Individualized Education Plans

www.spiritlakeconsulting.com

Spirit Lake Consulting, Inc.

“Stop right there! How am I supposed to see what he needs is on an IEP when I don't even know what I can ask for? Why don't you start with what should be on an IEP and what a good IEP looks like, so I can even know if my son has a good one or not?"

-Spirit Lake mother

At Spirit Lake Consulting IEP Workshop you receive:

Information on special education rights Step-by-step instruction on preparing for:

evaluation, access to student records, IEP meetings, due process hearings, and other special education meetings

Basic training on how to get the services you need from school districts

Free special education materials on CD-ROMAnd much more

How this workshop helps

Does Someone You Know Have Special Education Needs? Do They Know Their Rights?

Do they need help in ...

Understanding their rights under federal special education laws (IDEA - Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and Section 504 of the Rehab Act)?

Obtaining appropriate special education services for a student?

Accessing and understanding students’ evaluations? Preparing for meetings on students’ Individual Education

Plans? Accessing students’ records? Preparing for hearings when they disagree with school

decisions?

Definition of IEPA written statement of what the student with a disability should be taught, who will teach it, and how much time the child will spend with children who do not have

disabilities.

An IEP contains …

What the student will learn this year, (educational goals)

Where he/she will learn this (alternative school, regular or special classroom

Services the school will provide (speech therapy, physical therapy, counseling

An IEP also contains …

Whether the student will start services year-round or during the school year

When services will start, how often the student will receive services and how long they will last

Whether the student will have the same high school graduation requirements as other students

Help with the IEP meeting

Parent can bring anyone they want to the meeting

If you don’t feel comfortable asking for what you need, bring someone else to ask for you

Discuss with your student what you want decided in the meeting

What can a student/parent do at an

IEP meeting?Ask for what the student needs!!Ask for different goals, extra

services, anything you feel is necessary

Encourage the student to go to their own IEP meeting

Quick Tips - Involving Parents

Make sure the parents know there is a meeting do not assume they are just uninterested

Use non-traditional means of communication, such as sending notes home with the bus driver

Provide transportationProvide child careProvide refreshments

Tips for students involved in IEP

meetingsThink ahead of time about what you

want to learn this yearThink about what you want to do when

you get out of schoolTalk about your ideas with other peoplePractice speaking in front of a mirror or

talking into a tape recorder

More tips for students

Talk to your parents about what you want decided at the meeting

Talk to your teachers about what you want

Write a note if you do not want to go, or have someone help you write it

Bring someone to the meeting to back you up

Examples of what should be in an IEP

Statement of how the student is doingDetails about how often the parents will

be notified about the student’s progressProof that the team addressed parent

concernsResults of recent tests and details about

upcoming testsTransition planning

Facts about the IEP process

Every student in special education is required to have an IEP

The IEP should be completed before services are provided to the student

The parents should get a free copy of the IEP or other other information

If neither parent can attend the meeting, the school must ensure parent participation by phone calls, etc.

Suspending or expelling students with disabilities

Notify parents on the same day the decision is made

Give the parents a copy of their rightsHold an IEP meeting w/in 10 days to

decide if the behavior was due to the student’s disability

Write up a plan to correct the student’s behavior