submits an executed Assessment Plan to the school, the school has 45 days to administer all the tests noted in the Assessment Plan, and hold an Individual Education Plan meeting.

A typical assessment plan tests in the areas of cognitive, social, emotional, behavioral and academic domains. If there are other concerns the school psychologist sees and/or the parent has, the psychologist can include other tests such as: speech and language, occupational therapy, assistive technology, etc. For an initial IEP, Assessment Plans are mandatory prior to making any eligibility decisions. The team consists of several school personnel, which at times can be between 10-20 individuals in the room, depending on the complexity of the child. This can be very intimidating for some parents, since they have many concerns about their children.

During the 45-day timeline, the school psychologists, special education teacher, occupational therapist, speech and language therapist, and any other assessor, will be calling the parent for more detailed information on the child. This allows the assessors to gather data and commence their testing on the child. Once the testing is completed, each assessor will provide the parent with a report of their findings. Included in this report will be the summary of findings and test data results, in numerical format. Assessors do not always provide these reports timely to the parents. At times they are provided the same day as the IEP, leaving the parents with no time to review and prepare with questions for the IEP team. I always recommend parents request in writing, and preferably on the assessment plan itself, the following verbiage “please provide copies of all reports in this assessment plan to me five days prior to the IEP meeting, so that I can review, and materially participate in my child’s IEP.”

Once the assessment reports are available, parents should read them and write down any questions and/or concerns they may have, and bring the questions with them to the IEP meeting. Look for accuracy in the information written in the report. School personnel are human and do make mistakes. The goal is to obtain information that reflects the child. Once all the reports are completed, the school will provide the parent with a few option dates to hold the IEP meeting. Schools should not impose restrictions on IEP dates. They should be flexible and afford the parents options, so they can attend the IEP meeting.

If a parent has an advocate, friend or someone who has knowledge of the child, and wants them to attend the IEP meeting, they can write their names and title on the Invitation to the IEP. A parent has the right to record the IEP meeting if the parent chooses to do so. The parent will need to write on the Invitation to the IEP “I intend to record the IEP meeting and this is my 24 hour prior written notice.” The parent may then sign and submit this document to the school. It is typical for IEP verbiage to state something like “if I, the parent, cannot attend my child’s IEP, the school may proceed without me.” Please pay attention to detail and do not check such boxes, because the school will commence the IEP, decide eligibility, goals and objectives, accommodations, etc. on behalf of the parents. This is not a proper way to proceed. The IEP invite usually has a few options and boxes for the parent to check regarding attendance. Be

aware of this.

The proper box to check will be one that states "I intend to be there; however, if I am unable to attend, please contact me to reschedule."

Once the Invitation to the IEP is signed and submitted, the fun starts. Prior to the IEP meeting it is imperative that parents have all the proper documentation to take with them, in order to better advocate for the child.

The documentation will consist of the following:

Parents should have a note pad to write down questions and information that is important to the parent during the meeting. Parents may want to have a list of questions prepared prior to the meeting. At times during the meeting, parents may forget important questions and concerns they have because all the assessors will be presenting, and other questions may arise. It will be easier if the above documents are tabulated into a three-ring binder and organized. This will facilitate access to documents as the meeting commences. It is a good idea to highlight statements in the above documents that the parent has concerns with.

Many times, the IEP team may state something that the parent will not agree with. Being organized will help the parent to refer to the reports and/or documents to prove a point. The IEP team meeting is supposed to be collaborative between school personnel and the parents. The only way to make sure it is collaborative, is to be prepared with documentation and proof of all concerns the parent has for the child. The IEP team will not provide a service if they do not have documentation showing that a service is needed. This does not mean that every document the parent brings with them will be considered by the IEP team. A successful IEP team depends on the school personnel training/knowledge base, and the parent, to have a meeting of the minds. IEP meetings are an opportunity to facilitate and negotiate for dire needed services.

The IEP team meeting is supposed to be collaborative between school personnel and the parents. The only way to make sure it is collaborative, is to be prepared with documentation and proof of all concerns the parent has for the child.

The IEP meetings commence with the administrator making a verbal policy statement, and having all parties introduce themselves. There usually is an agenda that states who gets to present first, with timelines. Pay attention to what the assessors are saying and write down any deficits and/or challenges they state. When it is time to ask questions, you will need to refer back to those items. Those items will be very important with the Present Levels of Performance (PLOP) section in the IEP. The PLOP section is where areas of strengths and needs are stated. The information in the area of need is how goals and objectives are created. The administrator