February 1st, 2021. Involving students in the IEP process. I'm excited to introduce this week's guest bloggers, Casey and Madison, from Ability-Driven Teaching to talk about how to start involving students in the IEP process. Make sure you check out another perspective from a special education teacher here. About Us, Ability-Driven Teaching podcast. We have a podcast that supports students and teachers to reach their highest potential. Listen for quick tips, funny stories, and ideas for your students and you in the classroom. Listen to us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or any other podcasting app. Follow us on Instagram at Ability-Driven Teaching. Casey, to see more about me and my resources, go to my website. Madison, to learn more about me and my resources, go to my website. Have you ever been in one of those IEP meetings where it's only adults and the student isn't there? Or worse, have you been in an IEP meeting with a student who doesn't know why they are in an IEP meeting? We all know that this happens and that it isn't best practice. Nevertheless, big or small, there are so many opportunities for you to include your student in the IEP process throughout the school year. We are two special educators who believe in teaching self-advocacy skills and involving students in their IEPs because it's all about them. Casey taught at the high school level and Madison teaches at the elementary school level, so we've got you covered no matter what grade you teach. Here's the thing, involving your student doesn't have to take a ton of time. You will make their IEP meetings more meaningful. You will create a positive meeting environment. In fact, parents and administrators will love that you taught the student to advocate for themselves and take an active role in their meeting. In this blog post, we are breaking down the different ways that you can involve your student in their IEP. The best part? We include tips for elementary and high school students. These things are easy to implement now. How do I start involving my younger students? First of all, every student can have a part in their IEP, no matter how young. Like the IEP itself, it's an individualized practice, not one-size-fits-all. Maybe your younger students sit at the head of the table and introduce themselves and their IEP team by name. Or maybe they greet everyone as they enter the meeting space. Have your student involved in a positive way at the beginning of an IEP meeting sets the tone and realigns everyone's mindset to be student-centered. How about your older elementary or even middle school students? These are the years that can really help to shape a student's perspective on what having an IEP means. You can meet with your student prior to the meeting and have them help you write parts of the IEP. This document is about them, and there is so much power in involving them in the early stages of developing that document. They can give input on their progress, things they think they will need to help them succeed, and future academic and transition goals. In the meeting, they can be involved in the introduction as well as the meat of the meeting. They are comfortable. They can have them create a presentation about their school year, progress, future goals, and things they need to help them succeed at school. How do I make it an engaging experience? Have fun with it while taking it seriously. I'm serious. This is an important meeting for all parties involved, especially the student. Explain that to them. Have them dress professionally for their meeting or let them help plan it out and set it up. I've had students dress up, clean clear the meeting space, pick refreshments for their meeting, and set up pens and other meeting necessities. We all come to the table understanding why we are there with a positive attitude, including the student. It makes the process so much more meaningful than your typical dry IEP meeting that could lose focus. So what can I start now? Go over student IEP goals and progress with them now. If you have a meeting coming up, have students create an All About Me style PowerPoint to present at the meeting. Have students fill out an IEP input sheet. For a virtual hybrid, during Zoom, record your student introducing themselves and their IEP team to show at the meeting. If your meetings are virtual for the rest of the year, invite students to attend with their adult via Zoom or Google Meet. Welcome to my IEP meeting. I'm getting ready for fifth grade. Tell me more about involving high school students in the IEP process. It's a federal requirement that high school students age 16 and older have post-secondary goals in their annual IEP. In your state, the requirement may be that this begins at a younger age. Example, in Virginia, the requirement is age 14. Keep in mind, even though post-secondary goals are not a requirement until the student is a teenager, you can start this process at any time. An easy way to involve students in their IEP process is to have them present a transition plan at their meeting. Can you break down the post-secondary goals for me? These are the main parts of the post-secondary goals. Most likely, the student's post-secondary goals will change over time. Example, at age 13, they want to be a doctor, but at 16, they want to join the Army. This is okay, and it means they are thinking about which career best suits them. Remember, all of these goals are for after the student graduates from high school. Employment. What is the student's career goal? Do they want to be a banker, accountant, grocery store clerk, nurse? When will the student be in this career? Example, within five years of graduating high school, the student will be employed full-time as a registered nurse. If the student does not know what career they want, you can have them take a free career assessment test online. Or, if your school has a transition assessment, you can use those. Have them choose two of their top results or research. What are the requirements for this career? Education and skills? How much is the average salary? What does an average day look like in this career? Post-secondary education and training. This should relate to their career choice. Do they plan to attend a four-year university, a community college, or attend a vocational school? If they go straight into a career, what type of training will they receive on the job? If their career goals and education goals don't align, review the requirements of the career with them. Example, I want to be an astronaut. I don't really want to go to college. I'll become an astronaut right after high school. Independent living skills. There are so many independent living skills that you can incorporate into the student's IEP. Have them think about, where do they plan to live after high school? With parents, university dorm, in an apartment with a roommate. Do they need an open, a checking account, or savings account? Are they able to cook for themselves? Do they know how to shop for groceries? Do they have a driver's license? How will they get around after graduating from school? I have all of these goals written down. Now what? Help your student create a PowerPoint or flyer that they can present at their IEP meeting. Have them practice their presentation with you before the actual meeting. If they are very uncomfortable speaking at their meeting, encourage them to tell the team just one part of their plan, and you will assist them with the rest. The PowerPoint flyer does not need to have the IEP goals on it. This specific language and wording could be tricky for the student. Have the student put on there what they feel comfortable talking about. Their presentation could be all pictures, and they talk about them. Example, picture of a plumber and a picture of a nearby vocational school. Have them include their career plan, post-secondary education plan, and independent living skills plan. This can spark great conversation at that meeting with the team. These are just a few ways to start involving your student in the IEP process. Let's put this into action. Involving students in the IEP process 101. Finally, remember the most important part of an IEP meeting is the student. You can't go wrong by making it more student-centered. We encourage you to try one of our strategies for involving your students in the next IEP meeting. To see more tips from us or share your IEP stories with us, contact us through Instagram or either of our websites. Our information is below. We would love to hear from you.