IEP Team Members

Administrator

The individual representing the school system, or administrator, is also a valuable team member. This person knows a great deal about special education services and educating children with disabilities. He or she can talk about the necessary school resources. It is important that this individual have the authority to commit resources and be able to ensure that whatever services are set out in the IEP will actually be provided.

Parents

Parents are key members of the IEP team. They know their child very well and can talk about their child's strengths and needs as well as their ideas for enhancing their child's education. They can offer insight into how their child learns, what his or her interests are, and other aspects of the child that only a parent can know. 

Student

The student may also be a member of the IEP team. If transition service needs or transition services are going to be discussed at the meeting, the student must be invited to attend. More and more students are participating in and even leading their own IEP meetings. This allows them to have a strong voice in their own education and can teach them a great deal about self-advocacy and self-determination.

Regular Education Teacher

At least one of the child's regular education teachers must be on the IEP team if the child is (or may be) participating in the regular education environment. The regular education teacher has a great deal to share with the team. For example, he or she might talk about:

• the general curriculum in the regular classroom;

• the aids, services or changes to the educational program that would help the child learn and achieve; and

• strategies to help the child with behavior, if behavior is an issue.

The regular education teacher may also discuss with the IEP team the supports for school staff that are needed so that the child can:

• advance toward his or her annual goals;

• be involved and progress in the general curriculum;

• participate in extracurricular and other activities; and

• be educated with other children, both with and without disabilities.

Special Education Teacher

The child's special education teacher contributes important information and experiences about how to educate children with disabilities. Because of his or her training in special education, this teacher can talk about such issues as:

• implementation of specially designed instruction (SDI) and progress on goals and objectives

• how to implement accommodations or modifications to provide access to the general curriculum;

• the supplementary aids and services that the child may need to be successful in the regular classroom and elsewhere;

Related Service Providers

The IEP team may also include additional individuals with knowledge or special expertise about the child. The school system may invite one or more individuals who can offer special expertise or knowledge about the child, such as a related services professional. Because an important part of developing an IEP is considering a child's need for related services, related service professionals are often involved as IEP team members or participants. They share their special expertise about the child's needs and how their own professional services can address those needs. Depending on the child's individual needs, some related service professionals attending the IEP meeting or otherwise helping to develop the IEP might include: 

• Audiology services

• Counseling services

• Early identification and assessment of disabilities in children

• Medical services

• Occupational therapy

• Orientation and mobility services

• Parent counseling and training

• Physical therapy

• Psychological services

• Recreation

• Rehabilitation counseling services

• School health services

• Social work services in schools

• Speech-language pathology services

• Transportation

If a child needs a particular related service in order to benefit from special education, the related service professional should be involved in developing the IEP. He or she may be invited by the school or parent to join the IEP team as a person "with knowledge or special expertise about the child."

An Individual Who Can Interpret the Child's Evaluation or Assessment Results

Another important member of the IEP team is the individual who can interpret what the child's evaluation or assessment results mean in terms of designing appropriate instruction. The evaluation results are very useful in determining how the child is currently doing in school and what areas of need the child has. This IEP team member must be able to talk about the instructional implications of the child's evaluation results, which will help the team plan appropriate instruction to address the child's needs.  

Transition Agencies

When an IEP is being developed for a student of transition age, representatives from transition service agencies can be important participants. Whenever the purpose of the meeting is to consider needed transition services, the school must invite a representative of any other agency that is likely to be responsible for providing or paying for transition services. This individual can help the team plan any transition services the student needs. He or she can also commit the resources of the agency to pay for or provide needed transition services. If he or she does not attend the meeting, then the school must take alternative steps to obtain the agency's participation in the planning of the student's transition services.

US Dept of Education: IDEA