Do you invite students to be active participants in their IEP process?   This time of the year I am busy preparing for annual reviews .  Writing multiple IEPs is a lot of work for me, but the biggest contributors to this process are my students .  I am always so impressed by how serious my 4th grade students take this process.  Because of this process and hearing my students' voices, we have been able to create better IEPs that reflect what THEY tell us they need....

As a student's special education teacher or program manager, it is your job to make sure that an IEP is being followed.  Part of that is ensuring that teachers and staff working with your students are informed about certain applicable aspects of their IEPs.  An IEP is a confidential legal document so there are many things to think about when sharing information. ...

As a parent, heading into an IEP meeting is overwhelming.  Even well-seasoned parents of children with special needs get nervous before walking into a meeting where the sole purpose is to dissect what their child can and cannot do.  There are some things that special education teachers can do for parents to elevate some of the anxiety that comes with attending IEP meetings. ...

It is a known fact that teachers have stressful jobs.  Many times, we do not know how stressed we are until we get totally overwhelmed.  Depending on your school environment, you may feel overwhelmed more often than not.  The following are some ways to remain positive and calm when feeling overwhelmed at school. ...

As teachers, one of our greatest resources can be the parents of the students we work with.  It takes time and effort to foster strong relationships with parents, but it is often more than worth it in the end. I've worked with parents that are ready to jump right in and become a partner right away and others that needed more coaxing.  There are several things you can do to create a welcoming environment that produces parent allies or even parent partners. ...

Special Education teachers are the masters of data collection!  At times, collecting data can be overwhelming, especially when you sometimes have to outsource the collecting to other teachers, specialists, or teaching assistants. Tracking accommodations is necessary to make sure an IEP is being followed and can be helpful in determining which accommodations should be added to or removed from the IEP.  Believe it or not, collecting data on accommodations and modifications does not have to consume your life! ...

It is back to school season again!  Special education teachers around the country will have a stack of IEPs in front of them with various dates and loads of information to process and remember.   Don't get overwhelmed.  Get organized! ...

For a general education teacher that has never attended a formal special education meeting, it can be very intimidating.  Here are a few things you can do to make sure you are prepared before you attend.   ...

We have all had those meetings that we dread.  The ones that keep us up a night for days leading up to it.  The ones that make your stomach hurt and your head ache.  Whether it is a meeting with a parent, an administrator, or an IEP team, you can survive and here is how.   ...