Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings
Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings
Intro
Emily is a 14-year old girl in eighth grade that has been diagnosed with Asperger
syndrome and Dyslexia. Prior to entering the public school system last year, she was unable to
read and write. Now, she is reading at a second grade level and completing small writing
assignments. Her progress is the result of collaboration between parents, special educators,
general educators, and related service providers. Unfortunately, many students with disabilities
are not provided with the familial and academic supports necessary to succeed. Individualized
planning teams are designed to help children meet their goals, but it is suggested that parents and
students provide the least amount of input throughout the process (Childre, 2005; Dabokowski,
2004). Families can provide important personal information about students, which is needed to
create individualized education plans focusing on all aspects of student achievement (Lytle &
Bordin, 2001).
How can teachers and related professionals encourage families to be more active in the
IEP process? The answer is quite simple: communicate. Communication between educators and
families is a key component in compiling relevant data and creating appropriate goals for the
student. The team must be cognizant of the circumstances and needs of the family. In traditional
meetings, the team member who communicates least is the student. Involving students and
parents in the process requires a change in the structure of the team, and a more student-focused
approach (Kroeger, Leibold, & Ryan, 1999).
This article will examine the infrastructure of student-led IEP meetings in virtual
environments. It begins by clearly defining the roles of IEP team members and explains how
each team members’ involvement is crucial to student success. Next, it focuses on student
Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings
centered planning and the benefits of student-led IEP meetings. Finally, recommendations for
how to empower students in online settings are discussed.
The Role of IEP Teams
The purpose of an IEP team is for all team members to collaborate and communicate in
the interest of developing a plan that meets the needs of an individual child. For this to happen
all team members should be present and provide input about the student. As Lytle and Bordin
(2001) define it, “an IEP team consists of the parents, an administrator, a general education
teacher, and special education staff” (p. 40). However, it is important to discuss what makes the
process a team effort. While it is necessary to have the students’ success as a common goal, it is
not enough to create a team. Problems arise because team members do not know the specific
responsibilities of their role at the meeting or they misunderstand the roles of others. Often,
parents and students do not realize how crucial their role is in developing the IEP. The first step
in creating a successful team is to clearly define the roles of each person that will be present.
An administrator is always invited to serve as the Local Education Agency (LEA)
representative, and is present as an informant if they know the child personally. Depending on
the grade level and departments that the administrator oversees, he or she could be an asset to the
meeting by providing information about supplemental programs and activities at the students’
grade level or information about tutoring and counseling services. In a traditional meeting,
administrative input is often negative, and their presence is one of intimidation or mediation. At
times, this is the parent and student’s first interaction with the school administrator and positivity
should be encouraged to foster a lasting and fruitful relationship between the home and school
environments.
Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings
It is suggested that school counselors could play a vital role in IEP meetings. Counselors
could offer ideas to students for transition planning beyond the middle and high school
classrooms. Strengths-based school counseling is one way to create a more person centered IEP.
Traditional approaches to the IEP process focus on student deficits in goal creation and
suggested accommodation and modifications, but strength based services incorporate areas
where students show strength and gains. While students in middle grades seek autonomy and
independence, adult encouragement is still needed to thrive academically. Consider the following
scenario: Jonathan, an eighth grade student, received a good score on his last English paper, and
his expectation is that his teacher will praise him for it. What happens when she comments on his
lack of grammatical correctness instead of his excellent organization and content? Focusing on
student strengths, not only builds confidence in the student, but creates a positive climate for ,
parent and educator input. In Geltner’s (2008) view, “the SBSC approach values family
perspectives allowing for a more holistic picture to be painted by all involved with the child”
(pg. 163). Viewing all aspects of students’ lives is a crucial component in the IEP process,
because it provides the team with an academic, social, and familial snapshot with which to work.
Both general and special educators are also present at all IEP team meetings. General
educators share a common misconception that they are just there to provide input about how the
student is performing in a particular course. However, general educators should be playing a
much more active role by providing suggestions for accommodations and modifications for the
student and letting team members know which specifically designed instructional components
are most effective and why. Educators should contribute significantly to the following IEP
components:
Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings

Student progress in the general education curriculum

Effectiveness of supplemental programs and academic interventions

Social participation and development

Suggested instruction modifications to make the general education curriculum accessible

