Basics Relating To Iep California Parents Need To Know

By Lisa Stewart


The IEP refers to an individualized education program. It is usually contained in a document that is prepared to meet education needs of children living with disability and enrolled in a public school. As the name suggests, it is prepared with the needs of the individual child in mind such that no one plan is the same as another. If they wish to get IEP California parents need to understand a number of important things beforehand.

Within the document, is a description of roles that should be played by each important stakeholder in the provision of education for a child with special needs. Parents, teachers, students and other school staff are all considered important stakeholders. By clearly defining their responsibilities, the program aims to have better coordination and to ultimately improve quality of education for this special group.

The creation of an IEP involves teamwork. All the players have to come together and scrutinize the needs of the student in question so as to create suitable solutions. The child is often part of this process. The United States outlines a process that has to be followed from the beginning to the end. This process is found in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).

The first step in the creation of this document is to establish that indeed the child suffers from some form of disability that warrants special education. According to the law, it is the responsibility of the state to locate and evaluate such a child. Parents may also initiate this process by getting in touch with the relevant authorities. Referrals by school professionals are also permissible as long as there is parental consent.

Issuance of consent by parents clears the way for the evaluation process to be conducted. The results of this process are important as they will place the child into the disabled or able bodied categories. This then determines whether or not they are eligible for special education. In some situations, parents may not accept the results. If this happens, they have a chance to take the child for an independent evaluation.

For a student that is found to be eligible (have disability as defined by the law), a meeting to write the IEP should be held within 30 calendar days. The school system is charged with the responsibility of scheduling for this meeting. The school administration is required to ensure that all the participants are contacted and notified of the meeting. Parents should be made aware of all the attendees.

The IEP has a number of things within it. They concern the current situation and the desired outcomes. For instance, it captures the performance of the child in the current program by analyzing results from tests and examinations as well as other performance indicators. Annual goals are then set to assess future progress. Short term bench marks are included so as to have frequent assessments. The special requirements for the child have to be clearly stated here.

The school leadership needs to make sure that all the instructions are carried out as stated in the document. One of the ways of making sure that this happens is to make copies and to avail them to all the important stakeholders. Without teamwork, the objectives of this program may not be achieved.




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