Enhancing Family Engagement in IEP Process
Explore strategies and solutions to improve family involvement in the Individualized Education Plan (IEP) process, focusing on supporting students with social-emotional-behavioral needs. Gain insights on collaboration, importance of families, and enhancing relationships between families, schools, and communities. Key topics include barriers, strengths, and effective communication during the IEP process. Access valuable resources to facilitate collaborative efforts and empower families for better outcomes.
Download Presentation
Please find below an Image/Link to download the presentation.
The content on the website is provided AS IS for your information and personal use only. It may not be sold, licensed, or shared on other websites without obtaining consent from the author. Download presentation by click this link. If you encounter any issues during the download, it is possible that the publisher has removed the file from their server.
E N D
Presentation Transcript
@PBISForum #PBISForum Supporting Families & Students During the Individualized Education Plan Process to Support Student Social-Emotional-Behavioral Needs Session 6H Presenters: Dr. Stephanie St. Joseph, The May Institute Dr. Emily Baton, The May Institute Topic: Family, Students with Disabilities Keywords: Special Education, Youth Voice, Social Relationships
Learning Objectives 1. Participants will be able to state barriers and strengths of families participating throughout the IEP process. Participants will be able to state possible solutions for improving the process 2. 3. Participants will be provided with handouts and strategies to collaborate with families throughout the IEP process. National PBIS Leadership Forum
Poll Everywhere Instructions Download the polleverywhere app on your phone from your Appstore or pollev.com/app Put in after pollev.com the following username - - Click Join National PBIS Leadership Forum
Poll Who is in the audience? Think about your school's IEP process. At what points do families become involved? Do you think this suffices? Why or why not? National PBIS Leadership Forum
Defining Collaboration Collaboration among families, schools, and communities is defined by a relationship where families and educators are co-equals in sharing responsibility for children s development and acquisition of academic and social-emotional competencies. (Christenson, 2004 as cited in Garbacz et al., under review) National PBIS Leadership Forum
Why families are important to the IEP process? Families help us to focus on strengths Families help us to focus on cultural responsiveness Families help provide knowledge on the whole child We know education (and they may too), but they know the child and their history National PBIS Leadership Forum
Video Exemplar First IEP Meeting National PBIS Leadership Forum
The Needs The IEP process is an arduous one Lawful requirements Federal and state, as well as district best practices Ex. Prior written notice do families know what these are? Focus on Needs vs. Strengths Differences in perspectives, knowledge, priorities Oftentimes, when behavioral needs are present, it feels personal . Jargon Time Past history Does the language we use reflect the culture and language of that family? National PBIS Leadership Forum
Video Exemplar How to schools support families? National PBIS Leadership Forum
Poll What barriers does your district report when partnering with families during the IEP process? What strategies has your district found to be helpful when partnering with families during the IEP process? National PBIS Leadership Forum
Doyle v. Arlington County School Board (E.D. VA 1992) School officials must come to the IEP meeting with an open mind. But this does not mean that they should come to the IEP table with a blank mind National PBIS Leadership Forum
How do we make it better? Open up the definition of family (not husband and wife, mom and dad...) Communication should be BIDIRECTIONAL Focus on positives Send home drafts and be open to questions and suggestions Let families know how to prepare National PBIS Leadership Forum
Before and during the Meeting Pre-meetings to maintain preparedness, organization, & cohesion Maintain an atmosphere where you are confidential/respectful Running the meeting: Showing the working document, Thorough explanation, Allowing space for questions AND suggestions THROUGHOUT How can this help at home? It matters, ESPECIALLY with SEB needs National PBIS Leadership Forum
Student Voice in IEP Meetings Increases inclusion, self-determination and self-advocacy National PBIS Leadership Forum
