I aspired to create a plan and curriculum for helping our high school students actively engage and eventually lead their our IEP meetings. My goal was for students to learn about each section of the IEP and what it actually means. I think each year students should be given a greater role in the writing of the IEP and leading of the IEP meeting. Many of our high school IEPs currently state advocacy training as a transition activity. Students leading their own meetings and understanding their transition plans, goals, accommodations, and services will be imperative in helping them learn to advocate and take ownership of their own learning. Additionally, they gain this valuable experience with support of their educational teams who is exists to
guide and support these individuals. According to Becky Wilson Hawbaker’s “Student-Led IEP Meetings: Planning and Implementation Strategies,” research supports many positive outcomes as a result of student-led IEP meetings: Mason, McGahee-Kovac, and Johnson (2004) observed and interviewed participants involved in 43 students’ IEP meetings and found that the students who lead their meetings were involved and contributed to the meetings, knew about their disability rights and accommodations, gained increased self confidence and were able to advocate for themselves, interacted more positively with adults, assumed more responsibility for themselves, were more aware of their limitations and the resources available to them, and parental participation increased (Hawbaker, p. 4). With so many encouraging potential outcomes, my goal would be to create a standardized curriculum and plan of action for helping students gain the skills and find the resources necessary to host their own IEP meetings. Additionally, we knew that this curriculum would have to be modified for our students with more significant needs but we still believed that we should try and involve them in the process as much as they are able to contribute. Lastly, we would have to determine the logistics of how and when to incorporate this curriculum into student’s schedules.
While it is not required for Amy to attend her IEP meeting it should be encouraged rather than discouraged for many reasons, especially when a student is old enough to participate in his or her own education. If Amy should want to attend, she should be present. There is so much that she could offer at the meeting, along with creating a sense of responsibility in her own learning. She can help with setting up learning goals along with accommodations that she might benefit from, after all, she is very involved in what she is learning. Also, transition planning for college and other postsecondary goals will be considered after a child turns 16, thus she should be present during this time. Probably the most important reason to involve a student in their IEP meeting at 17-years-old would be to help them develop the ability to self-advocate. This will be important as they move on from high school and into the real world, or college.
This is simply not the case. Students who have not had the benefit of previous instruction often feel a debilitating inability to contribute (Martin, VanDycke, Greene, Gardner, Christensen, Woods, & Lovett, 2006). Without specific IEP instruction, students have no idea how to participate in IEP meetings, nor do they fully understand the purpose of their IEPs (Martin, Van Dycke, Christensen, Greene, Gardner, Woods, and Lovett, 2006). Lack of instruction, however should not be the hindrance that prevent students from participating and leading the IEP process. Students with disabilities must be taught how to direct their IEPs.
The IEP team may include the student, their parents, a regular teacher, a special education provider and other representatives, such as a social worker or relative child care provider. These meets are required to be held within 30 days of the student’s acceptance into the special education program. Every IEP has the two main goals of setting reasonable learning goals and establishing academic services that the school will provide. The IEP should state which state and district-wide assessments that the student will or will not participate in and why.
Attending an NA meeting during finals was one of my smarter decisions, as I procrastinate my work until the very last minute this week. However, in my opinion, going to a meeting was a good type of procrastination compared to other things I could be doing. Instead of going with the same friend this time, I asked a friend who was struggling with a ________ addiction. Not knowing that I was aware of his addiction, I asked him to join so I didn’t have to go alone; and he was more than happy to join me. I was very happy he agreed to join, because hopefully it helps him with his personal addiction, and he continues to return to the meetings.
This is a reflective essay based on my attendance at a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting whilst on my two-week placement at a local mental health day hospital. The aim of this essay is to discuss the importance of the multidisciplinary team within the mental health environment and discuss factors that can influence the success or failure of multidisciplinary teams.
I observed an IEP meeting for one of my students who has a TBI, traumatic brain injury. She just moved to this school district last year, so this was a follow-up IEP meeting to see how she was doing on her short-term objectives and overall goal. They also talked about transitioning her into high school, because she is in 8th grade now. The People who attended the meeting were the DAPE teacher, the mom, the student, the three special education teachers, the para-professional, and case manger.
