IEP Meetings and Construction of IEPs (Some placements will not allow
field work students to sit in on IEP meetings. If you are in such a placement, it is your responsibility to engage in discussion concerning issues raised below, and to find out the answers to the questions related to IEP meetings. You may ask a teacher or other professional who sits in on such meetings to answer the questions posed relative to a specific meeting she/he has attended, though there is no need for the person you interview to disclose the name of the student on whose IEP she or he is reporting. )
An IEP is an Individualized Education Program tailored to meet the needs of a student identified with a qualifying disability. It should be reviewed by classroom teachers, to be sure appropriate adaptations and modifications exist in every learning environment. At a minimum, an IEP must contain the following:
-Statement of the child’s present level of educational performance
-How the child will participate in the general education curriculum
-Identification of supplementary aides and services to support the child
-Specific
educational adaptations
and
modifications
for the student
-Specific testing accommodations or modifications to be provided for State- or
district-wide assessments
-Clear statement of why student is exempted from assessments where this applies
-Projected start and end date of services and amount, type, location, and provider/s
of service
-When students reach age 14, their IEPs change. At that point, students’ IEPs must include a statement of transition services they will need, and documentation of interagency collaboration, in addition to a statement of goals for their future such as college or full time employment.
To Prepare for IEP Meetings:
Teachers can request adequate notice of meetings so they can be prepared. It is a good idea to touch base with the Special Educator and other professionals who have contact with the student prior to the meeting. If the meeting is for purpose of reviewing an IEP rather than constructing one, it is important to review the goals and to document the progress that has been made. IEPs are reviewed at least quarterly, so prior goals and objectives should be reviewed to see if they have been achieved. Goals or objectives that have been mastered should be removed from the student's plan. Whether it is an initial or a review meeting, all parties will want to know teachers’ assessments of the student’s specific strengths and learning challenges.
Document the IEP forms or software used by your mentor teacher, and if possible discuss the IEP process with her or him. Reflect on what you learn, and include discussion of what you might change, if anything. Insert your observations immediately after this page.
Observing and Assessing IEP Meetings:
Following are some considerations as you think about the process of IEP meetings.
-What was the purpose of the meeting?
-Did the meeting take place as scheduled? If not, how was the original schedule
changed, and why?
-Did a general education teacher participate? (Such participation is mandated by
law if the student is included in general education classes.)
-Were other service providers included? If so, what services were represented, and
if not, should they have been?
-Do all parties appear to understand the assessment information? If not, what
might have been done to aid in this understanding?
-Did the IEP members seem to have a good understanding of the child’s educational
strengths and needs? If not, identify by title which IEP team members would
benefit from clarification.
-Did any of the educators present make sure parents were seated in a way that led
to collaborative interaction?
-Did parents receive 10 days notification of the IEP team meeting, or did they
waive their rights to the 10 day notification?
-Did parents receive a draft copy of the child’s IEP before the meeting?
-Did parents receive a copy of their child’s assessment/s before the meeting?
-Do parents seem to understand assessment information?
-Do the parents have the
parental rights
booklet that informs them of their rights
and the rights of their child in the special education process?
-Did parents participate in the development of their child’s IEP? Identify at least
one goal or objective offered by a parent during the meeting.
-Did parents feel the goals and objectives of their child’s IEP were appropriate?
-Were parents and other team members comfortable asking questions and offering opinions?
-Did parents agree with the recommendations of the IEP team?
-Do parents know whom to contact when they have questions?
Reflect upon your responses to these questions. Include discussion of your reactions to the process, and what you learned about the process and about the particular student in question. Insert these responses immediately after this page.
**Some schools cannot make arrangements for observers to sit in on IEP meetings or other staff meetings where the needs of individual students are discussed. If you cannot sit in on such a meeting, interview special and regular educators in your placement setting so you can answer as many questions as possible regarding how students' needs are addressed by an interdisciplinary group. Document what you have learned, along with any reflections, immediately after this page.
**
Classroom Grading and Report Cards:
Grading is one of the most difficult parts of teaching. When teachers provide students and their parents with a concrete assessment of students’ progress, it is often an emotional situation. Grading students with special needs are often even more difficult than those for general education students, because there are so many considerations that go into reflecting on the work of these students.
-Find out if there is a grading policy for Prince George’s County Schools, or for the
school in which you are observing. Is it different for students with special needs?
-Talk to veteran teachers about how they handle grading (do they give points, letter
grades, percentages?) Note which approaches make sense and seem most useful
to you.
-Note which teachers incorporate diverse means of assessment such as portfolios,
reports that are videotaped or presented in ways other than written--
the more ways
students are assessed, the better.
-Teachers must be prepared to document the bases on which they award grades;
learn what teachers you interview have found to be the best strategies.
-Note how your mentor teacher shares students’ progress with the student (and with
parents) during the term, not just at the end.
-Note whether older students are given tools for tracking their own grades.
-Consider the IEPs of children in a class, to see how educational adaptations may
affect the teacher’s practice regarding grading those students.
-Portfolios of student work must be kept for students with special needs in areas
where special services are provided. Do you see evidence of such portfolios?
Report Cards
-Be familiar with report cards in the PGCPS, so you know what sorts of grades are
furnished to parents.
-Find out whether teachers complete report cards with a computer program.
-Check whether teachers make comments on the report cards.
-Note whether students seem to know in advance what their grades will be, and
how they feel when they receive their report cards.
Quarterly Report Procedures
-Note how teachers gather information about student progress, addressing the
goals and objectives set out in their IEPs or other plans.
-Note how teachers keep data regarding information they gather.
Document the grading, and report card plans/practices, and quarterly report procedures used by your mentor teacher. Reflect on what you see, and insert these observations immediately after this page.