1. Every student in special education is required by law to have an Individual Education Plan, or IEP.
2. An IEP must contain goals and objectives for the student, saying what he or she will learn this year.
3. In some cases, the school may write a new plan less often than every year, if the parent gives permission. DO NOT GIVE PERMISSION.
4. Students with disabilities and their parents have rights guaranteed under the law. These include the right to request another assessment if you believe the test results were wrong, the right to be informed about your educational plan and to be involved in writing it. You do not have to sign the IEP at the time of the IEP meeting. You can take it home with you, read it over, talk to other people about it. You can bring anyone you like to the IEP meeting with you. More on student and parental rights is discussed in the section in this workshop on your legal rights.
A very important point about the Individual Education Plan for students with learning disabilities is that it must explain what is going to be 'special' about special education for this student. Will he receive tutoring? Will she meet with a teacher who has training working with students with learning disabilities? How often will students receive any special services? What modifications will be made in the classroom to allow the student to succeed? There is a very long list of possible classroom changes to help students succeed. A student who has difficulty reading could be allowed a longer time to take a test, take a test orally or take the test home. A student who is easily distracted could take the test in a resource room. A student who has difficulty writing might be allowed to complete assignments using a word processor instead of writing them out by hand.
A family member (and, students, when they are old enough) should always attend the IEP meeting. It is strongly recommended that you bring with you in writing a list of what you think the student's goals should be and what kind of modifications you would like to see in the classroom.
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