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Introduction
What is an IEP? How do I develop my IEP? Before the meeting Writing the IEP Getting ready for the meeting Participating... After the meeting |
Welcome to Your IEP!! This guide will tell you:
1. What is an IEP?
IEP stands for Individualized Education Program (IEP). The IEP is a written document that describes the educational plan for a student with a disability. Among other things, your IEP talks about your disability, what skills you need to learn, what you'll do in school this year, what services your school will provide, and where your learning will take place.
2. Why Do Students With Disabilities Need an IEP?
First, it's the law. The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires each student with disabilities who receives special education services to have an IEP an educational program written just for him or her.
Second, the IEP helps the school meet your special needs. It also helps you plan educational goals for yourself. That is why it is called an IEP because it is an individualized education program.
3. What is the Purpose of an IEP?
The purpose of the IEP is to make sure that everyone you, your family, and school staff knows what your educational program will be this year.
4. Where is the IEP Developed?
The IEP is developed during an IEP meeting. The people who are concerned with your education meet, discuss, and develop your IEP goals for the next year.
5. Who Comes to the IEP Meeting?
Certain individuals will help write your IEP. We've listed these below. Some are required by law to come to the meeting. (In the list below, we've written these people in bold letters.) Others, such as you and your parents, must be invited to take part in the meeting. It's your choice to attend or not. (We've listed these people without any bolding of the letters.) All of the people listed below work together as a team to write your IEP. So who might you see at the meeting?
6. How Often is the IEP Meeting Held?
The law requires that your IEP is reviewed and, if necessary, revised at least once a year. This means attending at least one IEP meeting each year. However, you, your parents, or the school can ask for more IEP meetings, if any of you think that it's necessary to take another look at your IEP.
7. How Long Does an IEP Meeting Last?
Approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour.
8. Why Should I Participate in the IEP Meeting?
It's your educational program everyone will be discussing in the meeting. Your opinions are an important part of this discussion.
9. What Should I Do if I Want to Help Develop my IEP?
There are five basic steps:
More details on these steps are given in this booklet. Keep reading!
The Student's Guide package includes this booklet for students; a technical assistance guide for parents, transition specialists, and others interested in helping students get involved in developing their IEPs; and two audiotaped programs (on one tape) featuring students, their parents, and school staff who share their stories about student participation in writing the IEP.
If you are interested in obtaining the tape, contact NICHCY at the address or telephone number below. If you are interested in seeing the script of the tape, the script text is available on NICHCY's web site.
1. Tell your family and teachers that you are interested in participating in your next IEP meeting. It is important that you have the support of your parents and teachers, because they will play a major role in helping you.
2. Ask your parents or teachers when your next IEP is due to be reviewed. Write the date below.
Next IEP Date: ____________________________
3. Ask your parents or teachers for a copy of your current IEP.
4. Read your IEP carefully. The IEP has different sections. These sections are listed in the box below. Look at the information in the box. Look at your IEP. Can you find the different sections or this information in your IEP?
5. Ask your parents or teachers to explain what is written in your IEP, section-by-section. Ask questions. Make sure you understand the sections and information in your IEP.
By law, your IEP must include certain information about you. This information is usually organized into the sections listed below. Your new IEP will also have these sections or information.
1. You'll need several sheets of clean paper, and a pencil or pen. (If you like using a computer, that's fine, too. So is a tape recorder! You can also have a friend take notes for you.)
2. Start by describing your disability.
What is your disability called?
How does your disability affect you in school and at home? (For example, what things in school are harder because of your disability?)
What do you think is important for others to know about your disability?
If you aren't sure what to say, think about what the students on the tape had to say. How did they describe their disabilities?
3. Look at your old IEP goals (including the short-term objectives or benchmarks). Do you think you have met those goals and objectives/benchmarks? (This means you can do the things listed there.) Put a check next to the goals and objectives you have met.
4. What goals and objectives/benchmarks have you NOT met? Write these down on paper. They may be important to include in your new IEP.
5. What are your strengths and needs in each class or subject? Make a list. This can be hard to do. Here are some suggestions to help you:
6. Show the goals in your old IEP to your parents and your teachers. Do they think you have met these goals? What goals haven't you met? Add their ideas to the list you started in Step 4 above.
7. Ask your teachers what they believe your strengths and needs are in each class or subject. Write their ideas down.
8. Develop new goals and objectives/benchmarks for this year, using the list of strengths and needs you and your parents and teachers developed.
