Encouraging Meaningful Parent Participation Within the IEP Process
BY ANGELA SHAW
In order to ensure long-term success and independence that we strive to instill within our students, the voices and wisdom of the families and education professionals must be blended in a proactive manner around and beyond the IEP meeting table.
Many families today are aware that the Individualized Education Program (IEP) document is a foundational element to guiding and directing the appropriate instructional planning for a student with special needs.
However, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), our nation's special education law, is less well known to families. Since its inception in 1975, nearly a half-century ago, under the title Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA), Public Law 94142, the Act has undergone several revisions in pursuit of remaining true to the original intent of providing appropriate public education to children with disabilities at no cost to parents. Periodic revision and update serve to increase precision, efficiency and effectiveness of the law, as the ideals governing it are generalized into practice.
Although it is often said that special education has many moving parts, to include extensive paperwork, everchanging laws, and innumerable meetings, the laws and regulations that support our children with special needs toward increasing their ability to achieve desired outcomes are dependent upon the collaboration of the IEP team members and integrity of the process. In order to ensure long-term success and independence that we strive to instill within our students, the voices and wisdom of the families and education professionals must be blended in a proactive manner around and beyond the IEP meeting table.
The primary purposes of IDEA that are built into the law are to provide a free appropriate public education (FAPE) within the least restrictive environment (LRE). This means that children who are suspected of having disabilities that may be impacting their access to education are evaluated, with parent consent, at no cost to parents.Additionally, if a student meets the eligibility criteria under one of the 13 qualifying disability categories described within the IDEA and, as a result of that disability, requires special education and related services in order to make progress in school, an individualized education plan (IEP) is drafted at an eligibility meeting to meet the child's unique educational needs within the least restrictive environment (LRE).Our logical and legal minds have skillfully organized the 13 eligibility categories, but all children have a distinct and individual profile complete with strengths, talents, challenges, and so on. Children with special needs are no different in this aspect, regardless of which eligibility category they meet.
Parents are vital to the IEP process. The meaningful voice of the parent is essential to ensuring that a thorough and appropriately designed educational plan results for their child. Parents are key to provision of a comprehensive insight relative to their child's strengths and challenges; history and development; family factors and history.In point of fact, under IDEA, parents are provided specific rights and protection, in order to ensure that their voice is heard. Designed to protect the rights of children and their parents, these rights and protections are termed procedural safeguards. Meaningful parent involvement within the mechanism of the IEP team through communication and understanding of all perspectives builds the foundation that will support the student on his educational journey.
PREPARE
Advance preparation prior to an IEP meeting is a key component in support of your active and effective participation within the team: 1. Learn who will be in attendance and their role within the team. 2.Understand the purpose of the meeting that you will be participating in, to include:
• Initial: Review recent evaluation(s); occurs within a specified timeline after the referral process is completed. This type of meeting is to determine eligibility for special education services and, if eligible, provides for recommend appropriate services. Special education services will be implemented only with signed consent of the parent.
• Annual: Required at least once per year for students with an active IEP, in order to determine if the program is meeting your child's needs. Progress is reviewed and an updated plan is created, based upon current levels and needs.
• Triennial: Every three years an evaluation is required, in order to determine if special education services are still appropriate.
• Transfer: If a student transfers to another district, the receiving district will adapt the previously approved IEP or develop a new IEP within 30 days.
• Transition: This is a meeting that is held for students' transitioning from one program to another, such as from 0-3 year old to pre-school, or middle school to high school. Additionally, transition planning is a process that is mandated by IDEA 2004 for all students with an IEP, prior to the student turning 16, individualized to the student and based upon his/her strengths, preferences, and interests, in order to facilitate the student's move from school to post-school activities to include opportunities to develop functional skills for work and community life.
• Addendum: A revision to the active IEP. This type of meeting may be initiated by the parent, general education or special education teacher, or related service provider (speech/language pathologist, occupational therapist, etc.).
• Manifestation Determination: First introduced with the 1997 amendments to IDEA, the purpose is to determine whether or not the student's behavior, specific to certain violations of student code of conduct, that led to the disciplinary infraction, is linked to his/her disability or if the conduct in question was the direct result of the local education agency's (LEA) failure to implement the IEP (CPIR, 2017).
• Exit: This is the meeting that is held if a child no longer qualifies for special education services. 3. Review procedural safeguards/parent rights, which will be provided to you prior to the meeting date.4. Request copies of evaluations and other documents available that will support your participation in the upcoming meeting.5. Reflect and review upon your child's strengths and needs. Consider his/her recent report cards, progress reports, classwork, and homework, in order to remain focused upon the plan at hand.6. Request a written agenda, if one is available, to provide you guidance and ease anxiety.7.Create a checklist to include items you would like to discuss. Refer to the list during the meeting, to ensure you remember all points you have listed.8. Prepare an IEP binder to hold information about your child's learning. Include a section to illustrate hobbies, interests, and successes. Place within, dividers to be organized with IEP and related documents such as evaluations, progress toward goals reports, and so on.
