Haley Estabrook

October 17, 2017

IEP Observation Reflection

The meeting that was observed was an annual review of an Individualized Education Plan
(IEP) for a fourth grade student at Longfellow Elementary School. The purpose of the meeting
was to review the accommodations and modifications for the student to make sure that the
student was still receiving services that matched their needs.
The individuals who were present during the meeting were the classroom teacher, the
principal, an intermediate resource room teacher, a speech and language specialist, and both of
the students parents. The student was not present during the meeting.
The resource room teacher facilitated the IEP meeting, but all members of the IEP
contributed to the conversation. The beginning of the meeting was dedicated to documenting
who was at the meeting and introducing everyone sitting around the table. The facilitator passed
around the attendance sheet, went through the procedural safeguards for the parents, and took
care of any other legal documentation. Once the paperwork was completed, the classroom
teacher took over the meeting, sharing out all aspects of the students school life, such as social
life, academics, and overall behavior. The presented their findings in the form of discussion as
well as providing many examples of student work, including supplements and reteaching
materials that the teacher uses with the students. The teacher also proposed a new
accommodation for the student which would be to provide the student with more opportunities
for math reteaching and repeat practice. The teacher felt as though those supports would really
help the student become more able to access the math instruction taking place in the classroom.
The parents then were able to take a turn talking about their concerns with their student.
The parents expressed their worry about their child not being focused and having a lack of
attention for things that the student is not interested in. The resource room teacher was then able
to suggest the idea of allowing the student to have one hour in the resource room a week to focus
on math supports.
The next person to speak was the speech and language specialist about the students
social life. The specialist reported that the student seemed to be making great improvements
socially in terms of friends and interactions with peers. One concern that was shared between all
parties is the transition to fifth grade, because the student will have a new teacher (student had
the same teacher for third and fourth grade). After everyone at the meeting had expressed their
concerns for the students, the conversation changed to how the school and parents could meet the
needs of this learner.
The meeting concluded with all members in agreement parents to seek outside counseling
for the students anxiety. The speech specialist would be in touch with the parents about
recommendations to doctors and what services the student would benefit from. The parents and
the IEP team also agreed upon the student receiving one hour of math support services out of the
classroom a week (in the form of two, 30 minute sessions a week). All other accommodations in
the IEP will remain the same. The IEP team also decided to move the 2018 IEP meeting to early
October, to make sure the student has the necessary accommodations to succeed in a new
classroom with a new teacher.
The follow up for the meeting included the classroom teacher having a conversation with
the student about the meeting, and the decisions that the team had made to help the student. The
student was excited about the new math opportunities to help them grow. The teacher then would
email the parents about how the conversation went with the students and the parents were
responsible for having a follow up conversation with their child when they got home.
During the IEP meeting, the classroom teacher is expected to contribute the present level
of educational performance specific to current level of functioning. This includes how the
student is performing in the classroom in the forms of reading, writing, math, participation,
behavior, strengths, areas of need, and modifications. This information is presented by way of
both discussion and student work samples. The resource room teacher was responsible for being
the facilitator, providing all paperwork and fulfilling all legal requirements, and taking notes for
a formal write-up when the meeting concludes. The speech specialist was responsible for
reporting on social pragmatics as well as speech and language.
Overall, the IEP meeting ran really well. All participants were comfortable working with
each other because the parents had worked with the same team last year. However, before the
meeting started, the IEP team made small talk and appropriately joked with the parents to make
sure everyone was relaxed and confident. I believe that the school did a great job of creating a
supporting environment for the parents to advocate for their child.
As a future educator, it is important for me to be prepared for IEP meetings like this one.
I will make sure to pay close attention to each student in my classroom, constantly recording data
of progress and any concerns I have on any students. It is crucial for teachers to have many
examples of student work and behavior to allow for a thorough discussion on how to meet the
needs of any learner in a future classroom. One question that came to me while I was sitting in
the meeting was how does a teacher gather enough evidence from a new student during the first
few weeks of school? It seemed easy for my mentor teacher to be able to come up with evidence,
because she is a looping teacher. After sitting down with my mentor after the meeting, I was able
to get many behind the scenes ideas to help a teacher create a thorough report of their students
for IEP meetings. The IEP team I observed was composed of caring, competent teachers who
made it clear the needs of this student came first and they were able to come together and agree
on a plan that would help this student be able to better access instruction and achieve at high
levels.