The Roles of Parents at the IEP MeetingImprove the teacher’s understanding of the child’s environment
Ask and acquire knowledge about the child’s educational setting
Better the communication between parents and the school
Increase the likelihood that, with improved understanding between home and school, mutually agreed upon educational goals will be attained
Determine if any assistive technology is needed for your child
Decide on the number of direct service minutes per week should be given to your child
The parents’ role as committee members and educational decision makers in creating IEPs was established in 1975 by the Education for All Handicapped Children Act, known as the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Parents ’ rights and responsibilities are a necessary accompaniment for appropriate and individualized educational programming, and schools are required to provide an opportunity for active parental participation in decisions about the education of children.
The Ideal IEP Meeting
When parents and students feel ownership of the IEP process they are better able to invest in the goals and interventions stated in the document. If the meetings are conducted in a democratic way, so that parents feel they are equal contributors, then their child may be motivated to succeed. School professionals should remain open to parental input regarding placement, discipline, and instruction by asking for parent and student input. Teachers and professionals should be flexible and willing to adjust to student needs, especially when these needs do not coincide with classroom findings or subjective critiques. Parents need to be educated about the IEP process, so they can give relevant feedback and support.
Parent Rights
You have the right to request in writing that your child be tested to discern if he or she is eligible for special education and services. This is at no cost to you!
The school must have a parent’s written consent for special education testing.
IF the school refuses special education services to your child, then they must provide written evidence to you. You also have the right to fight the decision.
Your child is not eligible for special education services due to limited English proficiency or because of lack of instruction in reading or math.
You have a right to copies of all paperwork related to your child.
You have the right to obtain an Independent Education Evaluation from a qualified professional
You have the right for your child ’s evaluation to be completed within a specific timeframe. Some states have set a limit. For states who had no limit, as of July 1, 2005, the evaluation must be completed within 60 days of your written consent.
You may request an IEP meeting at any time.
Your child has a right to the least restrictive environment possible.
You and your child have the right to participate in the development of the IEP, along with any other family member or friend.
The Often Unknown Purpose of the IEP
Members of the IEP meeting function to develop an educational plan based on a student ’s needs and to determine placement based on the most effective delivery of instruction in a least restrictive environment. The IEP team consists of parents, at least one regular education teacher, special education teacher, local educational agency representative, campus administrator, the student with a disability if he or she is at least 14 years of age, and other individuals who are familiar with the student, including related services personnel (IDEA, 2004). The IEP meeting should provide the ideal opportunity to facilitate quality collaboration between school personal and parents. The IDEA requires personnel to encourage meaningful parental involvement or active participation in the IEP process and confirm understanding of procedural rights and proceedings, yet educators tend to rush through the meetings and glaze over legal jargon.
By requiring a team approach, lawmakers sought to ensure that each student would have the benefit of a team working together to create a quality student IEP. It ’s not that lawmakers anticipated complete concordance among team members, but they thought that some discordance among people with varied perspectives might result in an improved IEP document. Research suggests that parents do get independent assessments from a psychologist, occupational therapist, speech therapist, or private education consultant. Parents should work hard to identify the root cause of their child ’s struggles and learn all they can about that issue; teachers can aid in this research as well. In a case study by Wade Fish, where he interviewed 51 parents of students with disabilities living in middle-class neighborhoods in the suburbs, he found the following:
39% agreed and 24% strongly agreed that they had a clear understanding of the IEP process
31% of parents strongly agreed that they desired more knowledge of special education law.
Although most participants in the above study dissatisfaction with their child ’s IEP meetings, they also believed that educators can improve IEP meetings by educating parents further, granting sufficient time to conduct meetings, and allowing for increased parental involvement and participation. School districts should encourage parental involvement by creating a welcoming atmosphere or hosting community events, ensuring that family members have a familiar relationship with at least one other IEP team member, and encouraging parents to bring with them an advocate who is knowledgeable of the IEP process. To decrease confusion, IEP team members should use terms that parents are familiar with rather than unfamiliar language.
