Meeting Facilitation

Have team members introduce themselves, identify their relationship to the student, and share a student strength. If the student is in attendance, consider asking the student to introduce the members of their IEP team (when appropriate given the student).

Identify the Note Taker(s)

Inform parents that notes will be taken and incorporated into the IEP. You or another team member should take notes during the meeting, ideally another team member because it's very difficult to facilitate and take notes simultaneously. Determine the note taker prior to the meeting. 

Why take notes? It helps the case manager develop a finalized IEP that reflects the many decisions made by the team during the meeting. There are so many details to keep track of! Documentation of concerns raised by team members, team discussion, and decisions made by the team is also very important during the dispute resolution process.

Set Time Parameters

Remind the team of when the meeting is scheduled to end and that, if all agenda items are not addressed by that point, the team will need to schedule another meeting. This motivates all members to stay on task.

It can be helpful to communicate that, if the dialogue is veering off track and focusing on topics that don't require the full team's input, the facilitator will interrupt to redirect the conversation and keep the meeting on schedule.

⏰ For example: "Before we get rolling, I just want to remind everyone that we're scheduled until 3:30 and we need to wrap up promptly at 3:30. If we don't get through our agenda by 3:30, I'll need to schedule another meeting. I don't think that's anyone's preference, so I'm going to do my best to move us along to make sure we can cover everything today. So if I interrupt anyone to keep us flowing, I just want you to know that that's why and I'm not trying to be rude. Sound good to everyone? Great!"

Legal Requirements

Refer to the relevant pages for more details about Procedural Safeguards, Release of Information, and MA billing Consent and under what circumstances these items are necessary.

Once introductions are completed and the agenda has been given to all members, it is important to explain the purpose of the meeting to ensure all team members are on the same page.  For example:

• Annual IEP Meeting: "I want to thank everyone for coming today. We are going to review Everly’s progress toward her current IEP goals and what a variety of data sources tell us about her present levels of performance. We'll use that information to determine what changes we should make to goals, services, and supports to provide Everly with an appropriate program over the next year.”

• Initial Evaluation: “Today we are going to review a comprehensive evaluation. Based on the results of that evaluation, we will review whether or not Jeff meets the legal criteria for special education eligibility in any category and demonstrates a need for special education services and supports. When the evaluation was proposed, the categories of suspected disability were [insert categories]. Before we begin to review the results, I want to say that, while the discussion is likely to focus on areas where Jeff has difficulty because the evaluation is designed to assess if Jeff has significant educational needs, Jeff is a great kid with a lot of strengths. I like how...[describe student strengths and prompt others to contribute]."

• Problem Solving: "Everyone in this room wants Heather to be successful in her current program. Our purpose for meeting today is to put together the best plan in school and outside of school to help Heather to do well. To create that plan, we will need the best ideas from everyone around this table. Before we begin, I'd like to go around the table and have everyone finish the sentence, 'At the end of this meeting, I will feel it's been a success if...'" Participants in negotiations frequently come to the table having already made up their minds that they will only accept specific outcomes. By stepping back and communicating less specific interests, the team members are free to consider all options and to be more objective in deciding which options will fulfill the widest range of shared interests. The facilitator can end the meeting by going around the table again, reminding participants of their answers to the question, and asking if the meeting was a success from their perspective. 

Ask the Parent(s) If They Have Concerns

Regardless of the purpose of the IEP meeting, it is important for the facilitator to ask the parent if there are any concerns and/or questions to address that they would like to add to the agenda. If a parent has a concern, write that concern under the appropriate section of the agenda. This allows the team to discuss the issue within the framework of the meeting.

If the student is going to be educated in the general education environment for any part of the school day, then the student’s general education teacher will talk at the IEP meeting about what the student will be taught and expected to learn. This information contributes directly to making decisions about what types of supplementary aids and services (e.g., accommodations, modifications, or paraprofessional support) the student may need to be successful in that setting and achieve their IEP goals.

It is important to be both honest and solution-focused. Teachers should describe the student's (relative) strengths, discuss grade-level expectations for academic and social-emotional-behavioral skills, review grades/performance (work samples are helpful), and explain how supplementary aids and services (e.g., accommodations and modifications) are currently implemented and the effect they are having on the student's access to instruction.

Sample questions for the student's teachers:

1. How is the student performing in [insert goal area]? In what areas are you observing growth or lack of growth?

2. What accommodations, modifications, assistive technology, or paraprofessional support are helping or not helping to ensure the student has appropriate access to the general education curriculum?

As the IEP team reviews and discusses the student's evaluation results and/or programming, the meeting may turn tense in a hurry if a parent is confused or surprised about what difficulties their child has, wants a level of performance for their child that might not be realistic, or feels that the school team hasn’t done their job to the utmost of their ability.

