Commentary following the reauthorization of IDEA in 2004. One thing that was emphasized was that “It is not permissible for an agency to have the final IEP completed before an IEP Team meeting begins.” The purpose of the IEP meeting is to collaboratively come to a consensus about the IEP based on the collective wisdom of all IEP Team members. Writing the IEP prior to the meeting fails to allow for this input from all team members about the student?? needs. Although it is not permissible to have a full IEP developed prior to the meeting, it is important that team members come to the meeting prepared to develop the IEP. This preparation may include but is not limited to having school personnel gather and analyze data, begin to draft the present levels of academic achievement and functional performance statement, and prepare to discuss evaluation findings and preliminary recommendations. If a draft IEP is developed prior to the meeting, it should be provided to the parent(s) in advance, with clear indication that the IEP is a draft and that it provides preliminary recommendations only. (Mr. Jones) I think my last question is: What follow-up is needed after the IEP Team meeting? (Ms. Richards) In addition to beginning to implement the IEP developed by the team, the public agency must give the parent a copy of the child’s IEP at no cost to the parent. The IEP should also be shared with relevant school members, including other general education teachers working with the student. In addition, it may be helpful to follow up with parents to discuss any questions or concerns. This module really helped me to better understand who needs to be at an IEP Team meeting and what team members’ roles are. It also helped to confirm that the IEP Team is a collective group that develops the IEP and that the IEP is not something that I am responsible for by myself. I learned that regular ongoing communication and collaboration with families can help to encourage them to participate in the meeting but that we are responsible for notifying the parents and scheduling the meeting at a time that they can attend,even if we need to use an alternative format such as a conference call or virtual meeting. I also learned that, although there are times when, with agreement from parents and the public agency, a required participant can be excused from the meeting, we want to ensure that we have all the necessary voices present to develop a high-quality program.

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