QUESTIONS/CONCERNS REGARDING IEP PROCESS
Special Ed Action Team Meeting – November 15, 2011
QUESTIONS:
1. Why does it ‘seem’ to be the decision of a school psych examiner to make the eligibility
decisions when it is a ‘team’ decision?
2. How can we better align IEP goals to curriculum or core standards?
3. How can IEPs be less like parent/teacher conferences?
4. How do we make sure goals are measurable and appropriate for every student?
5. Are the ‘practices’ for IEPs in Parkway consistent across the district?
6. Should determining who is responsible for ensuring each accommodation/modification is
implemented be part of the IEP process?
7. What are the connections and missing connections between procedures for identifying
interventions for students with disabilities and non-identified disabilities?
8. How can IEPs be more efficient and less time consuming? Lots of time, sometimes little result.
9. Implementation of goals; content/direct instruction
10. How can we be more efficient with time?
11. How many teachers need or should be present? How can content be shared both ways more
efficiently?
12. How can we explain that services are to teach and not complete work so that it is not a
misunderstanding later?
13. What is the system for ensuring effectiveness/quality of IEP writing?
14. If a student is OHI or is below grade level in reading, what should accommodations look like?
15. How do you ensure that parents truly understand the IEP and the process?
16. What are some other administrative conveniences to avoid in an IEP?
17. How do we ensure teachers are consistently following the IEP?
18. When an IEP is written in the spring and an aide is in the IEP, what should happen when budget
cuts cause us not to the aide?
19. What procedures are in common across the district to determine student IEP? People on
committee, evidence of student needs and behavior, who makes decisions?
20. Are there any new changes (law) in the IEP process? Future changes that are coming?
21. When do students get services? Is the curriculum parallel to what they are missing?
22. What are the recommendations or requirements for gen ed interventions prior to a special ed
referral?
23. Who is the component district rep when the student is not a Parkway resident (attending a
county-wide program) Parkway or home district?
24. How can teams implement practices that are student centered and outcome focused while still
meeting all the procedural requirements?
25. Who is accountable for IEP outcomes and progress on goals?
26. How can the IEP process be streamlined?
27. How can all staff be trained in IEP processes; gen ed, special ed, counselors, etc?
28. What standards are used when student academic goals are set (does the team use
GLEs/CLEs/Common Core)?
29. Length of IEPs is still a huge concern. What are strategies for facilitating an effective , time
efficient meeting?
30. Is SSD ready to move to standards-based IEPs?
31. When will SSD and Parkway implement standards-based IEPs?
32. What input is provided and /or invited by special area teachers who determine goals for special
instruction for PE, music, art?
33. Why are there students who are “too low” for special ed services?
34. How can we be more efficient time-wise?
35. Are particular staff members required to be part of a student’s IEP?
36. Who really, ultimately needs to be present at an IEP?
CONCERNS:
1. Continued good relationship between the two districts.
2. There seems to be confusion around various topics (what is classified as ‘district assessment”)
ESY as needed only in cases of regression/recoupment.
3. Sometimes minutes are given because that is how it is always been.
4. I have noticed at the elementary level that students are always pulled during social studies. Is
this the result of a decision at the time of the IEP?
5. Parents making the IEP about what they want not about student needs.
6. My role when an IEP is not being followed with fidelity.
7. Reliability of data.
8. Amount of time that meetings are held, too long takes teachers away from kids.
9. I am concerned that only verbal feedback documents implementation of
adaptations/modifications. Need real evidence to do our best.
10. Having support and guidance from other administrators when they attend IEPs that are lacking
compliance/procedures. I would like help with this.
11. Accommodations are included without much discussion (or process to determine which
accommodations are really necessary/required) often included by parent request without
accountability or monitoring of accommodations being provided.
12. I am wondering if sometimes the physical needs of student with IEPs are priority. Can they
become to ‘cookie-cutter’ like for convenience of scheduling?
13. IEP concern that decisions + interventions are curriculum based.
14. Information contains a lot of jargon and terms that parents do not understand.
15. That we listen with intent to support the student. Listen to all voices at the table.
16. Gen ed teachers and or administrators not attending some or all of the IEP meeting.
17. It seems to be a complex process – easy to err.
18. Concern regarding gen ed teacher participation.
19. Developing IEP practices and protocols that make the process efficient and meaningful for all
parties involved.
20. IEP process is reactionary in our school.
21. Data analysis follow up.
22. Decisions are made prior to the IEP group decision. Difference of opinion not welcomed.
23. Assigning minutes to services – discussing schedule in IEP (what are we pulling from and for
what).
24. Many IEPs appear to be centered around negotiating grades and or assignments rather than
student learning.
25. IEPs can absorb a lot of teacher’s plan time, before or after school time that could be used to
work directly with students needing help.
26. There are students who should be taken out of special ed, but parents etc. what to keep them
on case load.
27. How does ‘due process’ work? How is the team held accountable?
28. All decisions/plans made and implemented in best interest of child by all IEP tem members.
29. Sometimes IEP seems to be approached as a meeting or event rather than an ongoing process.
30. I am concerned about the continuity of curriculum for students who receive a great amount of
minutes.
31. Making decisions based on resources available.
32. Do we sometimes focus too much on the standard methods of intervention instead of the needs
of a student in a class.
33. That all stack holders understand their accountability for an IEP.
34. Sometimes I think we “bend over backwards” for a parent when it is not best for the student.