In these instances, it is our responsibility not only to continue to be honest with parents, but also to find a way to get back to a place where the parent feels like a partner in their child’s IEP team rather than an unhappy or confused outsider. This can often be achieved with some very simple communication tips:

Ask Parents to Participate From the Beginning

By asking parents how they feel their child's year has been going so far, what their child has enjoyed or not enjoyed, etc., you quickly signal to the parent(s) that their input is valuable. Often, negative feelings begin when a parent feels like you just want them to nod their head and sign the paperwork.

Frame the Conversation Around FAPE

If you notice that a meeting participant is framing the conversation around their preferences or is using phrases such as "This would be best..." ask student-centered questions such as, "What would be most appropriate for XXX's needs?"  We must consider parent input and input from other sources (e.g., medical providers); however, the school's obligation is to propose what is "appropriate" (based on professional expertise and review of all available data) not what is "best." The student's curriculum and staff assigned to work with the student are also the school district's decision.

Use Objective Criteria

When all IEP team members agree to objective criteria to define the dimensions of a problem, it's less likely that a team member will attempt to support their case through anecdotes, emotional appeals, or unverifiable opinion. By explaining how progress monitoring data on a student's IEP goal is collected and giving credibility to the data in the team's eyes, educators can increase the likelihood that team members will "trust" the objective data and feel comfortable using it to guide decision making.

Check for Understanding

The terminology used during an IEP meeting can be confusing, but parents are often not comfortable stopping the meeting to ask questions. Take a second to say something like: “Does that make sense or not? We're presenting so much information, and it's a lot to take in at once.” This lets parents know that you want them to understand the information and participate in the team.

Speak Slowly and Calmly

Regardless of the tone of the meeting, slow and calm speech will support effective communication. If a meeting participant becomes agitated, preserving your slow and deliberate speech will help to de-escalate the situation. It is more difficult to maintain a high state of anger when conversing with someone who remains calm and unruffled.

Use Reflective Listening

Listen to the person and make note of important details. At an appropriate pause, step in and paraphrase the person’s concerns in a calm and respectful tone of voice. Some reflective listening phrases that you might find useful are: "Let me summarize your concerns to be sure that I heard you right...” or "From what I just heard, it sounds like..."

Acknowledge the Speaker's Emotion

If you note obvious signs that someone is upset (e.g., facial expression, tone of voice) put a label to that person’s emotion. For example, you might say to the person, “I can see that you are very frustrated about this issue.” Acknowledging the speaker’s emotion can help in one of two ways: (1) The speaker may not have realized that he or she was showing obvious anger. If this is the case, your feedback may come as a surprise, prompting the person to calm down and act in a more civil manner toward you. (2) The speaker may not have felt safe telling you that he or she was angry, relying instead on body language to convey that message. Once you name the emotion, the other person may be satisfied that you recognize the anger and thus soften his or her non-verbal response.

Use Affirming Statements

In situations in which you believe the other person is reacting in anger because he or she is frustrated or embarrassed, consider using an affirming statement to convey understanding and acceptance. If a parent appears upset because of something the school did or didn't do, you might begin your response by saying, “[Student] is so fortunate to have you as their advocate. Thank you.”

If Appropriate, Offer an Apology

In some situations, you may realize that you inadvertently did or said something to trigger the other person’s anger. If you realize that you are in the wrong, consider an apology— but apologize only if you can do so with sincerity. A well-placed apology can have an almost magical impact, potentially turning a confrontation into a conversation.

Review the Meeting Notes

All discussions, decision making, and commitment of resources must occur within the context of the IEP meeting. If not completed, the team must reconvene. If completed, thank the team for their time and review the meeting notes:

• Briefly review the annual goals, direct services, and any significant changes the team agreed to.

• Let parents know that a proposed IEP (and, if applicable, BSP), reflecting the meeting notes, will be sent home within 10 school days.

• Encourage the parent to review the documentation upon receiving it and call if they have any questions or concerns.

Ask: "Are you happy with what we discussed today and the plan moving forward?"

A parent will often leave a meeting acting like nothing is wrong while in reality they are upset that their concerns weren’t satisfactorily addressed. Asking this question allows the parent to voice any concerns they may still be holding onto, allowing you to address it immediately, rather than waiting for it to become a larger problem. If consensus can’t be reached on an issue, discuss follow up options, which may include another IEP meeting or dispute resolution.

In a perfect world, parents and teaching teams would always communicate harmoniously about the best way to help students achieve success. Unfortunately, we don’t live in that world.  The best we can do is make sure that parents know we want them to be part of the team, we’ll do everything we can to ensure they have (and understand) the information they need to be part of that team, and that we want them to be comfortable and happy with all of the decisions made regarding their child.