IEP meetings are not for the faint of heart! They can be overwhelming, stressful, and downright difficult if we are being truly honest with one another. But IEP meetings can also be encouraging, motivating, and positive. The problem is that you never quite know how a meeting is going to go until you are in the thick of it.
Thankfully there are five things that you can do at every meeting to ensure that you are doing your part and working toward the most positive outcome for the child, the family, and the school.
Five Things Special Ed Teachers Can Do at IEP Meetings
1 – Be on Time
Punctuality is key when it comes to IEP meetings. Not only are you asking your colleagues to give up time from their day to sit in on the meeting, but you are also asking families to spend time away from work. When you are on time, it shows that you are taking the meeting seriously, that you are invested in the student’s success, and that you are a professional.
2 – Introduce Everyone
Parents have the right to know who is in the room discussing their child. Take time before the meeting officially begins to introduce each person at the table and what their role is at the school.
If there will be others coming into the meeting at various times, be sure to indicate who will be stopping by and how they know the student. Even if you think the family has met the teacher or administrator a dozen times, re-introduce him or her.
Also, ask the parents to introduce themselves and their advocate if they brought one.
3 – Brush Up on Special Ed Law
While this should be done prior to the IEP meeting, it is also helpful to explain the law and how it relates to the student’s IEP as you are going through it with the family.
If you are not sure about the legality of what they are requesting, explain that you will look into it. Don’t try to make up the law or guess at what it says! Not only could that damage your credibility but it could also cause legal issues for the district.
4 – Provide Examples
Families of students with IEPs know that there are differences between how their child learns and how other students may process information. When you are discussing specific things, be sure to provide examples of what you mean.
Bring in samples of the student’s work in the classroom to show the family a concrete example. They might even surprise you and bring in work samples from home or indicate that they too have noticed the same behavior or concern.
5 – Listen and Ask Questions
At the end of the day, families do not want to argue with the school to get the support and services that their children need. The majority of them want to work together as a team and come up with a plan of action that will benefit their child the most.
Ask questions about why they are requesting certain things and then listen to their answers. If you are not clear about something, ask follow-up questions for clarification. When you show that you are genuinely interested and care about their child, families will typically tell you more about their concerns and why they have them. Instead of a dictatorship, it becomes the collaboration that it should be.
BONUS TIP – Understand What the Data is Saying
All IEP meetings should be data driven. It’s not so important to have work samples, as it is to understand what the work samples are telling the IEP team.
What does that mean? Take all of your data points and graph them. Then analyze that data to make sure it is backing up any proposals or amendments at the IEP meeting.
While preparing the IEP document is important and must be done, the five simple things above can also make or break a meeting. Be on time, make sure everyone knows each other, know and be able to explain the Special Ed Law, give families concrete examples of work, and actively listen and ask questions. Before you know it, the meeting will be over and a great school-parent relationship will be forged.
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