The Gaskin Settlement Agreement is an agreement between a group of families and advocacy organizations who filed a class action lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Education (PDE) on behalf of a group of children with disabilities in 1994. This agreement does not change a student’s placement, program, or IEP in any manner. Only the IEP team has the authority to make modifications that will impact a student’s IEP. The main goal of this settlement is to make sure that IEP teams will determine if the goals in a student’s IEP may be implemented in a general education setting with supplementary aids and services prior to considering an environment that is more restrictive in nature. The elements of this case were designed to help increase the capacity of school districts to provide related services, SDI that is appropriate, supplementary aids and services, and supports to students who have disabilities that are placed in general education classrooms. The PDE lists many important elements of the Settlement Agreement to be aware of...
The AA meeting I attended took place at a church. The church that holds the meeting has a beginner AA meeting that meets Monday nights at 7 pm. However, I decided to go to the regularly meeting which takes place an hour later at 8 pm. I felt as though I would get more out of the regular meetings and get a sense of what regular AA members talk about. Before arriving at the meeting, I was a little anxious because I felt like as though I would be out of place, and I would be intruding on the members who come to the meetings for support. Also before attending, for some unknown reason, I imagined the meeting would to be similar to AA meeting featured in movies. Contrary to what I thought, the meeting was completely different. When I arrived at
When going about mainstreaming a student and putting together their IEP you first have to identify if it is a learning disability that they are struggling with or if it is a physical disability that they are struggling with. We first are going to talk about the students that have physical disability’s that they are struggling with. A 6-year-old in a wheel chair would need different resources then a Blind 17-year-old with average intelligence.
Most parents know, or at least have a general understanding of the environment or atmosphere that their student needs be in to succeed. The district encourages that parental input be given to the IEP team during a multi-disciplinary meetings, and always tries to take that input into consideration. However, sometimes what the parent wants is not always in line with the student’s ability level, and the IEP team will try to find a compromise, or even offer trial periods to evaluate progress and behavior (S. Cummings, personal communication, November 12th, 2015).
In the Advocates in Action article on Building Your Advocacy Capacity, Richard J. Meyer made some really great points on what to expect when it comes to forming an advocacy. This article was based on how an advocacy works and how to build an advocacy from the bottom. The authors states what is important when planning an advocacy. Richard Meyer said “it is important to be organized, intentional, strategic, and flexible”. The main purpose of this article was for the readers to understand what it takes to be a part of an advocacy. The article was about taking action and activism when it comes to the public education that the students are receiving when it comes to the curriculum and high-stakes testing. The main point of this article was to inform
The Individualized Education Program is developed by a team that includes the parents of the student, a general education teacher, a special education teacher, a school representative (principal), a person knowledgeable about evaluation (school psychologist), and others at request of IEP participants. The primary job of the IEP team is to plan a program of special education and related services that is reasonably calculated to provide a meaningful education benefit. The IEP Process includes a review of assessme...
Therapy Analysis The purpose of this paper is to examine the efficacy of my work as a co-therapist during the fifth session with the simulated couple Katy and Michelle. I will discuss our therapy agenda and the goals we hope to attain during the session. It is prudent to begin by giving a brief outline of the couple’s present problem and the patterns of dysfunction that I have identified within their relationship. In my opinion, it is the therapist’s job to recognize patterns and behaviors that disrupt the intimate bond between the partners.
IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. An IEP is a written document required for each child who is eligible to receive special education services. It is provided to a student who has been determined first to have a disability, and second, to need special education services because of that disability. An IEP is very important and should never be overlooked by anyone. The purpose of an IEP is to make sure that only students whose educational performance is affected by a disability receive special services. An individual program plan is designed to make sure that students get the kind of educational experience that they deserve; an experience that results in success. The end goals for students who are on an IEP are to be involved in
From the beginning, where we were unfamiliar with each other and became a team, my team and I had started to learn each other name and getting to know each other. Throughout each meeting, we slowly start to feel more comfortable and open minded with each other. Not only are we getting familiar with each other, each meeting that was held we progress of becoming an effective team member, we learn our strengths and weaknesses of everyone. During the meetings, we learn many concepts from the textbook, “Communicating in Small Groups: Principles and Practices” by Steven A. Beebe and John T. Masterson. We were able to learn different types of concept in the textbook and utilized it as a team to complete certain tasks. The three concepts that impacted my team and I are human