What is the purpose of an IEP meeting? Many people answer saying it is a meeting for their child with a disability. The purpose of an IEP meeting is to document your child’s progress, update any aspects of the IEP document to support your child’s educational success, and document any concerns and goals you have for your child in school. There are specific IEPs that have certain purposes such as: transition, eligibility, and manifestation determination IEP meetings. Here are some examples for the most common IEP meetings to help you be better prepared for your next IEP meeting.
The annual IEP is when the IEP team goes over all aspects of the IEP document and updates everything to ensure that it is current, accurate, and supports your child. The team reviews how your child performs in class, their progress on goals, and proposes new goals to reflect their review. This type of meeting is held once per year and—unless your family or the school feels it is necessary—could be your only IEP meeting of the school year.
Ultimately, the purpose of an IEP meeting is to make sure your child’s needs are met.
Amendment IEP meetings are typically held to address specific concerns within an IEP. When you call for an amendment meeting, the IEP team comes together to go over any concerns or updates that you feel are necessary to add to your child’s IEP. The school district may also call amendment meetings to go over transitions, 30-day placements, behavior, and manifestation determinations. Despite the meeting’s specific purpose, you can always bring up anything that you would like to discuss and ensure is documented in the IEP.
A transition IEP meeting is held for students whose services and placement change due to an educational transition. Examples include: your child’s IEP moving from preschool to elementary school, elementary school to middle school, and middle school to high school. Transition IEPs are an opportunity for your family to learn more about what your child will face the next school year and how services may change based on your child’s age. A transition IEP meeting is not a time when your child loses services, but instead is a way to update them to reflect the changing school environment.
Your child’s school district is required to hold a manifestation determination IEP meeting when your child has been suspended for 10 days in a school year. While the meeting is required to be held at or after 10 days of suspension, proactive schools schedule this meeting after 8 or 9 days.
The manifestation determination is a meeting with the IEP team that discusses and determines if the actions or behaviors that caused the suspension(s) are a manifestation of your child’s IEP. This meeting can be scary or stressful to attend, but it is an opportunity. The entire team looks at what changes can be made and offers your child more support to help them be successful.
Whether the IEP meeting’s purpose is for transition, an annual meeting, or any other reason, Aspire Advocacy has someone that can help explain the process and accompany you. If your child has an upcoming IEP Meeting and you are feeling unsure on what the purpose of it is or concerned about the outcome, reach out to Aspire Advocacy and we would love to support you through the process.
For help at your child’s next IEP meeting, more information about our special education advocacy services, or for a FREE 20-minute consultation to see if we are a good fit for you, call or email today!
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