Your annual IEP meeting preparation can come in a variety of forms, depending on how you like to get organized. First, let’s cover some basics:
Once a student qualifies for an IEP, the IEP team meets. During this meeting, the group discusses their assessments. The sole purpose of assessments is so that the entire team can discuss your child’s present levels in all suspected areas of disability. This can include academics, social, speech, gross or fine motor, and includes all areas where the student needs support to succeed in school.
The initial step is to make sure that the assessments cover ALL areas of suspected disability. You have to sign a form permitting the district to assess. Read the list of what they will assess carefully, and make sure that all areas of concern are listed. If not, you can sign for agreement to start on the areas they have listed, and there is a line to include other concerns. Write on there the additional areas where you would like your student tested.
Assessments are often 30 to 70 pages long. It is very difficult to sit in a meeting about your child and pay attention while reading and interpreting that many pages of testing results. Ask in writing to have all reports to you at least 5 days before the IEP Team Meeting to discuss those results.
Read the reports carefully, make notes, and do not be shy about asking questions. At the start of every meeting, the team will ask you for a list of your child’s strengths, interests, and preferences. Please write out this list in advance, and ask the team to cut and paste it into the IEP document.
Equally crucial is your concerns relevant to educational progress. Please take your time on this, and list all concerns. Please note that it does not say academic progress, but educational progress. This can include interpersonal skills, health, attention – anything and everything you are concerned about. This also needs to go to the team in an email in advance of the meeting, asking them to cut and paste. Many parents skip this step. What most parents do not realize is that the IEP team must address all concerns that you have shared. This can be key in developing an individualized and appropriate IEP.
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