Transcript Taking Charge” of IEP Meetings for new School Principals

“Taking Charge”
of IEP Meetingsfor new School Principals
And Other IEP Team Leads
Co-Presented by:
Mary Samples, Assistant Superintendent
and Fran Arner-Costello,
Director of Programs and Services,
Ventura County SELPA
www.venturacountyselpa.com
The Dream vs the Reality
The IEP Meeting….
• A collaborative, creative brainstorming
team on behalf of students
-or• Accusatory and adversarial
• Fraught with legal challenges
• Boring
• Complicated
Who Should Run the Meeting?
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Best if not an active participant
Not emotionally involved
Good leadership skills
Often the school psychologist or
administrator
The Role of the IEP Team Lead
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Run the agenda
Follow all steps
Make sure parents are heard
Make sure professionals are heard,
and are not attacked
• Assist the team in coming to consensus
The IEP Process
1.
2.
3.
4.
Clarify meeting purpose
Make introductions
Review all reports and progress
Establish current performance (“Present
Levels”)
5. Determine eligibility (if appropriate)
6. Develop transition to adult life plans
7. Set goals for year
8. Decide accommodations or modifications
needed and participation in state
assessments
9. Select Special Education services to
address goals
10. Decide ELD services
11. Overall description of program- offer of
FAPE
12. Complete required documentation and
signatures
Meeting Purpose
1. Initial/ Triennial- Must establish eligibility
and need
2. Annual review- Review progress and set
new goals, change services if needed
3. Other:
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New assessment or FAA
Manifestation Determination Review
Parent Request
Required Members at all IEPs
(or it’s not legal)
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Representative of the district
Parents
Special Education Teacher or Specialist
General Education Teacher
Anyone who has conducted assessment
The student if over 15
Can use an Excusal
EXCUSAL OF IEP TEAM MEMBER
Ventura County Special Education Local Plan Area (SELPA)
(This form to be filled out prior to IEP)
Student Name
D.O.B.
Date
The
School District is proposing the excusal of a required team
member from all or part of the following IEP meeting:
IEP meeting date:
Meeting purpose:
IEP team member being excused:
Name and/or Title
The school district and parent/adult student agree that (check one):
 The attendance of the IEP team member listed above is not necessary because the team member’s
area of the curriculum or related service is not being modified or discussed.
 Although the meeting involves a modification to or discussion of the member’s area of curriculum or
related service, the team member shall submit written input to the parent/adult student and team in lieu
of attending.
Comments:
If you have questions regarding this form, or if you have questions that you would like addressed at the IEP
regarding the area of curriculum of the excused IEP team member, please contact:
Name
Title
Phone Number
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Please check and return by:
 I agree to excuse the IEP team member listed above. Please address the following concerns at the
meeting:
 I do not agree to excuse the IEP team member listed above.
Parent/Guardian/Adult Student Signature
Date
For more information about special education and your rights, please contact your district Special Education Office or visit the SELPA website at www.venturacountyselpa.com
Copy to:  District Office  Cumulative File  Case Manager  Parent/Adult Student  Related Services  Agency  Other
Representative of the District
must be . . .
• Qualified to provide or supervise the
provision of special education
• Knowledgeable about the general
education curriculum
• Able to commit the resources of the district
Introductions
• Sets tone for the meeting
• Parents must know who everyone is and
their role
• Sit parents next to someone who is trusted
(often the Case Manager)
• Establishes that you are in charge of
keeping the meeting on track, and
observing professional courtesy
• Demonstrates your interest in supporting
the student
Review all Reports
• Reports must be reviewed by qualified
person
• Everyone should have a copy of the report
as it is being reviewed
• Allow people to ask questions and express
concerns
• Make sure the specialist clarifies any
“jargon”
• The report can be modified if all agree
Reports Prior to the Meeting
• Assessor can review with parents prior to
the meeting
• Parents can have copies of reports prior to
the meeting (if completed)
Review of Progress
• Review all the existing Annual Goals note
“Met” or “Not met”
• Staff should have data supporting each of
the goals
• Allow parents to respond to progress
reports
Present Levels of Performance
• Start with parent input (considers their
concerns)
• Review all areas
• Celebrate areas in which student is doing
well!
• Performance expressed in terms of what
the student can and can’t do- scores don’t
belong here
Present Levels, continued
• Easy place to add comments parents
make (note “parent reports” if not all
agree)
• Be sure to put in the latest statewide test
scores and EL levels
• Note any areas in which goals are needed
Impact of Disability
This phrase should be the one that
interprets for all other educators how the
disability impacts progress in core
curriculum. The team should not decide
placement and services, but what
challenges the student faces, or how the
disability makes learning difficult.
