Student-Led IEPs

A Guide for Student Involvement

Why?

• Student’s don’t fully understand their exceptionality – their individual strengths and weaknesses or what accommodations they need for post secondary success.

• Student’s have not developed self-advocacy skills

Why not?

• Student’s become better self-advocates

• Person centered planning leads to greater self-determination

• Student’s understand their exceptionality and what will enhance their educational lives

5 Stages to Success

• Develop a Student Led IEP Program• Help students to understand their IEPs• Engage students in the IEP process• Prepare students to participate in and/or

lead their IEPs• Monitor ongoing self-advocacy

Develop a Student-Led IEP program

• Involve Administrators• Involve Parents• Select Students• Ensure Confidentiality • Determine Instructional Goals • Plan lessons• Schedule time

Involving Administrators

• Student participation• Parental Notification• Confidentiality• Student access to their IEPs• Scheduling

Parental Involvement

• Explain the process• Ensure rights will not be violated• Parents participation still valued

and needed• Answer their questions

Selecting Students

• ALL students can benefit• If you need to start small, start

with those you predict will have a high probability of success

• Start with those who already demonstrate leadership skills

• Choose how each student will participate

Determining Instructional Goals• The student will understand the purpose

of an IEP and be familiar with its parts• The student will gather information from

the educational team prior to the IEP• The student will prepare PLP, Transition

Input to present at the IEP• The student will co-present or lead

his/her IEP

Planning Lessons

• Identification• Present Level of Educational

Performance• Annual Goals• Accommodations• Services

Scheduling Time

• Group lessons• Individual lessons

Helping Students to Understand their IEP• Purpose• Rationale• Parts of the IEP

• Where are you now (PLP)• Where do you need to be a year from now?

(Annual Goals)• How are we going to help you get there?

(Services, Modifications, etc)

Activities

• What does my IEP look like?• What does it mean to be gifted in NM?• Study of the law• How do I learn?

• Easiest• Hardest• Helps me to learn• Hinders my learning• What do others do to help me learn

• How do I transition to Adult Life (14 and up)

Student Glossary• Identification – exceptionality – disability• Present Level of Performance• Transition Planning• Annual goal, objectives, benchmarks• Special Factors• Positive Behavior Intervention• Accommodation/Modification• State and District Testing• Extended School Year• Specially Designed Instruction• Related Services• Supplementary Aids and Services• Placement• Least Restrictive Environment• Confidentiality

Engaging Students in Developing IEPs

• Helping Students Access their IEPs• Review each section• Ask clarification questions• Highlight statements that you

disagree with• Add your own ideas for things you

think need to be added

Reviewing Goals and Objectives

• += completed goal/objective• - = incomplete goal/objective• ?=disagreement with

goal/objective• Be able to give evidence of

success• Get input from other sources

Reviewing the Service Plan

• + = successful accommodation• - = unsuccessful accommodation

Suggestions for Transition Aged Students

• Informal and/or formal interest inventory

• Career Exploration• Scholarship Opportunities• College Entrance Exams• College Exploration• Transfer of Rights

Helping Students Write their IEP• PLP-Describe exceptionality in your own

words• PLP-Develop a list of strengths and

educational needs• Goals - add based on the educational

needs identified in PLP• Accommodations – review an

accommodations checklist• What do you think you should be doing

to get ready for next year

Preparing Students to Participate in their IEPs

• Preparing for the meeting• Start with an agenda• Provide Students with prompts• Give instruction in listening, asking

questions, stating disagreements in an appropriate way

• Taking notes

Preparing Students to lead their own IEPs

• Greeting• Introductions• Review Ground Rules• Review Agenda• Deal with differences of opinion• Summarize • Thanks

Agenda• Introductions• Ground Rules• Where is the student now? (PLP)• Where does the student need to be

a year from now? (AG&OBJ)• How are we going to get him there?

• Considerations/Accommodations/• State and District Wide Assessment• Services• ESY

• LRE• Debrief the IEP

Ground Rules• The IEP will start and end on time.• Don't interrupt when another participant "has

the floor." (This includes no “sidebar” conversations.)

• Don't criticize the ideas of others. (No put downs)

• Build on the ideas shared by others.• Remain open-minded and non-judgmental.• Everyone participates, no-one dominates.• Complaints are okay when they come

packaged with a solution.• Make compromises when necessary.• Stick to the Agenda and time frames.• The Facilitator is empowered to enforce

ground rules.

Setting up the Meeting

• Formal Notice• Reminder

Train other staff members

• Look at the student when he/she is talking

• Use the student’s name• Do not refer to the student in the third

person, refer all comments about the student to the student

• Ask the student questions first• Always allow the student to finish

speaking• Restate what you heard the student say

Provide Support During the IEP Meeting• Although the student is facilitating, you

must have an IEP record keeper• Acknowledge the preparation that the

student did for the meeting• When discussing difficult topics, keep

the focus on student strengths• Create a visual signal for the student to

use if he/she becomes overwhelmed• Use the time-out technique to intervene

Time-Out

• Acknowledge the issue• Provide an alternative means to

address the issue• Restate IEP expectations• Empower to help

Debriefing the Meeting

• Praise the student’s participation• Encourage student to send thank-

you notes to the participants• Evaluate the student’s

participation

Participation Criteria

• Led the IEP• Described their exceptionality and

impact• Described present level of performance

including strengths and weaknesses• Reported test results• Described current problems in class• Described transition plan• Recommended IEP goals• Described needed accommodations• Described legal requirements

Resources

• Student-Led IEPs, A guide for Student Involvement, Marcy McGahee, CEC,

• www.cec.sped.org