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Annual IEP Meeting Process
Annual IEP Meeting Process
Overview:
Overview:
School districts and charter schools should develop and use a process to hold IEP meetings, review IEP goals and services, and conduct evaluations and reevaluations. This could include virtual meetings and phone conferences, when possible, to complete annual and ongoing due process activities due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Listed at the bottom of this page are some resources to consider for virtual meetings. Please note that your individual district may, or may not, have access to the resources listed. Additionally, your district may have other options available to use.
Case Managers should be scheduling and holding annual and ongoing IEP meetings to plan for the needs of students with disabilities on their caseload.
Timeline Considerations:
Timeline Considerations:
There are no legal waivers or timeline extensions for Annual IEP meetings should be planned well in advance of the due date to allow for rescheduling should team members be made unavailable due to factors related to the COVID-19 pandemic or otherwise. If a team anticipates they will not be able to meet a timeline due to the impact of COVID-19, then the contributing factors need to be documented in the student's file and parents must be contacted to discuss an alternate meeting date within the most reasonable amount of time possible.
Process:
Process:
Schedule the IEP meeting; work with the parent and the rest of the team to determine process to hold IEP meeting. This could be a combination in-person, virtual, or phone conference.
Hold the IEP meeting, following typical guidance regarding structure and required content (i.e., document attendees, provide parents with notice of procedural safeguards, share agenda, review each component of the IEP etc.)
During the meeting, plan for the standard, building-based annual IEP. Review and revise the PLAAFP, goals, objectives, services, and supports using prospective judgment to reasonably calculate what the student will need in order to receive a FAPE in the LRE when they return to the building. Once the IEP is planned, review and revise the Contingency Learning Plan (CLP) as needed (i.e., update goals and services to align with the new IEP).
Propose the new annual IEP and any revisions to the CLP together via Prior Written Notice and follow typical consent procedures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Are the typically required IEP Team Members still required to attend IEP meetings during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?
Are the typically required IEP Team Members still required to attend IEP meetings during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic?
Yes. The full IEP Team must attend the meeting. The only exception is if a parent excuses a team member, in writing, prior to the meeting and the absent team member submits written input. Electronic consent can be accepted for team member excusal during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
How do I write new annual IEP goals if I can't collect updated baseline data?
How do I write new annual IEP goals if I can't collect updated baseline data?
IEP team members should make their best efforts to collect necessary baseline information during any distance learning or hybrid period. Creativity and prospective judgment are key and the methods used to collect day may need to change from what is typical. Baseline data will have to be determined based on any available information, including the last data point collected for that student, regardless of when that occurred.
If a team has not been able to collect data to determine present levels for a student, this should serve as an indicator that the provision of a FAPE may not have occurred and significant changes to the student's program are likely warranted.
How do I record who attended a meeting if we can't sign the Record of Team Meeting (ROTM) form?
How do I record who attended a meeting if we can't sign the Record of Team Meeting (ROTM) form?
There are a few options:
Use the 'Meeting notes:' box on the ROTM form (recommended)
This option is recommended because it is the easiest and most efficient method.
Before finalizing the ROTM form, click on the 'Meeting notes:' box (below the list of meeting attendees) and write a short description, such as: "All of the listed meeting attendees participated in the full meeting remotely using videoconferencing software, with the exception of [general education teacher] who was formally excused and provided written input prior to the meeting."
Annotate a PDF file of the ROTM form
After downloading a PDF file of the ROTM form, meeting attendees could (A) electronically sign the form using software with those features and/or (B) text could be typed onto the PDF form over each signature line (e.g., "Attended via videoconference").
It is highly unlikely that all members of the IEP team are already set up with software that supports adding electronic signatures to documents, so defaulting to option B (described above) or combining the approaches would likely be necessary.
What if the parent doesn't respond or participate in the virtual meeting?
What if the parent doesn't respond or participate in the virtual meeting?
Just as we would proceed under typical circumstances, teams need to make multiple attempts (at least two) via multiple methods (i.e., phone and email; text and NOTM mailed home) to reach parents and notify them of a meeting. If those multiple attempts are not successful, then the team should proceed with holding the meeting with the rest of the IEP team. Paperwork should them be completed within standard timelines and sent home to the parent/guardian(s) for review with an accompanying PWN and Parental Consent/Objection form.
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