Preparing for the IEP Meeting
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Preparing for the IEP Meeting and Being an Effective Member of the Team
Parents are expected to be a full partner with other members of the IEP team in planning and implementing their child’s educational program. Following are some things parents can do to prepare themselves to be an effective team member.
Keep Good Records
In preparation for the meeting, parents should ask the school for a copy of all assessment results. Parents should ask early enough so they have time to review the results thoroughly before they go to the meeting. The law says that parents should be given copies of school records within five calendars days of their oral or written request.
Additionally, parents should keep all the other information they have received from service providers and professionals working with their child well organized and accessible. A great way to organize this information is in a binder with tabbed dividers using categories such as these:
- Developmental history
- Medical history
- Family health history
- Psychological and other therapy reports
- Educational history
- Assessment results, IEPs and progress reports, and goals to include in your child’s IEP
- Samples of the child’s school work
- Regional center records
- Correspondence, including a log of phone calls and visits with schools and service providers
Parents’ Goals for Their Child
Parents should also think about the things that they would like their child to learn during the coming year. Think of these things as goals that can become part of the IEP. Writing goals is not difficult and parents do not need special training. All they need to do is to be able to clearly state what they would like their child to achieve by the end of the school year.
While it may seem that goals for a school-based educational plan should be academic, that is not necessarily the case. Remember that the primary purpose of IDEA is to prepare each child for “employment and independent living.” For this reason, IEP goals may be academic, or they may address other areas, such as the child’s social development or preparation for a job that will help the child learn to enhance his or her independence at home, in the community and in a work setting.
It is never too early to begin teaching your child the skills we all need to master to be productive members of society – respect for authority, following rules, being on time, following through on tasks and assignments, and getting along with others. While these behaviors should consistently be reinforced at home and through community experiences, your child’s educational program can maximize his or her development in these critical areas as well.
Steps for Writing a Goal and Sample IEP Goals
A goal describes knowledge, a skill or behavior a parent would like to see their child master or do better. Most goals fall into one of five areas:
- Academic (reading, writing, spelling, math)
- Self-help (eating, dressing, shopping)
- Motor (riding a bike, climbing stairs)
- Social/emotional (sharing, making friends)
- Pre-vocational/vocational (being on time, completing a task)
Here are three steps to follow when preparing goals to bring to the IEP meeting:
Step 1: Make a list of things you as parents would like the child to be able to do ...
For each item on the list the parent should be able to answer yes to these four questions:
- Is it stated in a positive way what the child will be able to do?
- Does it describe knowledge, a skill or behavior that the child will be able to demonstrate at the end of some time period, such as the child will be able to communicate versus the child will receive speech therapy?
- Can it be achieved within a reasonable period of time?
- Is it clear how progress toward the goal will be measured?
Step 2: Prioritize the list of goals for the child ...
… so that the one that is most important to you as the parent and to the child is number one and continue until all goals are numbered.
Step 3: Bring your list of goals to the IEP meeting ...
Be prepared to:
- Explain why the goal you developed is important and why you think the child should work on it.
- Adjust parental goals to reflect additional information the team gives you, the parent, about what is realistic or important for the child at this time.
- Accept goals for the IEP that school personnel think are important and that you agree with.
Other Helpful Information for the IEP Meeting
In addition to bringing the child’s records and a prioritized list of parent goals, a parent should also bring a list of their child’s abilities and strengths, a list of their child’s needs, and information about their child’s skills at home.
| Goal Type | Sample Goals |
| Academic | Read at a specified grade level Write a simple sentence Make change for $1 |
| Self-help | Get dressed independently Pour juice into a cup Operate a microwave safely Go to the store on errands Use the telephone Ride the bus Cross a street safely |
| Motor | Ride a bike Walk up stairs unassisted Throw a ball Cut with scissors |
| Social/emotional | Play appropriately with peers Participate in group activities Learn to share Take turns Demonstrate good manners |
| Pre-vocational/vocational | Be on time Complete an assigned task Listen and follow instructions Learn to type Fill out a job application
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