IEP Meeting Reflection

           Out of all the concepts regarding the IEP process and meeting I have learned thus far; I found the going over a child’s schedule to be the most interesting. This is mainly due to the ideal that when I was on the IEP, I for whatever reason was under the impression that in determining the services needed for the child, the focus was solely on the courses that the child struggled in the most. For instance, when I first got put on an IEP, I had a hard time with speech and also with reading comprehension. Due to those weaknesses in my cognitive development, I thought that the only reason I had a special education teacher with me in my reading, science, and math classes because that was where I struggled the most. However, I did think of how my issues with reading comprehension would not necessarily be as much of a hindrance in a physical education class in comparison to a life science course.

           In addition, I also find it interesting that during the IEP meeting, there can be an open debate about what goals parents view that would be in their child’s best interest to keep the same, and what goals would serve the child best if they are changed to reflect the progress their child has made throughout the school year. While I did not know about this feature in the IEP meeting, I think that this can serve as being beneficial to the student and everyone who is a member of the IEP team. Having the flexibility of being able to change goals and modifications at any time will lift a large amount of stress off of the student and their family.

           After looking at the video of an IEP meeting, I found that the most challenging is the note taker. In an IEP meeting, here are numerous people in the room and it can be very overwhelming to record everything when the average person does not type as fast as they speak. I know personally if I was the note taker in a meeting, I would constantly have to pause for a second to allow for my notes to catch up with the last point that was made during the meeting. I find this role to also be the most difficult due to the magnitude of importance of the composition of the IEP plan. It is worrisome to think that if the note taker misses a key point in the meeting, there could be a very important piece of information missing from the IEP which could hinder a child’s progress and performance if they are not getting the services they need to unlock their fullest potential.

           Once I have observed an IEP meeting, I think that I would need to make some changes with how I teach my students. One thing that I think I will make is providing students with a survey where they will fill out what their interest and dislikes are along with what they identify as their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to academics. I think this will serve as a great way to get to know my students and have a starting point to base lesson plans to highlight student interest but also gradually challenge them to reach their fullest potential by stepping out of their comfort zone.