9. Describe the accommodations you may need in each class to meet these new goals and objectives. (See the "List of Accommodations" box below for a list of common accommodations.)
10. Think about your plans for the future and what you'll do after you've finished high school. Talk with your parents and teachers about what you should be doing this year to get ready. This is called transition planning.
11. Work with your parents and teachers to write a draft IEP document that includes all the information above. Make a copy for yourself to take to the IEP meeting. Make copies for everyone else who will be at the meeting.
Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is another important federal law for people with disabilities. This law states that reasonable accommodations must be made. But what are reasonable accommodations?
Reasonable accommodations are things the school or your teacher can do to make it easier for you to learn adapting or adjusting what you're learning or how they're teaching. Some common accommodations schools make for students with disabilities are listed below.
Note-taking Accommodations
Test Taking Accommodations
Additional Accommodations
1. Talk to your special education teacher or regular education teacher about setting a time, date, and place for the IEP meeting. Make a list of who should be there.
2. Once the meeting is set, send everyone on your list an invitation like the example below.
Please come to my IEP meeting and share your ideas.
Date: Wednesday, October 23rd
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Place: Meeting Room 4
Signed,
Your name
p.s. If you cannot attend this meeting, please let me know when we can meet to talk about my IEP. Thank you.
4. It's also a good idea to practice what you want to say. Practice with your parents, a classmate, or a teacher. (Parents need to know what your goals are before the meeting, so they can support your decisions.)
5. One week before the IEP meeting, you may wish to send out reminders to the people who will be attending: your parents, teachers, principal, and others who have been invited. The note can be simple, such as the example below.
I'm looking forward to seeing you at my IEP meeting.
Wednesday, October 23rd
2:30 p.m., Meeting Room 4
Signed,
Your name
1. Make sure everyone knows each other. You may want to introduce them or have them introduce themselves.
2. Speak up and maintain good eye contact.
3. Talk about the things you practiced, including:
4. Ask for additional suggestions and comments on your IEP content. Be sure everyone has a chance to talk and share their ideas.
5. Listen to ideas and suggestions from the other IEP team members. If you don't understand something, ask for an explanation.
6. Share your feelings about the goals and objectives the other team member suggest. Try to come to agreement about what goals and objectives are important to list in your IEP. (If you cannot finish in the time you have, set a time and date for another meeting.)
7. Write down (or have someone else write down) everything that's been decided, so that a final IEP can be written.
8. When the meeting is over, thank everyone for attending.
1. Ask for a copy of the final IEP document. Go over it to be sure you understand what it says.
2. Keep this copy of the IEP, so you can look over it whenever you need to.
3. Work to accomplish the goals and objectives/benchmarks in your IEP.
4. Review your IEP throughout the year. If anything needs to be changed for example, you've met goals in a class and want to write new goals, or you need more help with a subject ask your special education teacher, your regular education teacher, or your parents to schedule another IEP meeting.
You have planned for your high school education and thought about your future. It begins today. Good luck!
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This information is copyright free.
Readers are encouraged to copy and share it, but please credit the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY). |
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This student booklet is part of a set
that also includes a technical assistance guide
for parents, teachers, and others; and an audiotape.
NICHCY also disseminates other materials and can respond to individual requests
for information. We encourage you to share
your ideas and feedback with us!Project Director: Suzanne Ripley NICHCY thanks our Project Officer, Dr. Peggy Cvach, at the Office of Special Education Programs (OSEP), U.S. Department of Education. We also express our deep appreciation to Alyne Ellis, who produced the audiotape portion of this Student Guide package, and to Marcy McGahee-Kovac, of Fairfax County Public Schools, in Virginia, for authoring the student booklet. We also thank: Scott Ripley, who read portions of the student booklet on the audiotape; Christopher Hannan, who wrote and performed the music on the tape; and Interface Video, for their generosity and expertise in production. Finally, we send out a special thank you to all the students and parents who shared their insights and experiences about students participating in developing their own IEPs: Cara, Sarah, Sarah's mom Carla, Alex, Jean, and Matt. Good luck to you all. |
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| Publication of this document is made possible through a Cooperative Agreement between the Academy for Educational Development and the Office of Special Education Programs of the U.S. Department of Education. The contents of this document do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government. | NICHCY P.O. Box 1492 nichcy@aed.org www.nichcy.org |