Hello,
I am a graduate student in Maine. I am studying to become a teacher. As part of a course on exceptional learners, I have an assignment to interview people about the IEP process. I would appreciate any insight people could give me by answering these 5 questions. Thanks for your help!
1. What has been your involvement with IEP meetings? How long have you
been involved with IEP meetings? Have you been involved with IEP meetings
at different schools or in different roles (IE social worker, teacher, parent,
etc.)?
7 years as a parent
2. How many others are involved with the IEP meetings you attend? What are
their respective roles in the child’s plan?
Anywhere from one to 11 - from the special ed chairperson to evaluators, speech therapists, occupational therapy specialists, teachers, and administration
3. Is it usually clear which goals should be set in the IEP?
No. Rarely are the goals of the parent, the specialists, the teachers, the administration and the evaluators all aligned in agreement.
4. Does the IEP team generally agree on ideas that should be implemented for the IEP? How are disagreements resolved?
No. They are resolved through long discussions and compromise, fact-finding, additional testing, specialist's reports, and far too often through either the threat of litigation or initiating litigation.
5. Do you feel the IEP goals and their implementation are effective
They can be when teachers are willing to follow through. When a teacher is combative, at least it gives the parents and the school recourse to require accomodations - but this often has to be weighed against the potential ramifications to the teacher/student relationship if the teacher becomes punitive.
When teachers believe there is a need and embrace the accommodations, it is a beautiful experience for all involved.
