Individualized Education Plans

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Individualized Education Plans
Spirit Lake Consulting, Inc.

• www.spiritlakeconsulting.com

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Stop right there! How am I supposed to see what
he needs is on an IEP when I don't even know what
I can ask for? Why don't you start with what
should be on an IEP and what a good IEP looks
like, so I can even know if my son has a good one
or not?" -Spirit Lake mother
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At Spirit Lake Consulting IEP Workshop you
receive

• Information on special education rights
• Step-by-step instruction on preparing for
  evaluation, access to student records, IEP
  meetings, due process hearings, and other special
  education meetings
• Basic training on how to get the services you
  need from school districts
• Free special education materials on CD-ROM
• And much more

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How this workshop helps

• Does Someone You Know Have Special Education
  Needs? Do They Know Their Rights?

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Do they need help in ...

• Understanding their rights under federal special
  education laws (IDEA - Individuals with
  Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the
  Rehab Act)?
• Obtaining appropriate special education services
  for a student?
• Accessing and understanding students
  evaluations?
• Preparing for meetings on students Individual
  Education Plans?
• Accessing students records?
• Preparing for hearings when they disagree with
  school decisions?

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Definition of IEP

• A written statement of what the student with a
  disability should be taught, who will teach it,
  and how much time the child will spend with
  children who do not have disabilities.

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An IEP contains

• What the student will learn this year,
  (educational goals)
• Where he/she will learn this (alternative school,
  regular or special classroom
• Services the school will provide (speech therapy,
  physical therapy, counseling

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An IEP also contains

• Whether the student will start services
  year-round or during the school year
• When services will start, how often the student
  will receive services and how long they will last
• Whether the student will have the same high
  school graduation requirements as other students

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Help with the IEP meeting

• Parent can bring anyone they want to the meeting
• If you dont feel comfortable asking for what you
  need, bring someone else to ask for you
• Discuss with your student what you want decided
  in the meeting

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What can a student/parent do at an IEP meeting?

• Ask for what the student needs!!
• Ask for different goals, extra services, anything
  you feel is necessary
• Encourage the student to go to their own IEP
  meeting

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Quick Tips - Involving Parents

• Make sure the parents know there is a meeting do
  not assume they are just uninterested
• Use non-traditional means of communication, such
  as sending notes home with the bus driver
• Provide transportation
• Provide child care
• Provide refreshments

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Tips for students involved in IEP meetings

• Think ahead of time about what you want to learn
  this year
• Think about what you want to do when you get out
  of school
• Talk about your ideas with other people
• Practice speaking in front of a mirror or talking
  into a tape recorder

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More tips for students

• Talk to your parents about what you want decided
  at the meeting
• Talk to your teachers about what you want
• Write a note if you do not want to go, or have
  someone help you write it
• Bring someone to the meeting to back you up

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Examples of what should be in an IEP

• Statement of how the student is doing
• Details about how often the parents will be
  notified about the students progress
• Proof that the team addressed parent concerns
• Results of recent tests and details about
  upcoming tests
• Transition planning

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Facts about the IEP process

• Every student in special education is required to
  have an IEP
• The IEP should be completed before services are
  provided to the student
• The parents should get a free copy of the IEP or
  other other information
• If neither parent can attend the meeting, the
  school must ensure parent participation by phone
  calls, etc.

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Suspending or expelling students with disabilities

• Notify parents on the same day the decision is
  made
• Give the parents a copy of their rights
• Hold an IEP meeting w/in 10 days to decide if the
  behavior was due to the students disability
• Write up a plan to correct the students behavior