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. Don’t wait until the annual IEP meeting to bring up 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’s going on. I recently sat in on an IEP meeting where a behavior issue had been happening for months, but the parents didn’t 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 probably 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. In order to keep the meeting focused and on time, everyone should be attentive. Eliminate distractions by turning your phone over or putting away your laptop if it is not needed for the meeting. Focused meetings save more time 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. Professionalism and kindness should be a given, but that’s not always the reality. Some meetings get tense, and staying calm and respectful makes a huge difference. I once sat in a meeting where a parent thought a staff member rolled their eyes—so the parent cursed and walked out. It took a lot of work to get 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 right, ask for clarification. Each member of the IEP team should have the same understanding of each component of the IEP.