Making it better, con't One question about family concerns is not enough, they need to be involved in every page of the IEP Increased family satisfaction with increased collaboration (Childe and Chambers, 2005) It s an on-going process! National PBIS Leadership Forum
When Families Cant Attend or Dont Respond Try try try Acknowledge connection points Virtual and phone meetings How to make better Read the room Are there questions? Debrief after each section National PBIS Leadership Forum
Making it better by explaining Explain the terms, the sections of the document, the options, your recommendations and why you chose those, how the data drives your decisions, and how and why all of this is important to helping the family and child National PBIS Leadership Forum
When there is contention National PBIS Leadership Forum
Before the meeting: DATA!! Communication Think about verbal behavior before the meeting Avoid pre-determination Ensure an appropriate environment for the meeting National PBIS Leadership Forum
During the meeting: DATA!! Take a recess Always plan when to return Keep the focus on the student Encouraging active parent participation through consensus- building Return to trust building National PBIS Leadership Forum
Allow Time for Processing Ask families if they have any questions about anything that is unclear before signing the IEP If a family is not ready to sign the document during the meeting or has concerns, make a follow-up appointment to review those concerns and meet again as needed to develop a mutually agreed-upon IEP Identify a contact person that the family can follow-up with after the meeting. National PBIS Leadership Forum 22
Video Exemplar National PBIS Leadership Forum
Resources Your district may already have resources It s always good to have other tools for your tool belt! Here are some resources and how to use them. National PBIS Leadership Forum
PBIS.org Helping Families Prepare for IEP Meeting: Tip Sheet / Resource https://www.pbis.org/resource/helping-families- prepare-for-an-iep-meeting Strengthening Family Participation in Addressing Behavior in an IEP: Brief https://www.pbis.org/resource/strengthening- family-participation-in-addressing-behavior-in-an- iep Questions for Families to Consider when Concerned about their Child s Behavior: Resource https://www.pbis.org/resource/questions-for- families-to-consider-when-concerned-about- their-childs-behavior National PBIS Leadership Forum
Center for Parent Information IEP Overview https://www.parentcenterhub.org/iepcontents/ Virtual IEP Meeting Tip Sheets https://www.parentcenterhub.org/virtual-iep- meeting-tip-sheets/ National PBIS Leadership Forum
Promoting Progress https://promotingprogress.org/resources/parent-tip-sheet- overview-iep Preparing for IEP Meeting: Family/ Student form IEP Tip Sheet for Parents: An Overview of the IEP https://promotingprogress.org/resources/parent-student- forms-IEP-meeting IEP Tip Sheet for Parents: The IEP Team https://promotingprogress.org/resources/iep-tip-sheet-parents- iep-team IEP Team Meeting Guide for Families: Resource https://promotingprogress.org/resources/parent-iep-meeting- guide English to Spanish Glossary of IDEA Terms https://promotingprogress.org/resources/english-spanish- special-ed-glossary National PBIS Leadership Forum
Family and Student Voice Forms family-professional collaboration through person- centered IEP meetings: The" true directions" model. Young Exceptional Children, 8(3), 20-28. Chambers, C. R., & Childre, A. L. (2005). Fostering planning Pulls from research around person centered meeting and building student confidence Introductory point to adding student voice to a National PBIS Leadership Forum
It Takes Time We recognize that building relationships and an effective, collaborative team takes time and effort, but it pays off in the positive experiences of team members and outcomes for students. National PBIS Leadership Forum 29
Please Complete this Sessions Evaluation 10/27/2023 Session ID- 6H - Supporting Families & Students During Individualized Education Plan Process to Support Student Social-Emotional- Behavioral Needs Four options, pick one! 1. Mobile App Click Take Survey" under the session description. 3. Online Click on the link located next to the downloadable session materials posted online at: 4. Direct Link Click the link provided in the email reminder you receive after your session ends. 2. QR Code Scan the code on this slide. www.pbis.org/conference-and- presentations/pbis-leadership- forum Evaluations are anonymous! We send reminder emails to all participants. After you submit each session evaluation, click the link to enter the gift card raffle! National PBIS Leadership Forum
