Page 18 - The Individual Education Plan (IEP) - A Resource Guide, 2004

PHASE 2: SET THE DIRECTION
Establish a Collaborative Approach – The IEP Team
The IEP needs to be developed collaboratively, both by those who know the student best and by those who will be working directly with the student. Part C: Program Planning of Special Education: A Guide for Educators, 2001 contains information on in-school teams. The model described there would be ideal for an IEP team, and its use is recommended wherever possible.
The membership of an IEP team can and should vary according to the needs of the individual student. Members may include, for example, the student, the student’s parents, the student’s teachers, the guidance counsellor, the principal, appropriate special education staff and support personnel, and staff from community agencies, as appropriate.
As noted earlier, regardless of who is coordinating the IEP process, decisions related to the program planning sections of an Individual Education Plan need to be made by the individual who teaches the student and prepares the student’s report card – usually the classroom teacher.
A team approach enables all those who are responsible for and interested in meeting the student’s needs to:
• share information and observations about the student’s behaviour and learning in a variety of settings;
• develop a common understanding of the student’s strengths and needs as they affect his or her ability to learn and demonstrate learning, and his or her educational goals;
• discuss accommodations that can help the student learn and demonstrate learning;
• select and make recommendations about the purchase of individualized equipment, if applicable;
• discuss the type and level of support required from support services personnel;
• plan and outline how the student’s learning will be assessed so that the connection between the IEP and the Provincial Report Card will be readily apparent to both the student and the parents.
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The Individual Education Plan (IEP): A Resource Guide