Tips for a Successful IEP Meeting

Whether you are school staff or a parent, there are key actions that ensure a productive IEP meeting. Check out these tips:

Communicate regularly. Do not wait until the annual IEP meeting to bring concerns. Whether you’re a teacher, related service provider, or parent, speak up as soon as something comes up. Reach out to the school—or the family—and let them know what is going on. I recently sat in on an IEP meeting where a behavior issue had been happening for months, but the parents did not hear about it until the IEP meeting. You can imagine how shocked and frustrated they were. It made the whole meeting much harder than it needed to be.

Prepare. Read the draft before the meeting. If you’re the case manager, you drafted the IEP, but everyone else should thoroughly read the document and jot down any questions. IEP meetings tend to drag on—or feel unproductive—when people come in without knowing what’s in the document.

Focus. Keep the meeting on track by staying attentive. Turn your phone over or put away your laptop if you do not need it. A focused meeting is more efficient than multitasking.

Bring data. Include concrete work samples or any other evidence that supports the goals and components of the IEP. Whenever possible, organize the information visually—such as through graphs, charts, or brief summaries—to make the data easier to understand and discuss.

Set and communicate expectations for professionalism. Not every meeting will be perfect or amicable. Set norms at the beginning of the meeting for cooperation, kindness, and respect.  Be prepared. Even the perception of a bad attitude can derail a productive meeting. Tension and conflict are often a reality. Staying calm and respectful makes a stark difference. I once sat in a meeting where a parent thought a staff member rolled their eyes—so the parent cursed and walked out. Whether or not the staff member rolled their eyes (I hope not!) is not the issue. Either way, mending the relationship took effort, as did getting everyone back together and restart the process.

Ask questions. Before, during or after the meeting, if there are things that you are concerned about or don’t sound quite, ask for clarification. Each member of the IEP team should have the same understanding of each component of the IEP.