Building a Better Individual Education Plan
An overload of information.
Special education documents can take many different forms and contain a myriad of information. For children who have been diagnosed with the 13 categories recognized by the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the Individual Education Plan (IEP) sets the plan for how that student will get their educational needs met. Often, however, it is not utilized to the fullest degree. The many documents that inform the IEP offer parents, students, and educators insight, but it can be easy for these documents or even parts of the IEP to become disconnected from one another.
Sometimes significant stakeholders are not brought in at the right times, which can lead to less productive planning for all parties. The most important member of the team, the student is not included. It is common for children to not feel a part of the process or know what careful plans were made with their teachers and parents. If they already have an IEP, they often do not know what the goal statements say or how they can access the accommodations and modifications outlined if they are not provided for them by their teachers. Many older students do not attend their annual meeting or contribute to their IEP aside from perhaps a few quotes. Missing out on these opportunities means they are less prepared to access the supports available to them as they move forward with their education.
Parents are another stakeholder to making sure the IEP matches their child’s needs. They may feel intimidated by the specialized language and interconnected school systems and feel that they simply need to “trust the experts”. Teachers and administrators are essential members of the IEP team and work hard with the time and resources that they have available. Parents, however, are the experts on their children and have insights that can improve the document. Knowing how to interpret the IEP and how to evaluate the individual sections as well as the overall cohesiveness of the document can help parents feel more confident about how to contribute.
At Circled Educational Consulting, we can help make sure that your child’s IEP document is well thought, based on the underlying evaluations, and that each section is well written & connected to the other sections. Moreover, we will help you be a more knowledgeable and active participant in the process so that you can be the most effective advocate for your child’s educational needs.