Determine Eligibility
• For initials and triennials only
• Establish presence of a disability
(13 categories)
• Establish need for Special Education
services
• For Specific Learning Disability, there is a
form
Transition to Adult Life
• Required for all Special Education
students 15 and older
• Case Manager should have done lots of
preliminary work
• Student should speak if able
• Sets the tone for the whole rest of the IEP,
in terms of what student wants to do
Annual Goals
• In all areas in which there are
concerns/student is behind
• Get input from parents
• “Guideposts” to outcomes
• Must be measurable and quantifiable
• Must have baseline
• Must be clear who will work on
• Helps confirm “Educational Benefit”
Description (including baseline)
Required elements:
1. Progress on last year’s goal/reason for goalThis explains why we have a goal in this area
2. Baseline
• Description of behavior or skill- this is the
skill we will measure in the goal
• Current accuracy, consistency, and how
measured
Baseline is always stated in terms of,
“Currently, student can…”
Annual Goal
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By (date)
Student name
Setting/conditions
Skill or behavior (same as baseline)
Accuracy (how well)
Consistency (over how much time/trials)
How measured
Accommodations and Modifications
• Allowances the student needs across the
school day
• State Assessments
• Accommodations: Do not substantially
alter the construct of
test/assignment/course
• Modifications: Do substantially alter the
construct
• The team decides- general education
teachers must help
Special Education Services
• Necessary to meet goals
• Consider all adults available in the
educational setting
• Multidisciplinary
• Frequency, duration and location
• Provider
• Eligibility ≠ Services!
Offer of FAPE
• Before the meeting ends, you must have in
writing what you are proposing to offer.
• The representative of the district makes the final
decision on behalf of the district
• “Overall Description of Program” describes the
student’s school day, the services s/he will
receive, where and by whom.
• Put this in writing even if you anticipate that
parents will disagree.
• Include supports for school sponsored
extracurriculars.
Required Documentation
• Make sure everyone who attended signs
• Parents must sign that they were in
attendance.
• If parents don’t want to sign in agreement,
let them think about it for a few days, but
set limits.
• Get parents to indicate everything they are
in agreement with
If Parents Disagree
• OK to try to compromise within reason during
the meeting
• If not willing to change something, put it in
writing and let parent indicate disagreement
• Make a plan to meet again as soon as
possible to discuss that area
• Check with Special Ed. Administration for
advice on how to proceed.
• Follow up with “Prior Written Notice to
Parents of Action”
Ventura County Special Education Local Plan Area
Prior Written Notice to Parent of Action
Proposed or Refused by School District
(300.503 – Code of Federal Regulations)
Date:
District:
Student’s Name:
Parent (s):
This notice is to inform the parent(s) of the above named student regarding the school district’s:
 Proposal to initiate or change the:
 Identification  Evaluation  Educational Placement  Provision of a free appropriate public
education to your child
 Refusal of your request to initiate or change the:
 Identification  Evaluation  Educational Placement  Provision of a free appropriate public
education to your child
1.
Description of action proposed or refused by district:
2.
Explanation of reason for proposal or refusal:
3.
Description of any other options district considered and why they were rejected:
4.
Evaluation procedure(s), test(s), record(s) or report(s) used as a basis for the
proposed/refused action:
5.
Other relevant factors:
As a parent(s) of a child with a disability, or suspected of having a disability, you have protections
under state and federal laws. Please see attached “Parent Rights.” If you need assistance in
understanding these rights, you may call Ventura County SELPA at (805) 437-1560.
Additional resources for parents are available on our website: www.venturacountyselpa.com.
If you have questions or need further assistance, please do not hesitate to call.
Signature
Title
Phone
Solving Disagreement
• Request further assessments
• Bring in other experts
• Consult with district office Special
Education Department
• Try to come up with a “win-win” solution
• Agree to a “short term” trial (either your
idea or parents’)
If Team Members are Inappropriate
• If your staff is inappropriate:
- Ask for a break
- Speak to them outside the meeting
• If it’s the parents or an outside party:
- Ask for professional courtesy
- Refer back to agenda
- Ask for a break
- Stop the meeting and plan to reconvene
Parent Action
• CDE Complaints
• OCR Complaints
• Due Process
– Resolution Session
– Mediation
– Hearing
If Parents Request Due Process
• Assist them in accessing the required
paperwork (on SELPA website)
• Let your district Special Education office
know asap
• Resolution Session will be the next stepmany things will be resolved at this level
In Summary…..
• 98% of all IEPs will be collaborative, productive
meetings
• Parents will appreciate your caring and
involvement
• Staff will appreciate your leadership and
protection
• Be prepared for the ones that are challenging,
and get help if needed!
• Keep informed of changes in special education
information