IDEA and the IEP Process

IDEA and the IEP Process

The federal government guarantees that all learners with exceptionalities are entitled to an Individualized Education Program (IEP), which is a law as per the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). If needed, the IEP is created through a formal meeting that entails school staff members, educational professionals, parents, and students. The IDEA states that the IEP meeting should address specific subjects. The IDEA is a disability act ratified in 1975 to ensure learners with disabilities get appropriate and accessible public education (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2017). Therefore, an IEP is given to learners with exceptionalities because they are eligible for free public education (FAPE) as per the IDEA Act.

IDEA Summary

IDEA means Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. This is a disability act that was approved in 1975 to protect and support learners with disabilities as they were never getting free and appropriate assistance or learning needs as required (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2017). Before the law’s enactment, children with exceptionalities were denied access to educational services, were excluded entirely from the public school system, and were unable to learn with other learners without disabilities. Besides, public schools lacked the resources to support disability learning; hence, parents were to seek services in private institutions. Fortunately, in 2006, IDEA clarified that learners with disabilities were to attend free public schools as other learners. Essentially, in 2006, the Department of Education of the U.S.A. released the final laws of IDEA passed by the 2004 Congress (Gartin & Murdick, 2005).

This new law of IDEA guaranteed that all learners with disabilities accessed “free appropriate public education (FAPE),” which underscores special education plus other services that peculiar wants of the learners and ready them for future employment, education, and independent life store. IDEA also aimed to ensure that the rights of disabled kids and parents were safeguarded. Also, the IDEA was to help localities, states, federal agencies, and educational services agencies provide free learning for all learners with disabilities (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2017). Therefore, IDEA affirmed that any person eligible with any disability that restricts the activities they can participate in is entitled to FAPE, which is mandatory by law. In addition, the IDEA Act requires that learners with a disability learn in the general education classroom, meaning learners getting special education should learn in the least restrictive environment where they can equally achieve their potential.

IEP Team Member Collaboration

IEP refers to the Individualized Education Program. Under the IEP, every learner has a different IEP depending on their disability and needs. Therefore, before the IEP meeting, a professional assesses learners and places them as students with disabilities who require an IEP. After that, a team is created to collect data and hold a meeting to develop the goals and support for the learners. Several people or personnel should be included in this IEP meeting, including parents/guardians, students, paraprofessionals, special and general education teachers, and representatives qualified to supervise, such as special education coordinators. Students are only included if need be, and other participants who can be part of but are optional are speech pathologists, therapists, and counselors. Parents are part of the meeting because the law entitles them to participate in all meetings of their children. The special education teacher must attend to create the IEP for the learners. Most importantly, the partnership of this team is paramount for the successful development of IEP for the learners.

Finally, the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC), a group of professional teachers, is responsible for safeguarding the principle of adding challenging expectations for the learner to develop better culture, dignity, and language, practice with others providing services, and support and protect those with disabilities. Therefore, the CEC must work responsibly and collaboratively with families and parents to ensure informed practice through data, research, and professional knowledge to ensure learners with disabilities are fully supported and get the needed learning opportunities (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2017).

IEP Process

An Individualized Education Program can be defined as a written report of the educational program created to meet the individual needs of learners with disabilities. Therefore, every child receiving exceptional education services must possess an IEP. For this reason, the process of IEP development is essential because it is of great help to administrators, families, and educators (Gartin & Murdick, 2005). The IEP clearly states the child’s learning requirements, how the progress would be measured, and the service the school must deliver. Before holding an IEP meeting, the educators involved with the specific student will collect information about the students for the development of IEP. After that, the person responsible for IEP drafting will ensure invitations for parents/guardians and all stakeholders involved in the IEP meeting are delivered. This is to invite everyone expected to take part in the meeting to attend. During the meeting, everything should be documented; the introductions and signing in and out must be included in the report. In addition, parents/guardians must be given a copy of their rights booklet, including other essential documents, to understand their roles and rights (Parents Reaching Out, 2013).

During the meeting, the first thing will be to review the formal testing to help make IEP. While this is done, each member can comment or give any information. After that, all the members must agree with the IEP, and in case of any disagreements, they must be resolved before concluding the meeting. Immediately after the IEP meeting, any reviews and amendments must be documented in the IEP. Then, a copy of the IEP report is given to the guardians and other members involved in a specific child’s learning. Most importantly, all the updates regarding IEP goals, accommodations, modifications, and objectives must be mirrored in the students’ data tracking system for scheduled lessons. Therefore, it is vital to follow the expected standards of the IEP process to minimize disputes: suppose the requirements or needs of learners are not appropriately met, a parent/guardian can sue the school and teachers.