The Problem with Language and Communication
Oftentimes in their own IEP meetings, students are spoken to as opposed to spoken with, there is a disconnect between families and professionals. According to educational researcher Lusa Lo (2009), 41% of students receiving special education services are culturally and linguistically diverse, but only 86% of special education teachers are from white American cultures. This dichotomy often leads to language and cultural confusion between parents and school personnel. Families tend to fell lost in the formalized structure of the meeting, and they are not informed about the purpose. Families and students are many times unsure of what their role should be in the meeting.
When language barriers exist, and the meeting is conducted in mostly English, parents and students can shut down their communication. Researcher Lura Salas (2004) interviewed Mexican-American women about their experiences during IEP meetings for their children. Spanish was the primary language for all the women and they indicated that the language difference inhibited their engagement. These women expressed feelings of frustration, self-scrutiny, and boredom. They reported feeling that they were not heard by school personnel and were marginalized and isolated during the IEP meetings. They also reported that school personnel engaged in disrespectful behavior, such as not showing up for a scheduled meeting or repeatedly looking at the clock during the meeting. Some women were not provided with translators. This caused the women to believe that their participation was not valued.
Communication problems and lack of understanding of the school system may result from the complex and sometimes formal language used in the IEP. Law-related elements, the meaning of statistical analyses, and terminology about placement and programming options (e.g., resource room, mainstreaming, inclusion, self-contained) may confuse or discourage a parent from active participation. When parents and students lack understanding of the school system, knowledge of how to perceive the disability, or feelings of inadequacy are all factors of parent and student disinterest. Sometimes parents feel helpless to provide meaningful educational information about their child that can help professionals develop special education programming. The professional staff’s lack of understanding of the student’s culture or language may lead parents to feel inferior or inhibited. For example, some parents are from places in the world where they were not allowed to question or disagree with authority figures, and so they may be reticent to assert their opinions with professionals.
Solutions
Parent-school communication, relationships, and collaborative planning form the foundation upon which student-centered educational plans are built. The recommendations provided in this review offer an array of possibilities for enfranchising and actively enlisting the voices of parents as team members. To the extent that a mutually respectful and inclusive tone is achieved throughout the IEP process, the perceptions and experiences of families will become increasingly positive. Students will find that their best interests are being identified and championed by strong family-educator partnerships, and limited economic and personnel resources will be more effectively employed in productive planning and implementation.
Advocate L. Lo (2008) identified several ways that professionals can improve the IEP process for parents, including meeting with interpreters before each IEP meeting to provide them with the terminology that will be used in the meeting, speaking to parents in short sentences and pausing regularly to provide the time needed for note taking and interpretation, and working with local community organizations to develop training programs in the parents ’ native language to educate families on how best to prepare for and be involved in the IEP process.
Parents should be provided with credible, research-based information on the assigned disability. Educators must prepare parents for the IEP meeting by informing them about procedures, their legal rights and related services; being flexible in discussions about location and duration of IEP meetings (to equalize the roles of team members and reduce the power of educators and other professionals); and, strengthen trust by listening to parents, welcoming their input and, following through on promises. Educators should avoid educational jargon when reviewing the results of the formal evaluation. Parents should receive a summary of the findings that emphasize the child’s strengths, gifts, abilities, and needs. Diagnostic personnel should explain the tests and provide parents with a copy of the results. Educators need to ensure that parents understand the findings of the evaluation, and give them the opportunity to ask questions. Provide a chance for them to express their views of the child’s abilities and needs, especially from the home point of view. Parents need to feel that the evaluation is an accurate reflection of their child.
When developing the student’s instructional goals and objectives, it is crucial that parents, advocates, and students share their expectations about the student’s future participation in school, the home, and the community. Educational and vocational goals and objectives consistent with the expectations of the student and family can be developed and prioritized with the student’s needs in mind. At the same time, parents, advocates, and other family members can indicate which objectives they could help teach or reinforce at home. Procedures for evaluating achievement of goals and objectives should be discussed and schedules set at the IEP meeting. At the end of the conference, teachers need to clarify and summarize major decisions and the responsibilities of participants, including family members and advocates. Identify strategies to ensure that future communications with parents are ongoing and collegial in order to maximize the benefits of the program for the student.
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