IEP Meeting Notes: November 7, 2013

The general education teacher, special education specialist, inclusion specialist, speech pathologist, psychometrist, and principal were all in attendance. The meeting began with the teachers, specialists, and administrators introducing themselves to the mother. The special education specialist began by asking if the mother had any initial concerns. The mother stated that she needed to refresh her memory and flip through the IEP. The specialist said that she could begin reading and they could go through it together. The special education specialist began with student strengths. They discussed his reading level. The parent asked what determined his reading level because at home, he appears to read just fine. The general education teacher responded with the different types of assessments through reading records, etc. The parent asks what type of classroom her child is in. The scores for assessments are presented; showing the probability of an eligibility ruling of Autism as a high possibility. The parent asks the special education specialist what the definition of Autism is. The psychometrist reads the states definition. She shows the bell curve and where this student falls according to his peers on the BASC assessments. The parent was concerned about a test given in September because that is very early in the school year. She asks if it can be given again to see if he will score any higher. The speech pathologist discusses the students communication needs. The parent expresses concerns that maybe it is just his shy personality. She asks how often he receives services. The special education specialist reads through each goal. The possibility of a behavior plan is presented. The parent asks what behavior means. The distinction between behavior such as hitting and cussing was made from simply not finishing assigned work, which pertains to this student. The special education specialist reads through the services. She asks if the mother received her rights in September. She asks if she has any further concerns. A new copy of the IEP was printed and given to the mother. (The inclusion specialist was working on the sets website, making corrections as the meeting was taking place.) Each person in attendance of the meeting signed the last page of the IEP.

 The parent brought up a concern about her childs lost library book. She swore she sent it back to school with her son and should not have to pay the lost book fee. She wants to speak with the librarian. The principal suggested leaving her a note in her mailbox. The meeting was adjourned. The parent thanked everyone. The specialists told me to try and come back for the eligibility ruling after further testing has been done when the mother takes him.

Reflection: I felt very knowledgeable going into this IEP meeting. I believed our classes had covered many of the topics that would be discussed and strategies on how to present new information to parents. Although I had many of these previous speculations, I left the meeting feeling so much more knowledgeable then I felt going in. Sitting in on the IEP meeting was so beneficial and taught me more then any of our textbooks could. I was able to see how to present information that could be upsetting to parents in a very positive but realistic way. One surprise that I was not prepared for was the amount of questions that the parent asked. She seemed to have no knowledge of her childs position in the classroom. She asked if he was in a special education classroom. She seemed to have had no knowledge of her childs current academic performances either. This was very interesting to me because I suspected parents to be completely knowledgeable going into an IEP meeting. I have definitely learned that this is not always the case.

I was also surprised at how imperative the general education teacher was in this meeting. I have always pushed IEP meetings aside in importance because I thought it would not be as common for general education teachers. I was proven wrong and shown that the general education teacher knows more about the student then any one else in the meeting, other then the parent. This is another very crucial lesson I was able to learn during this short meeting. Another surprise was the lack of data shown at the meeting for this student. The meeting was not completely focused on academics but I thought there would definitely be data to show to the parent. This was not something I thought about while at the meeting, but as I am reflecting, I was surprised that nothing was shown to the parent. Looking back, I think this would have been a good way to clarify some of the parents questions and show this students performance compared to his peers. Once the parent was shown scores that reflected her child being a candidate for Autism, she began to tear up. This really saddened me, but I thought the group handled it very well. They made it clear that they were not identifying or labeling her child with Autism, but still made it clear that taking her child to get formal testing done needed to be of high priority. She questioned the group, and they all did a very good job of showing how the student was not disabled in any way but was very capable with everyones assistant. It was evident that the parent understood her childs performance levels and the need for further testing.

Overall, I am so thankful I had this opportunity to sit in and observe this meeting. I understand and can see the importance that the general education teacher plays in these meetings. I now know to be prepared for anything, and to always bring positivity in with the facts!