ENGAGE
The core element of all human contact is communication through verbal and non-verbal transmissions. The dynamic quality of communication is ever-changing, as we are effected by others and, in fact, effect change in others by our communicative actions. All those engaged in the flow of expression are observing as they listen, talk, and process the input received. As we actively seek to construct meaning through our words and actions, others are receiving and processing through their own channels of experience and knowledge. As the team becomes better acquainted with one another, stronger connections and links to understanding develop. The following framework provides a portal to meaningful parent participation, in order to build a bridge of understanding and actionable support:
1. Begin with the end in mind. Keeping your emotions in check during difficult conversations and moving beyond the crisis of the moment, will increase the ability to remain solution-focused. Rather than concentrating upon just getting through the meeting, considering long-term goals such as the following, will encourage a more productive approach relative to: • Positively connecting with the team. • Discovering your child's strengths and needs. • Planning for your child's growth and access to curriculum.
• Planning for your child's growth and access to curriculum. 2.Stay focused upon the purpose of the meeting. If negatives begin to dominate the conversation, redirect the tone to one of solution-focus through discussing what is going well. Through refocusing upon strengths and strategies that are working, the team may discover approaches that will inspire growth in the area of concern.
3. Be mindful of the fact that everyone around the table is present for the common purpose of cultivating a successful journey within the school setting. Acknowledge everyone's positive intentions.
4. Seek clarity and ask questions when things are unclear or terminology is confusing.
5. Share a comprehensive picture of your child through his/her interests and successes within the home and community, as well as any concerns you may have relative to home, school, and community involvement.
6. Stay in step with the agenda items. Rather than rushing the process, request that a part- two meeting be schedule to resume the conversation and finalize the plan, if time runs out.
7. Take care of your personal needs, in order to remain solution focused and authentically engaged. Bring a bottle of water for sipping. Ask for a short break if you need to use the restroom, make a quick phone call, and so on.
8. Keep the channels of communication open beyond the team meeting. Discover who will be your point of contact within the team. Ask who on the team the case manager is and what the best method of contact is for that individual. Share your best method of contact, as well.
FOLLOW-UP
Continue your active voice and membership within the IEP team after the meeting through these points:
1. Follow up with any paperwork discussed within the meeting. Review, sign, and return any documents that were sent home after the meeting. At times, parents request to review and sign the IEP document after the meeting is held. Be sure that you review and return the IEP document in a timely fashion, if you chose to take it home, in order to allow implementation of the IEP to begin.
2. Debrief your child. Share with him/her all the positives that were discussed. Preview services that he/she will be receiving, as well as possible supports and accommodations that were discussed to encourage further success. Answer your child's questions and, if needed, let him/her know you will follow up to find answers if you do not know, yet.
3. Send a quick thank you note to your case manager and the other members of the IEP team. In addition to keeping the door of communication open and beginning the journey on a positive note, you will confirm that you have written down the correct contact information for future use. Additionally, you will ensure that the team members have your correct contact information.
4. Connect with your child's case manager, if questions or concerns arise. The case manager can support your endeavor to find answers relative to other service providers and/or accommodations and supports within the educational environment.
5. Update your child's IEP binder. Organize all the documents that result from the meeting, including the updated IEP, any evaluations, notes you have taken, as well as other documentation discussed and sent home.
6. Get educated. Gaining deeper understanding about your child's exceptional needs will afford opportunities to discover parenting strategies or homework supports unique to your child's identified learning challenges.
7. Reach out and connect. Joining specialized parenting groups through virtual or real time opportunities will provide emotional and practical support encompassing: • Navigation of the special education maze • Friendships for parents and children • Increased knowledge and understanding of learning differences.
8. Remember to stay connected with the general education world through PTA membership and other school events, in order to provide community involvement at the appropriate level for your child.
Being an informed and collaborative IEP team member, beyond the meeting, will enhance consistency and understanding of your child's unique learning profile across the lifespan of his/her special education program. In fact, the parental voice is the most consistent one throughout the years of IEP team membership and will breathe life and personality between the printed words of the plan.
