The IEP team is comprised of many different people, but not all of them understand their role in the IEP process or IEP implementation.
General ed teachers role at the IEP table is crucial, but they can often be confused about what they are responsible for, when their participation in meetings is necessary, and how they can support the IEP. The tips below can help make it easier to clear up that confusion.
A General Ed Teacher’s Role in the IEP Process
Explaining the IEP Process
Most of the time, general ed teachers are just not aware of what the IEP process entails. Unlike special ed teachers who receive intensive teacher training on IEPs, it is not discussed at length for general ed teachers.
Having a cheat sheet or providing an explanation that shows the steps of the IEP process can be an easy way to educate the rest of the IEP team and parents as well.
Stay Legal
By law, the general ed teacher is required to be in attendance for a part, if not all, of the IEP meeting. If general ed teachers are pushing back and do not want to attend, direct them to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, Part B, Subpart D, Section 300.321 which explains that their attendance is legally required.
Implementation
Understanding that the IEP is a legally binding document is often the first hurdle when it comes to teaching general ed teachers about their role in the IEP process. Many do not understand the ramifications of not providing services, documenting progress, or implementing accommodations and modifications for students per the IEP.
Simply explaining what the IEP is can go a long way toward getting general ed teachers to buy in to implementation and participation at meetings.
Help Them Prepare
While an IEP meeting may be second nature for special ed teachers, general ed teachers often don’t know what to bring or what to say at the meetings. This creates anxiety and frustration because they don’t completely understand the process or their role in it.
Help your general ed teachers prepare for the IEP meeting so that they know what they should bring and talking points that they might want to bring up. It makes the process less intimidating for them and helps them to feel more prepared, and can be as simple as a quick check-in a few days prior to the upcoming IEP meeting.
Helping general ed teachers understand their role in the IEP process begins with education about the basics. Once they understand what the IEP process is, how they are legally part of the team and their attendance is required, and why implementing the IEP with fidelity is so important (and legally required!), they will be more willing to actively engage in meetings.
Special ed has a language all its own and bringing general ed teachers into the fold by explaining it goes a long way to building relationships where every special ed child is supported in the general ed classroom and beyond.
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