Major IEP Components

Establishing a functional IEP is vital to a learner’s success with complex educational needs. Usually, IEP is unique as every student has unique needs, and it is developed via a complex procedure by several team members with varied functions. However, by law, some components must be part of the IEP. An excellent IEP must contain the current skill level of the student. Every IEP must explain a child’s recent academic performance and skills in all areas of concern (Council for Exceptional Children, 2021). It must also contain yearly goals. An IEP must be well-updated about a child’s objectives at least once a year. The other element is progress tracking, whereby an IEP must describe precisely how advancement towards a child’s objective can be well measured, whether through teacher feedback or regular testing. Another component is special education services (Mastropieri & Scruggs, 2017). An IEP must describe the learner’s exceptional education program and how it is made to suit the learner’s specific wants. This will give details such as one-on-one aides and instruction time. Another crucial element is the duration of services; the starting and ending dates of any services must be clearly outlined in the IEP. Participants in mainstream classrooms must also be considered to ensure that supportive school personnel do all they can to ensure that children learn in the least restrictive setting possible to accomplish inclusion. The needs of learners requiring medical or educational help should also be included in the IEP to make the school aware, and in any case, if the need is not met, there is proper documentation for protection. In addition, exceptional education standards for educators, such as maximized learning outcomes, disability assessments, and support of positive behavior, should be followed. It is also essential that exceptional education professionals represent themselves legally and adequately, consult where possible, and have supportive and appropriate teaching behavior to reduce court issues.

Key Takeaways Regarding Participating in the IEP Process

As a new teacher, the video gave great insights that would help me in supporting learners with disabilities, especially the teamwork that is needed for establishing IEP. The primary takeaway from this video is how to identify learners with disabilities and what, as a teacher, I am expected to do to educate them in the least restrictive environment possible. The video emphasized the need for collaboration and teamwork of both special education and general education classroom teachers in ensuring learners with disabilities meet their potential as other learners. The other essential aspect is involving parents/guardians and other vital stakeholders in the IEP meeting to help create the most suitable IEP for the concerned students and to guide teachers in what is expected of them.

Conclusion

Learners with disabilities are equally crucial as those without exceptionalities. The IDEA and IEP have ensured that the needs of learners with disabilities are catered for and that they can achieve their potential like other learners in the same learning environment. It is also evident that IEP meetings are vital as they help guide teachers, parents/guardians, and school administrators on what is expected of them and how they will accomplish the needs of the learners with disabilities. Notably, learners with exceptionalities have the right to free public education (FAPE) to enable them to learn with other non-disabled learners in the least restrictive environment. Most importantly, while working with students with exceptionalities, it is vital to strictly adhere to the standards and measures made in the IEP to help meet each child’s individual needs.

References

Council for Exceptional Children. (2021). Special Education Professional Ethical Principles. https://exceptionalchildren.org/standards/ethical-principles-and-practice-standards.

Gartin, B. C., & Murdick, N. L. (2005). Idea 2004: The IEP. Remedial and Special Education, 26(6), 327-331.

Mastropieri, M. A., & Scruggs, T. E. (2017). The inclusive classroom: Strategies for effective differentiated instruction. Pearson.

Parents Reaching Out. (2013). IDEA Factsheets. 6 Principles of IDEA Part 1. https://39ye4i1nkkq14s05u37fmrfb-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wpcontent/uploads/2019/01/2-6-Principles-of-IDEA-Part-1.pdf.

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Assessment Description
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires that specific topics be covered in an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting. The IEP team consists of general education teachers, special education teachers, a psychologist or counselor, administrators, parents/guardians, a speech therapist, an occupational therapist, and, on occasion, the student and student advocate. Typically, a special education teacher serves as the case manager and is responsible for inviting attendees to the meeting and coordinating the meeting according to policies and regulations. Effective communication, interpersonal skills, problem-solving skills, and data-driven decision-making are all prerequisites to facilitating a successful IEP meeting. Often, a school district will provide a checklist for teams to follow when developing and discussing the IEP to help ensure all responsibilities are met.

IDEA and the IEP Process

View “FIEP: A Facilitated IEP Meeting,” paying special attention to the structure and collaborative nature of the meeting, the specific components of the IEP, and ways that the meeting demonstrates adherence to laws and ethical principles that govern special education. Note that when viewing this example meeting, the administrator is the facilitator rather than the special education teacher, who typically leads the meeting.

In a 1,000-1,250-word essay, articulate your knowledge of IDEA and the IEP process. The essay should address the following:

Summarize IDEA. Include a discussion of professional practice standards and how these are used to guide the special education teacher in ensuring key components of the law such as free appropriate public education (FAPE), appropriate evaluation, least restrictive environment (LRE), and procedural safeguards, are upheld (approximately 250 words).
Explain the importance of collaboration between members of the IEP team. Include a discussion about who should be included on the IEP team, how parents and students participate in decision-making, which IEP team members’ attendance is required and which is optional, and how CEC Ethical Principles and Professional Practice Standards guide collaboration and execution of the IEP process (approximately 250 words).
Describe the IEP process. Explain what IDEA indicates must be done before, during, and after an IEP meeting. Include a discussion of why executing the IEP process according to the established standards is essential to avoid due process disputes (approximately 250-500 words).
Identify the major components of the IEP and explain why each is important. Discuss the specific legal, ethical, and policy responsibilities related to developing the IEP to ensure it meets the educational, developmental, and medical services requirements for students with disabilities and their families. (approximately 250 words)
Consider what you saw in “FIEP: A Facilitated IEP Meeting” and describe the key takeaways you will consider as a new teacher participating in the IEP process (approximately 100 words).
Support the essay with a minimum of three scholarly resources.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide located in the Student Success Center.

This assignment uses a rubric. Review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. A link to the LopesWrite technical support articles is located in Class Resources if you need assistance.

Rubric Criteria

IDEA Summary
12 points