There are many methods and theories that parents and guardians can choose from when it comes time to make a decision regarding a disabled student’s education. Using various plans, theories, and devices together have been found to be the most effective method for the students to get the most out of their educational plan. Many schools may have a plan in place, but the problem for many years has been implementing a customized program, also known as an individualized education program (IEP). Questions have arisen regarding the validity of IEPs and if this government action works as well as it claims to.

Individualized Education Program (IEP)

IEPs were developed and created by parents, teachers, school officials, specialists, and occasionally children in order to find a plan for eligible disabled students in the special education system. In order to be considered for an IEP, the student’s strengths, weaknesses, goals (short term and long term), and the parents’ and/or guardian’s issues and concerns regarding the student’s disability relating to education must be addressed.

Who defines disability?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) defines 13 common disabilities that individuals can be diagnosed with. Facts and information on the disabilities can be found on National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities website. The government defines what a disability is and the criteria that must be met for a person to be diagnosed with a disability. But in the education system ultimately, who decides and labels the student with the disability can be a political and complicated issue.

IEP committees and what they do

That’s where the IEP committee comes in. Their job is to decide on and label the student with the appropriate disability. The disability the student is diagnosed with is supposed to make it easier for the student to qualify for an IEP program. What the committee is not supposed to do is determine the education track students are to follow while attending school and the outcome or course of their lives, which unfortunately happens in many cases.

The labels themselves have caused a few students to go down an educational track that limits them and defines how their lives should be run, rather than teaching the student in a matter that better suits them. Labeling has also been used against the students because it defines how the classroom should be run instead of focusing on the individual needs of the students.

Differentiation

Differentiation applies to an educational approach that is designed to teach students in a variety of ways so that the students have multiple channels and ways of learning about something and figuring out how it makes sense to them. Several teachers have tried the differentiation method in the classroom, but due to the little support they get and the training they barely receive, differentiation often gets tossed into the back burner.

Departing with Special Education

The downside of IEPs is that it often confines students in the special education system and it makes it difficult for students to transition into another program once they are in. The National Center for Education Statistics found out that in the 2000-2001 school year, out of 582, 291 students (which is roughly 12%) were able to transition into a general education system.

Having a transition plan

Although transitioning out of a special education program may be difficult for students and their parents, the IEP programs are required by IDEA to have a plan ready for the students who wish to transfer out when they turn 14 years old. If parents decide the best decision for their child is to leave the special education system and go into another program, transitioning is the only way and is the only form that can be found in all government documents and acts.

The number of students who enter into the special education system is growing quickly every year and the techniques that are used to help the students learn, grow, and transition into the real world need a face lift in all aspects. IEPs and differentiation were originally created and developed by parents and educators alike to improve the learning capacity of students with disabilities and to show how implementing these two methods can make the biggest difference in the student’s education and show drastic improvement. Although there is confusion regarding the involvement of IEPs and a downside of implementing the program, many parents and educators have seen what the IEP can do with the same success to better the lives of students with disabilities.

How to Better IEP Meetings in 8 Steps

IEP meetings are required by the government to be held at least one time during the school year in order to map a curriculum for disabled children to follow as they attend school. The people who are by the child’s side (parents, teachers, therapists, school administrators, and the like) generally attend the meeting. Attending the meeting can lead to the child reaching educational success beyond anyone’s imagination, due in part to school districts who are usually more than happy to make reasonable accommodations for the child’s IEP.

However, not all IEP meetings will lead to a happy ending. Many parents may find that they will face an uphill battle over their child’s IEP. Experiences will differ among every story, even those within the same school district.  Some student’s talents, abilities, and skills will flourish while others may not come to the surface until later in life. Given the opportunity to succeed, parents of disabled children will find that their child’s success would not be at par if it were not for the opportunities that were presented. Every story can be a success if all parties know how to better plan and prepare themselves for the IEP meetings.

The 8 Steps

The eight steps listed below can help the parents and the child’s team to minimize the conflict that may come when making negotiations during the IEP meeting with the school district. These steps can also help in cases when working with bad faith school district personnel.

1)Maintain and carry on relationships with the people you meet.

Make an attempt to get along with the other people whose job it is to help the child, even though one person might loathe the other. Hostility is the last thing the child needs so it is in the best interest of the child to learn to work with each other despite the differences and disagreements that will occur. 

2)Focus on the needs of the children instead of the parents and school district.

Walk in with a plan and make every attempt to stick with it. There have been many parents who walk into the meeting without any goals and not knowing what their disabled child needs to succeed in school. Instead they settle for the generic plan that is presented to them by the school. Most schools and their districts are more than happy to make any reasonable accommodations for their students to succeed.

3)Be willing to negotiate and bargain.

Going in with a plan does not mean that it will become a completely successful plan at the end. If the parties cannot come to an agreement regarding the child’s education, a judge or mediator will step in and ask the parties what they would like to happen. When all is said and done, hopefully the mediator and/or judge thought of a plan B that pleases the parties to a certain extent.

4)Have a separate file and keep track of everything.

Parents, make sure you are able to keep track of everything you can get your hands on. In the case where a child may not be showing improvement, it is important to be able to prove to a third party through progress reports, test results, and the like that your child needs more than what the school is currently providing. 

5)Imagine (or at least try to) what it is like to be on the other side.

Put yourself in the other person’s shoes and imagine what it is like to be them for the day. Experiencing or even imagining the day in the life of the other person can make it easier to come up with more practical solutions for the child and help maximize the educational goals. 

6) Listen and try to be open-minded.

No one can be right every single time and we all learn something new every day. Although there will be ideas tossed around that we do not agree with and would not like to hear, being calm and listening to what the other person has to say makes it easier to understand where they are coming from. 

7)Give others the opportunity to love your child just as much as you do.

If the teachers, school officials, therapists, and other members of the team have the chance of getting to know your child, misconceptions about what the child needs will occur less frequently. It makes it easier for everyone to come up with a plan so that the child can succeed in school. 

8)Do not get your hopes up.

Most school officials chose their field because they want to make a difference in the lives of the students they come across. These school officials for the most part do have good intentions and may go out of their way to make sure your child succeeds. Not all will have the best train of thought in mind and some will try to push their opinions onto you rather than listen and come up with a mutual agreement.