CASE-IN-POINT : THE ROLE OF THE CASE MANAGER
Navigating the complex landscape of special education can be a challenge for parents, but case managers (CM) can provide assistance with the process. The CM serves as a primary contact for parents and other educational providers. A special education teacher or related service provider who is a member of the IEP team, is the designated case manager for your son or daughter. They shoulder the dual responsibility of teaching students and preforming case load management duties for each student. The role is a critical one as it is the responsibility of the CM to oversee the special education process and ensure that a student's IEP is implemented and timelines are followed. The CM's responsibilities may vary from school to school, but overseeing through coordinating the IEPs of students is a commonality specific to their dual role within the team. Beyond providing specialized instructional services within their scope of expertise, additional areas that case manager is involved in are: • Scheduling and Developing IEPs • Managing the Caseload Paperwork, Timelines, and Procedures • Providing Case Management Services to Support Learning
Given the multi-faceted nature of the educator who fulfills the dual role of case manager and teacher/service provider, it is essential that this individual have a deep and comprehensive understanding of each child on their caseload, in order to provide an appropriate education within the least restrictive environment, which is why each state has guidelines regarding caseload size. While the case manager is primarily responsible for coordination and facilitation of the procedural, communication, consultation, and monitoring tasks listed above, other members of the team fulfill the role of consulting service providers within their scope of practice, including the voice and knowledge that parents provide.
BINDER PRIMER : ORGANIZING YOUR IEP PARENT BINDER
Federal law mandates that the IEP team meeting include specific members pertinent to the purpose of the meeting, to include parents and professionals. All members have the experience and background that qualifies them as experts to support the student with special needs. The professionals gathered around the conference table have the appropriate education within their scope of practice to participate as experts, but parents are the qualified experts of their child. In truth, parents are the one constant within the team and know their child better than anyone on the team. An IEP Binder is a great organi zational tool for parents and provides a ready reference in order to encourage meaningful IEP participation in all stages to include: • Preparation • Engagement • Tracking Building your parent binder will afford you on-the-spot information, as well as a ready place for new documents. Customizing the notebook with information that is pertinent to you and your child will streamline the process and provide easy access for sharing or to reference. Preparation of your binder is appropriate to your needs and the following list will guide you as you customize your binder:
GET READY
GET READY A few items you may want to invest in to support you in your endeavor of building an easy to access binder comprise: • Two to three inch 3-ring binder with standard view window and interior pockets • Lined notebook paper • Clear page protectors • Pocket folders • Tabbed dividers
• Transportation information, to include letters, reports, medical and safety instructions, etc., if applicable • Grade reports, to include report cards and progress toward goals reports • Lined paper for notes • Pen or pencil • Any other pertinent information with regard to your child's successes to include hobbies, awards, interests, strategies and supports that have been successful in the past (at home or school), etc.
GET SET
Consider what is applicable to the comprehensive picture of your child, as you assemble your notebook. • Current photo (front cover) to keep your child's personality at the forefront of discussion and decisions • Parent's Procedural Rights and Safeguards, highlighted as needed, for your review, tucked into the front inside pocket of binder copy • Current IEP with your own notations, as needed, to define possible acronyms and/or services, etc. • Medical or health plans, if applicable, to include letters from medical professionals regarding care in classroom, medications, procedures, etc. • Multi-disciplinary report (MDR) containing results of all evaluations administered, as well as recommendations. This report is comprehensive in nature, due to the team approach, and will contain observations from general education teacher(s). Additionally, notes from parent interviews to include information about the child's early development, family history, results of behavioral rating scales, and so on, are typically included within the MDR. • Current IEP meeting notices or other prior written notices (PWN) • Assistive technologies, to include equipment and procedures, if applicable.
GO!
Open your binder to your own dated notes page. Refer to the tabbed locations, as needed, to support your understanding and engagement. • Be prepared to add new information within your notebook. Providing a staging pocket within the back inside pocket of the binder will allow you the flexibility of reviewing the document one more time at home and then filing it within the appropriate tab for later reference. • Removing old information will streamline the notebook and allow easy access and reference, when needed. Filing items such as old IEPs, outdated evaluations, grade reports and prior written notices within your home filing cabinet, under the appropriate school year, is a beneficial practice to support: • Review • Possible paperwork completion for medical, social security, military change of stations, etc. • Planning • Take notes. Remember to ask questions if an unfamiliar acronym is used or professional terminology is flying between the voices of the team. Note the term within your own notes page or on your document copy for future reference and understanding.•
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: As a special educator, Angela Shaw endeavors to maintain a responsive and proactive approach toward problem solving through the 3 C's of: communication, collaboration and creative thinking to provide students learning that will grow for a lifetime. Her publishing voice synthesizes her diverse education and experience relative to special education topics and families. Most recent articles published within EP Magazine include topics about decreasing stress & anxiety, supporting collaborative efforts and understanding dyslexia. Shaw earned Masters' degrees from Azusa Pacific University in Special Education and School Counseling.
References Center for Parent Information and Resources (9/16/17). [Retrieved: 6/29/2018 from parentcenterhub.org/manifes- tation]. Manifestation Determination. Newark, NJ
