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Individualized Education Programs (IEP) are developed for students with disabilities who have been evaluated in accordance with the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). The IEP is designed for the student and is individualized to meet their specific educational needs. The required members of the IEP team are a special education teacher, a general education teacher, a data interpreter, a local education representative, and the parents and/or guardians (34 C.F.R. § 300.321[a]). In addition to these required members, there are other team members dependent upon the student’s needs such as occupational and physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, school counselors, and school nurses, among others. IEPs vary from student to student. Students with IEPs will have different special education services, related services, and goals along with modifications and accommodations, when needed. The IEP team works together to collaboratively design the IEP for the student based on their needs. One important aspect during this process is when the team determines the student’s least restrictive environment (LRE) by examining their needs and the amount of support they require. In doing so, they will determine the appropriate amount of time the student will spend with their non-disabled peers. For most students with disabilities, the LRE is in the general education classroom.

Remember, a general education teacher is a required member of an IEP team. The general education teacher is required by law to participate in IEP meetings and help in developing the IEP for the student (Yell et al. 2020). Additionally, the general education teacher should make any required modifications and/or accommodations outlined in the IEP. Lastly, they must ensure the IEP is followed in their classroom and report on the student’s progress. By law, IEPs must be reviewed annually. Whether you are preparing for your first IEP conference or looking to improve your participation, check out these six simple tips to help you successfully navigate the IEP conference:

As a required member of the IEP team, you will receive an invitation to formally participate in the student’s annual review conference. It is important to make every effort to attend this meeting as you are an integral member of the team. In the process of planning for the upcoming IEP meeting, you will want to touch base with the student’s special education teacher. In these planning conversations it is important to express what is going well with the IEP and note what needs improvement within the student’s IEP to meet their needs. The special education teacher will ask you specifically about the present levels of academic achievement for the student. This is a required component of the IEP. It is important to provide data and observations of the student’s involvement in your class. Additionally, this is a good time to provide specific information and feedback about the student’s accommodations and modifications in your classroom. Accommodations are changes in how a student accesses information and therefore, demonstrates their learning. These could include changes in how you present a lesson, instructional strategies, and student response format and procedures. As outlined in the IEP, students with disabilities can receive accommodations for testing such as extended testing time, use of calculator, readers, and scribes among other accommodations. Modifications, on the other hand, are changes in what a student is expected to learn. Some examples of modifications include adjusting instructional level, content and curriculum, or assignment criteria. It is important that the general education teacher give insight into the everyday teaching and responses of the student to gain a picture of what is working and what needs improvement for the IEP.  

Bring a folder to the IEP conference that includes the student’s work samples, assessments, and any other relevant data such as report cards and behavior reports. Before the meeting, familiarize yourself with the student’s data and be able to articulate this to the team. Within the folder, write down notes that you want to convey during the conference. Additionally, you should keep a copy of the draft IEP in the folder to help follow along in the conference.  

You are a valuable member of this team. Your participation in the conference is essential for successfully navigating the student’s individualized education program. Be confident and chime in when you have information to discuss. Remember, collaboration between all members of the team is key (Yell, Bateman, and Shriner 2020). When you put effort into planning and preparing for the conference, you will feel more confident participating actively.  

At the beginning of the conference, the meeting coordinator will ask members of the IEP team to share the student’s strengths. Praise your student! This is your time to share with the team their positive attributes and strengths. It can be helpful to identify strengths beforehand.  

During the conference you will have a chance to share how the student is doing in your class. Typically, you will be asked to present this information during the discussion on the student’s present levels of academic and functional achievement. Present academic and behavior information as related to the student’s classwork, assessments, and IEP goals.  Be concise and direct with this information.  

After presenting academic and behavior present levels you will have an opportunity to provide information related to the student’s goals for the upcoming year. Provide data that supports the student’s current goals. Share information that you think will be valuable in the discussion surrounding goals and services for the upcoming year. Think through ways you can help the student to be more successful in your class. Share ideas with the team about possible interventions, strategies, and supports

Participating in the IEP conference can seem very nerve-wracking as a new teacher. However, keep in mind that you are a valuable member of the IEP team. Make your voice heard in the conference and do so with confidence by remembering the six “P”s.

Yell, Mitchell L., Collins, James, Kumpiene, Gerda, and Bateman, David. “The Individualized Education Program: Procedural and Substantive Requirements.” TEACHING Exceptional Children 52, no. 5 (2020): 304–318.

Ali Taylor, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Special Education at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Kentucky. Her research interests include using practice-based opportunities to support pre-service teachers’ understanding of data-based decision-making for multi-tiered systems of support and individualized education programming.