Step 3: Development and Implementation of an IEP

After your child has been assessed, an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting will be held. The IEP meeting will be held at a time and place reasonably convenient for both you and the District’s representatives. At this meeting, the IEP team will discuss the assessment results and determine whether your child is eligible for special education services. An IEP will be developed during the meeting.

• An IEP meeting is a collaborative process, and all participants will be provided the opportunity to ask questions and provide recommendations and suggestions;

• The IEP team has the authority and responsibility to design a program in which the child can derive meaningful benefits;

• The draft IEP, behavior intervention plan, or assessment plan might change as a result of the IEP team’s deliberations;

• The decision on related services and placement will occur during the IEP meeting unless the team agrees that there is not sufficient information to make a placement determination;

• The District considers the family equal partners in the educational decision-making process; and

• Any team member may propose an objective or goal in the IEP, even if it is not included in the Welligent goal bank.

• You, as the child's parent or guardian, and/or your representative;

• A school administrator;

• A special education teacher or a special education provider when appropriate;

• A general education teacher if your child is or may be participating in general education;

• Other persons, such as your child, whom you or the school wish to invite; and

• A person knowledgeable about the assessment procedures used to assess your child, familiar with the results of the assessment, and qualified to interpret the instructional implications of the results. This may be one of the persons described above.

There are circumstances where members of the IEP team can be excused from attending, with your written approval.

The school will provide you with written notice of the IEP team meeting, Notification to Participate in an Individualized Education Program Meeting, within a reasonable time prior to the meeting. This notice will include the date, time, and place of the meeting; the reason for the meeting; and who will be at the meeting.

You are an important member of the IEP team. If you cannot attend the IEP team meeting, you may ask the school to reschedule the meeting. The school will also try to facilitate your participation using other methods, such as conferencing by telephone or videoconferencing. The school must ensure that you understand what is going on at the meeting. For example, the school will provide you with an interpreter if you have a hearing disability or an oral interpreter if your primary language is not English.