Involving students in the I.E.P. Process

1. Involving students in the I.E.P. Process Cristi Wiegers, USD #320 Transition Coordinator

2. Why is it important for you to participate in your I.E.P. meeting? • The meeting is about you. • You have a voice and you can make decisions that affect your education and your life. • The meeting gives you a chance to practice social, advocacy and communication skills that you will need in the future. • Being a part of developing your goals helps you to reach your goals. • Research shows that students that are self-determined are twice as likely to be employed, receive benefits and earn more than those students who are not self-determined. adapted from I'm Determined, Commonwealth of Virginia Dept. of Education

3. Ways to be involved BEFORE the meeting • Make a list of your strengths, challenges, likes, dislikes and interests. Research about your specific disability. • Complete a student questionnaire or interview for the I.E.P. • Take an interest inventory or vocational assessment. • Suggest people to invite to your meeting/invite them personally. • Call/send reminders of the meeting. • Prepare a PowerPoint or snapshot about you to share at the meeting. • Develop a list of the accommodations and modifications you need. • Develop your own transition goal/assist with the writing of the I.E.P. • Meet with your case manager to decide how you want to participate in your meeting. adapted from I'm Determined, Commonwealth of Virginia Dept. of Education

4. Ways to be involved DURING the meeting • Attend the meeting. • Introduce the participants at the meeting. • Share samples of your work from your classes. • Present specific information for your I.E.P. • Share ideas about what works well for you. • Present information about yourself from your snapshot, PowerPoint or personal notebook. • Review your previous I.E.P. goals and progress. • Lead discuss regarding transition plans (your future). • Recommend new goals or accommodations. • Lead the meeting. adapted from I'm Determined, Commonwealth of Virginia Dept of Education

5. Ways to be involved AFTER the meeting • Send thank you notes or emails to participants. • Participate in the IEP updates and help evaluate your progress on goals/objectives. • Deliver highlights of the meeting to teachers/paras. • Discuss your disability, IEP and accommodations with teachers or others. • Share your experience about participating with others. • Complete an exit survey about your experience/ begin planning for your next IEP meeting. adapted from I'm Determined, Commonwealth of Virginia Dept of Education

6. How do you take an active involvement in the writing of your IEP? • How do you provide information about yourself? • Sometimes students are interviewed or fill out questionnaires. (Insert WHS student questionnaire) • Do you edit your IEP prior to the meeting, offering suggestions or comments? • Do you know what accommodations or modifications are documented in your IEP? • Do you know your IEP and transition goals?

7. Where to start? There are several templates you can use to help you be prepared to participate in your IEP meeting. Here are examples of I.E.P. meeting templates. This first one can be developed into a PowerPoint. • Student led IEP\secondary_iep_template I'm determined.pptx This resource is a paper copy that can be shared at the IEP meeting. • Student led IEP\my-iep-meeting-templatepdf.pdf Here is a template to help determine your strengths and weaknesses: Student led IEP\strength-interest-preference-form.pdf Resources: Becky Wilson Hawbaker, University of Northern Iowa