Family Engagement During the IEP Process
Topic Area: Engaging families during informed consent, evaluation procedures
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Strengths
o Building connections from the very beginning, calling parents to inform them
about evaluation procedures
o First point of contact with the parents
o Acknowledging the parents perspective, not being dismissive of their views
o Inviting parents during play-based assessment
o Using guided model: help engage the parents as a facilitator during evaluation
(they know their child, viewing them as an expert)
Weaknesses
o Some of us do not like talking on the phone (consider personal factors that may
create disconnection with some parents)
o Language barriers (parents speak language other than English)
o Communicating with parents- only using interactions as methods for dataseeking, not engaging in meaningful conversation and understanding perspective
o No ongoing communication throughout the process, which creates disconnect
o Not explaining the entire IEP process
Opportunities
o Taking more of an initiative- reaching out to parents, being more proactive
o Print out for whole IEP process (have information about the process provided
ahead of time, anticipate questions, be proactive)
Threats
o Staffing issues/shortage
o Culturally responsive practices/privilege/identity- influences parent comfort
level, understanding
o System levels/trust issues
Topic Area: Engaging families prior, during and after IEP meeting
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Strengths
o Emphasize parent is expert on the child, reaffirming that data supports that
o Handout to break down IEP process
o Send reports 2 days ahead of time
o Call parents and have conversation about meeting, data- understand their
perspective of the upcoming meeting
o Educating parents about the fact that assessment means eligibility of services,
rather than a diagnosis
Weaknesses
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o Lack of experience (personal factors which may make us uncomfortable
communicating results to parents)
o Staff perception of families, preconceived notions
o We (SP) may not be parents- parents may question our ability to understand
them
Opportunities
o Changing the language to conversational and build an inclusive environment
o Focus on the big ideas in the report
o Think about parent behaviors- understand what parents prefer and share
information in a way that is meaningful to each family.
Threats
o Time (consider cost-benefit analysis). While it does take time to connect with
family and do pre-meetings/phone calls prior to IEP, it may pay off in the long
run.
o Stigma of mental health, cultural understanding
o Makeup of meetings, staffing issues, dynamics within school staff
Topic: Additional Barriers to Family Engagement
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How we share information (balancing confidence with supporting an inclusive, engaging
experience)
Making assumptions about parents (parents may need resources themselves to support
students, families in crisis, trauma supportive services)
Administrative support
Virtual environments- how do we set that up to be conducive? Districts and schools may
need to discuss best practices regarding virtual meetings (e.g., everyone has cameras
turned on to support engagement).
Topic: Innovative ideas to Increase Family Engagement
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Creating a handout of the IEP process
Being proactive with parents- building relationships across tiers so we are present in the
school community prior to concerns
o Attending school events, being involved in the school (choir, sporting events),
making yourself accessible to conversations (helping in the school pickup line),
school-wide activities, engaging parents in the school community
Welcome email from school psychologist- introductions, where to find me, how to reach
me
o Consider video/multimedia approach
Meeting the parent at the school entry prior to going to the IEP meeting- don’t make
them come into a meeting with 25 people already seated
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Consider seating in meetings: Have everyone standing, mingling prior to the meeting so
everyone can be seated together
Talking about funny stories, strengths of the child, your interaction with the child
Letting parents know things about you as you feel comfortable (making interactions
more lighthearted and conversational)
Think about setting for meetings- can we meet in a neutral environment where the
parent is more comfortable?
Assigning roles to people in the meetings to stay engaged, foster conversation
o Someone can be the “facilitator”- their role is to stop, allow time for processing,
check in with the parents as the meetings goes along
Share videos of the student. Student can pre-record to share their experiences, goals,
strengths. Use this to start the meeting so the focus is on the child.
Keeping contact during assessment process
o Consider a handout to send home on days you saw the child for assessment
(similar to a nurse’s note: I saw the school psychologist today and here are things
we did together)
FAQ handout for parents- questions they could ask, tips/tricks, ask other parents to give
input about their experiences and integrate that into a handout (things they wish they
had known, questions to ask etc.)
Creating signal for parents (how to ask questions, how to request a break- they may not
feel comfortable voicing opinions)
Communication preference sheet: Send this home at the beginning of the evaluation to
allow parents to describe their best form of communication or what they prefer (phone,
email, app system, note in the backpack)
QR code sent to parents to share resources
Feeling sheet/sentence completion/get to know you form for parents so you understand
their feelings about the IEP process (I feel hopeful about…; I am most scared about…: I
am most nervous about….)
Apps/Remind- innovative ways to communicate (Use district consideration/guidance on
this)
Consider apps for translating documents into native languages