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A meeting of a group who help determine whether or not a student is eligible for special education and develops the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) for eligible students. An IEP is an educational plan that addresses the individual needs of a child that takes into consideration the child's strengths and limitations, parent concerns, assessment results, and areas of academic and developmental needs in order to develop goals and objectives for the school year. It is created through a team effort at an ARD/IEP meeting and reviewed at least once a year.
An ARD or IEP committee is typically comprised of:
A special education teacher
A general education teacher
A school district representative (i.e. school administrator) who:
Can give instruction to meet your child's needs
Knows about general and special education curriculum
Knows about school district resources
Can translate any evaluation into a classroom instruction plan
A diagnostician, or
A staff member representing any related services the student may require (i.e. physical therapist, occupational therapist, speech-language pathologist)
The parents or legal guardian
The student, when appropriate (students must begin attending their IEP meetings once they turn 18 years old)
Your child just started school
Your child just received a new diagnosis or had new assessments/evaluations done
Your child is new to the school district
It is time for the child's yearly review
You or your child's teacher is asking for a change in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP)
Your child has begun the transition from academics to job or life-skills training
Your child is transitioning out of special education services- or transitioning out of public education entirely
Your child is having behavioral challenges
Your child has mastered or isn't making progress on IEP goals
AT THE BEGINNING OF THE SCHOOL YEAR:
Call or email and introduce yourself to your child's teachers to establish good communication and a good relationship with them.
BEFORE THE ARD/IEP MEETING:
NEVER request an ARD/IEP meeting over the phone. The request MUST be in writing.
Take note of anything you've noticed about your child's academics.
Take note of anything you've noticed about your child's functionality.
E.g., The ability to hold a pencil, social skills, being able to count change, etc.
Request any new additions to your child's school records.
Request copies of any evaluation reports completed before the meeting.
Take note of any of your child's new behaviors (both positive and negative) and any new concerns you have.
Collect all new medical documents regarding these behaviors, if any.
Talk to your child's teacher, coordinator, or special education teacher about any new concerns you have.
Prepare to ask the ARD/IEP committee at the beginning of the meeting to remember to provide positive feedback regarding your child.
Write EVERYTHING down and bring these notes to the ARD meeting. It is easy to get overwhelmed and forget what you want to bring up, so writing these things down beforehand can be a helpful tool.
Personal knowledge and stories about your child.
A notebook and pen for jotting down comments and ideas. You are also allowed to record the meeting.
A friend, spouse, or advocate. Explore how to find a special education advocate here.
Copies of any test results or medical reports about your child that you haven't shared with the school yet.
A list of any instructional and behavioral accommodations that work at home for your child, including any assistive technology.
Records or reports from outside providers such as specialists, counselors, therapists, etc.
Each school district has different ARD/IEP meeting requirements, so be sure to do some research into your specific school district.
An ARD/IEP committee meeting is typically divided into three parts:
1. Review of the student's current educational situation
2. Student goal discussion
3. Creation or editing/revision of the IEP
Here are a few things to be aware of:
The committee will decide if your child has an educational need that lets them get special education and related/instructional services, if appropriate.
You may ask questions at any time during the ARD meeting. There are no dumb questions and you have the right to know and be informed of exactly what is being discussed regarding your child. You may also ask for copies and notes of reports from the professionals in the room.
The committee will look at your child's latest measures of academic performance, including statewide testing, like the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR) and others.
The committee will look at your child's level of functioning and performance in the classroom.
The committee will decide what type of special education services your child will need, including accommodations, modifications, and educational placement.
At the end of the meeting, you should be clear about the goals being recommended for every part of your child's school day. If you are not, ask for further explanation.
When the ARD/IEP meeting is done, and the IEP is created, it will be passed around for everyone to sign. If you agree and are comfortable with the IEP, you can sign that you agree. YOU DO NOT HAVE TO SIGN AN IEP IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH IT. You have the option to sign it and write down what areas you disagree with on the document. You can also ask for another meeting to further discuss the areas where you disagree.
You can ask for a new meeting at any time.
There are ARD Assurances that must be read to the parent at the end of each meeting. These contain some technical/legal terms and can be overwhelming. The assurances differ slightly by each district, but will look similar to the following:
"The ARD committee assures that removal of students with disabilities from the regular educational environment occurs only if the nature or severity of the disability is such that education in regular classes with the use of supplementary aids and services cannot be achieved satisfactorily."
"The ARD committee assures that each student with a disability participates in nonacademic and extracurricular services and activities including meals, and recess periods, with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate to the needs of the student."
"The ARD committee assures that, to the maximum extent appropriate, students with disabilities, including students in public or private institutions or other care facilities, are educated with students who are nondisabled."
Continue to follow up with the school to ensure they are implementing the IEP as promised.
Keep track of your child's progress and let the school know if you have any concerns.
You can request another ARD/IEP meeting at any time if you feel like your child is not making progress.
Ask for a digital copy of all the completed and signed paperwork after it is finished to keep for your records.
Facilitated IEP
If parents and educators cannot reach an agreement on any part of the IEP, then you may consider a facilitated ARD committee meeting. A facilitated ARD/IEP committee meeting includes having a person trained in getting people to reach an agreement to come in to help with the ARD/IEP meeting. You can ask for an independent ARD facilitator from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) to help you come to an agreement.
If you still cannot come to an agreement, you may decide to request mediation. This is where another person with expertise comes in and tries to settle the disagreement.
Transition and ARDs
In Texas, when your child turns 14, their ARD/IEP meetings start to include a focus on the transition to adulthood. Your child might be invited to the meeting and may even lead it at times. The school is obligated to ensure that the child's interests and preferences are considered.
"Your child is not eligible for special education because they are doing fine academically."
IDEA specifically states that grades and performance are irrelevant to determining if a student needs special education services. (See more about the IDEA here.)
"You should take your child to the doctor and request medication."
It is illegal for a school to suggest your child should be on medication as they are not qualified to determine if a child should be medicated or not.
"We decided your child no longer needs XYZ services, so we are stopping them."
IDEA states that the removal of services requires a formal evaluation, data, and an ARD/IEP meeting. You can ask for the data that supports any suggested change in services. You can always request another ARD/IEP committee meeting once that data is available as well. (See more about the IDEA here.)
"We don't have that service at our school."
Schools are required to arrange a way for your child to receive the services they need.
"We believe that your child should be in a self-contained classroom because they are difficult to handle."
A self-contained placement may not be the least restrictive environment (LRE; see "least restrictive environment" in the glossary). A general education classroom with an aide may be better. IDEA requires that they evaluate to determine which placement is best for your child.
"We are keeping the same goal because they have not made progress and we have to keep working on it."
A lack of progress in a year is a sign that the goal or remediation is not appropriate. The ARD/IEP team should discuss alternative options so that the child can make meaningful progress.
"This is a charter school, so we don't have the resources to serve a student with special education needs."
Any school that receives government funding must provide support for special education services. They cannot refuse a child just because their support services are not already in place. This, however, is a gray area since charter schools CAN choose whom they admit. If you want your child to attend a charter school, choose your battles wisely.
"We are not allowed to assess your child for an IEP unless we first try RTI (see "response to intervention" in the glossary)."
The Department of Education has put out a memo clarifying that RTI cannot be used to delay or deny evaluation for special education services. If a parent puts a request in writing for an evaluation, the district must do it.
If you don't write it down, it didn't happen.
Do not blindly request more services. More is not always better.
Do not compare your child's IEP to another child's.
For a printable version of this page's information, click here.
References