Identification of student strengths and weaknesses
IEP Team Members
Traditional Role
Revised Responsibilities
Administrator
Mediate between parent and
educators should an issue arise
Provide input about beneficial
supplemental programs or
activities
General Educator
Provide updates on student
performance
Speak directly to the student and
parent about class performance
both positive and negative
Special Educator
Create the IEP using the
recommendations of the team and
expert knowledge of student
history
Develop an open line of
communication with the parent
and student that encourages active
participation at the meeting
Related Service Provider
Treat the IEP as a living,
breathing document and
incorporate IEP team ideas and
suggestions.
Report recommendations and
Discuss services with student and
progress in the areas of speech, parent and ask for input from the
occupational, physical, and other family regarding progress at home
related therapies
Counselor
Provide input if the case is
Focus on student strengths instead
behavioral, social, or emotional in of deficits (Geltner & Leibforth,
nature
2008)
Parent
Agree to attend the meeting and
provide a minimal amount of
information about the student
Give information the team about
student interests, hobbies,
strengths, and weaknesses.
Engage student in discussion.
Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings
IEP Team Members
Traditional Role
Revised Responsibilities
Student
Listen to other team members
speak about the IEP, grades,
services, etc.
Student should take an active role
in the meeting and be encouraged
to discuss his or her likes,
dislikes, and reflections
Transition Coordinator
Offer ideas about the student’s
future endeavors.
Provide students with a plethora
of choices for post-secondary
consideration including but not
limited to college and vocations,
employment, and independent
living.
Traditional Versus Person-Centered Planning
While the hope is that all participants will give substantial input and place considerable
effort into the IEP process, it is important to reinforce the purpose of the meeting and how each
member should conduct themselves. In “traditional” IEP meetings the process is led by
professionals, usually adults, and is goal-oriented focusing on the creation of measurable annual
goals and objectives as mandated by federal and state laws. However, person centered practices
encourage participation by parents and students as well as professionals, and are designed to gain
information that will be used to discover the best ways to meet the needs of the student (Keyes &
Owens-Johnson, 2003). Person-centered planning also does not restrict participation to
professionals, but invites friends and community members as well. The focus of a personcentered meeting is to build a plan for the student’s future (Meadan, Shelden, Appel, &
DeCrazia, 2010). This practice is similar to the steps involved in creating a transition IEP. The
IEP must be more than a plan for student success in kindergarten through twelfth grade and
should begin to prepare students for transition to college and careers in grade eight.
Person-centered planning also takes advantage of informal assessment and does rely
solely on the reading of data from evaluation reports and individualized education plans. In this
Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings
portion of the meeting educator, counselor, parent, and student input are highly valued because
they provide an authentic view that possesses a clinical lens. Two common terms that appear in
person-centered planning are “dream-driven” and “strengths-based.” Traditional IEPs are
designed to help students in their deficit areas, but also to build areas of strength (Keyes, 2003).
More often than not, the deficit areas are the emphasis of team member input. Traditional
meetings are focused on procedure and regulation, whereas person-centered approaches favor
student vision and self-advocacy.
Beginning in grade eight students are invited to IEP meetings with a separate invitation
from parents, and also receive a copy of the service agreement. Adolescence is a difficult time
for students because they are struggling with the dichotomy between belonging to a socially
acceptable peer group and developing their independence. Wang, Willet, Dishion, and
Stormshak (2011) suggest that “healthy adolescent autonomy unfolds in an environment that is
structured, that is contingent on daily routines, and that scaffolds adolescent self-determination
of actions and decisions” (p. 1325). Meaningful participation by students relies on training in
self-advocacy. In traditional standards, students would be provided with the structure of the
meeting and told when they will be expected to provide input. However, the more beneficial and
contemporary approach is for students to begin building self determination skills and leadership
abilities at the onset of adolescence. This requires educating the students in ways to design and
facilitate their own meetings (Martin & Van Dycke, 2006). Special education teachers can guide
adolescent students by providing them with templates for each portion of the meeting:
introduction of team members, why the meeting is being held, transition ideas, goal
development, and accommodations, modifications, and specifically designed instruction
(Hawbaker, 2007).
Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings
Advocacy
Communication
Career Planning
• Creating goals and objectives
• Asking questions to IEP team members
• Facilitating team roles
• Using presentation skills such as tone of voice,
posture, and body language
• Thinking and planning for the future
• Designing a transition plan
Parents of students with disabilities have a similar experience as their children.
According to Ruppar and Gafney (2011), “Special education teachers talk the most during the
IEP meetings, and contribute 51% compared to teacher and parent participation at 23%. In
addition, 33% of parent contributions were considered passive participation” (p. 12).
Student Led IEP Meetings
Building Self-Determination Strategies
Student Planning and Training
Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings
Empowering Parent
Conclusion
Representatives from all aspects of students’ lives should be actively contributing
members of the IEP team. Administrators, educators, parents, therapists, psychologists, and most
importantly, the student should collaborate to create an IEP that is used as a stepping stone to
building the students’ desired futures. Person centered planning is the key to developing the most
effective plan for students and focuses on students’ “wants, hopes, concerns, and dreams”
(Meadan, Shelden, Appel, & DeCrazia, 2010, pg. 8). The transition to independent living, work
environments, and college classrooms depends on providing students with disabilities with the
right tools to get there on their own.
Self-advocacy and self-determination are at the heart of student-led IEP team meetings.
Students with disabilities deserve the opportunity to take part in the development of educational
plans, which directly impact their lives by providing team members with as much information
about themselves as time will permit. The plan is designed for the student, so why not allow
students to contribute meaningfully to its creation. Through careful scaffolding and training
students can become leaders despite the severity of the disability (Hawbaker, 2011). Parents of
students’ with disabilities can take on a more professional role in the IEP process through
advocacy for their child and encouragement in the student-led process.
While Emily still struggles to learn to read, one thing has changed. When the family
enrolled they were not receptive to teacher suggestions and wanted to protect Emily from the
school system. They viewed school employees as the enemy. Now, the family is willing to
Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings
negotiate. Not much, but a little. What changed? The family’s contributions changed because
they were asked what they wanted for their daughter. Emily was asked how she learns best.
Small improvements bring on big changes.
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Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings
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Getting Families Involved: The Art of Virtual IEP Meetings
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