child's response to learning with home language supports.

After the 45-day evaluation process, the school will invite the parents to the meeting. You and all the educators who assessed and who teach your child will bring the data collected. The conversation will focus on the area of challenge your child is having in school. For example, if the reason for referring for special education was reading, the team will focus on how the child is performing across a variety of areas of reading and literacy. The parent is an essential member of the team and their contributions are very more important, as the parent can share what is seen at home and how the child learns at home. The parents are highly encouraged to ask questions and share experiences that may give teachers a better sense of whether the struggles are also happening at home. The parent will have a language interpreter or translator if English is not the home language. If the student is 14 years or older, the student should also attend the meeting. Sometimes it is difficult for parents to share and ask questions, being surrounded by six to eight educators who speak educational jargon, but remember that you are your child’s expert despite what language you speak.

The special education evaluation multidisciplinary team is typically composed of general education teachers, special education teachers, bilingual or ESL teacher, school psychologist, speech and language therapist, occupational therapists, physical therapist, school counselor, school or district education agency representative, like the principal. The team comes together to share their findings in their unique areas. Each team member will report on where the child is academically, socially, behaviorally, and emotionally. We call this part of the meeting, the current or present levels of performance. Once they share the information about the student, the area of weakness is presented. The goal here is to understand whether the child is at grade level or how to get him/her there. The team is looking for how a disability may impact the student's ability to learn grade-level curriculum. If the area of concern and weaknesses impact learning of the curriculum at grade level, the team then reviews all assessment results and makes a decision whether the child would benefit from specially designed

instruction and special education-related services, and in what area of disability. Once the team comes to agreement that the child has a disability that keeps him/her from learning without special education services, and that they meet eligibility under the requirements of IDEA, a formal Individualized Education Plan or IEP is developed. The process of understanding that the child is eligible to receive special education services can take more than one meeting, and the parent has the right to request some time to better understand the process and the impact it will have in their child's education career moving forward. This is critical, because it is often hard to understand the educational terms that the educators share in the meeting. I recommend parents take some time to take notes and share with another professional like a pediatrician, university professor, therapist, a special education parent advocate, or another parent who has gone through the process, for feedback and ideas.

STICK WITH THE PLAN: "The IEP must show how the school will design a plan that shows how your child will improve towards grade level achievement based on his/her area of disability. The IEP should also show how the teachers will monitor progress and how that progress will be shared with you regularly."

The IEP is a legal and educational plan that summarizes the process and instructional goals for your child to get special education services, and be able to move towards meeting grade-level standards. The IEP must show how the school will design a plan that shows how your child will improve towards grade level achievement

based on his/her area of disability. The IEP should also show how the teachers will monitor progress and how that progress will be shared with you regularly. The IEP will also explain how often and when different special education services will be provided (i.e. occupational therapy, speech and language therapy, physical therapy, counseling, etc.), and how much of the time the child will be with their peers or taken out of the classroom. The IEP is typically written for one year, but it is important for parents to know that they can call an IEP meeting at any time to review progress or address concerns. In any meeting, you can ask to have a language interpreter or translator.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS SUGGESTED FOR PARENTS OF BILINGUAL STUDENTS TO BRING TO THE IEP

Parents should feel confident asking questions about their child's educational services, including bilingual and ESL supports. Once the IEP is developed, it is also critical that the goals take into account the child's home language and English proficiency, so that the specially designed instruction is appropriate, including culturally and linguistically responsive practices. Cultural and linguistic practices allow student to connect with the curriculum by using their bilingual advantage, their home language and cultural experiences to learn