I graduated from high school in 1970. In all my public school years, I did not attend class with a student with a disability. I was made aware of children with Downs Syndrome, physical disabilities, vision or hearing loss by my mother. She made a point of introducing me to children with special needs and teaching me about their disabilities, how it was not their fault, and to be friends with all children. None of them attended school with me, though. If their parents had tried to enroll them in the local public school, they would have been told that the school was not equipped to serve students with those disabilities. They were denied access to the public school system.
Fortunately, that changed in 1975 with the passage of Public Law 94-142, Education for All Handicapped Children Act. This legislation is now covered under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Every student who qualifies for special education services is placed on an Individualized Education Plan (IEP). The purpose of the IEP is to ensure that your child receives a Free and Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Federal funds are provided so that all school districts can provide services for all students. If you are being told at your publicly funded school of choice, which includes charter schools, that they aren’t able to help your child, you can pursue the matter further with the district superintendent or respectfully remind school personnel that this is a federal mandate.
Your child’s IEP will document their present level of performance, which includes their strengths and what they are able to do. Make sure this information is accurate and complete. The information in this section will be used to write the annual goals with periodic benchmarks. These should be measurable and attainable and identify which team members will be responsible for each component of the goals. There should also be a schedule for how progress on meeting the goals will be measured. Follow up on this and communicate with the rest of the IEP team frequently. If you aren’t seeing any progress, request an interim meeting to discuss what isn’t working and what needs to be changed.
It’s a good idea to have long term goals for your child. Where do you see them living when they are 19 years old? Will they be in college? Working full time? Will they be driving? How about when they are 25? Will they still be living at home? Living independently ? With roommates? In a group home? Having this long term perspective helps guide the goal-setting process. For example, knowing your child is planning on college will help determine which classes they take in high school, what accommodations will best serve them, and the level of rigor required to help them meet their goals. You can begin the scaffolding process in junior high or middle school to guide them from a higher level of supports and supervision to a more independent level in preparation for high school.
The IEP is about your child and how they can be guided to the next level of achievement. Keep the focus on your child. Stay away from a contest of adult egos. If an IEP meeting becomes contentious, respectfully guide the discussion back to the purpose of the IEP, which is to map out a plan to help your child succeed in meeting goals and progressing. Talk about those long term goals so all team members can focus on the big picture. Talk about your child’s strengths and remind the team that the objective of the meeting is to decide how to support your child in moving forward.
As a special education teacher and academic advisor, I participated in IEP meetings for 24 years. I’ve seen some that did not go well and others when all team members were on the same page and the student made unprecedented progress as a result. I know the ingredients of a successful IEP meeting in terms of student progress. For more support on making your child’s IEP meetings productive, click here. I am happy to help in any way I can.