Student Led IEP
Meetings
Self Advocacy in Action
What is your definition of
self advocacy?
Philosophy & Background
• President Johnson’s “Great Society” Movement
• Civil Right’s Movement for children with
disabilities
• Entitlement Programs: social welfare,
vocational/rehabilitation services, Medicare,
services for the elderly, Head Start, and Special
Education
• Belief that these systems led to dependence
instead of fostering independence
Philosophy & Background
• Mid-1990’s Welfare Reform & change in belief
system for entitlement programs
• Special Education = IDEA 97 Reauthorization
Transition to Independence
• Meanwhile in Glenn County…
– Lyn Smith
– Vicki Shadd
– Kathy Brown
Educational Benefit ?
Was the Transition Plan and Transition
Service Language in the IEP reasonably
calculated over a 3-year period to provide
Educational Benefit in the area of PostSecondary Transition?
ASSESSMENT
(Grade-level Transition Assessment)
Identifies…
PRESENT LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE
(Define Areas of Need)
Drives…
MEASURABLE POST-SECONDARY GOALS
(Written to meet areas of Need)
Which Drives…
ANNUAL TRANSITION GOALS
(In the areas of Training, Education, Employment, Daily Living)
Drives…
SERVICES
Ensures…
PROGRESS
Did the student make yearly progress? If not, were the goals and objectives changed?
Were there enough transition services/activities to ensure student progress towards?
•Career Education
Work-Based Learning
•Grade-level Transition Assessment
•Career/Interest inventories
•TPP match class
•Senior Portfolio or Senior Project
Student-led Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Self-Advocacy Exercises
Drives…
INSTRUCTION, LRE & ACCOMMODATIONS and/or MODIFICATIONS
(Does the instruction ensure student post-secondary outcomes?)
(Is the Accommodation & Modification Plan complete?)
Ensures…
EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT
Competencies of Student Led IEP
Meetings
• To prepare for life after high school
• To develop confidence and promote ownership
• To promote self-advocacy and disability
awareness
• To provide structure and natural setting to
practice self advocacy
• To provide immediate feedback and assessment
for learning
Student Led IEP Meeting
PROCESS
• Before
• During
• After
Before: Gathering Evidence with the Student
Psychological evaluation
Progress toward goals
Executive Functioning
Teacher reports from General Ed
Transition assessment
Critical skills assessment
Work experiences
Grades, Attendance, Discipline
What other information do you
use?
Before: Preparing for the IEP Meeting
With the student:
• Prepare the script
• Practice
• Fill-out a draft of the
document
• Invite the IEP team
members
During
The student uses the
script to lead the
meeting
The teacher coaches the
student and redirects
conversation if
needed
After
• Rubric – self score and student’s choice
• Implementation – student’s take a role in
making sure what was decided is carried out
• Self- advocacy - the student is more likely to
ask for what he needs because he was in on the
decision
• Increased awareness – fosters open dialog
between the student and other school staff
Middle School and Work Ability I
The Beginning Tools
Student-Led IEP Meetings
BEFORE…
Transition Portfolio
DURING…
WorkAbility I Expectations
6th Grade
• Introductions
• Share 1 piece of related information
7th Grade
• Introductions
• Share an artifact from Service Learning
Project, Industry Tour, or Portfolio
8th Grade
• Introductions
• Share an artifact from Service Learning
Project, Industry Tour, or Portfolio
• Share High School Planner
AFTER…
WorkAbility I Support
Work-Based
• Career Interview
• Industry Tour
• Guest Speaker
• Service Learning Project
Connecting Activities
• Student Data Forms
• IEP/ILP meeting
participation
• High School Planning
• High School Visit
• High School Shadow
• Self Advocacy
Development
Best Practices
Service Learning and Tours
Self Advocacy is…
knowing yourself, knowing your rights,
and asking for what you need.
Knowing Yourself
Self-reflection journals
Who am I?
What do I want for myself?
What kind of life do I want?
What do I like?
What don't I like?
What am I good at?
What do I need help with?
What is easy for me?
What is hard for me?
What is fun for me?
What interests will always be
important to me?
What is the opposite of fun for me?
What kind of work can I see myself
doing as an adult?
What kind of work would be torture
for me?
What are my values?
What really makes me upset?
What makes me feel comfortable?
What areas do I want to improve?
How am I at communicating?
How am I at organizing?
How am I at relationships?
How am I at school? sports? other
interests?
More “knowing yourself” activities
• Self portraits –with symbols
represented various knowledge of
self
• Questionnaires – about goals, likes,
dislikes, aptitudes
• Learning Styles inventory
• IEP exploration:
– present levels
– name of disability
– accommodations
– modifications
– services
Knowing my rights
teacher and students read, highlighted and took notes
• IDEA
• ADA
• Rights and
Responsibilities When
You Turn 18
• Students added these
links to their blogs
www.hhlamb.blogspot.com
Development of Standards
• Student-Led IEP
grade 6 – age 22
• Self-Advocacy
grade 6 – age 22
Start with the biggest part of the
whole that the student can handle.
How to get started and how to make
it work
•
•
•
•
•
Believe it is important
Identify your support partners
Prepare the team members for the change
Reframe the task
Scheduling Day Long IEP Meetings
Student comments …
Tell us about the process of preparing the IEP
script. What do you learn about yourself?
What is the difference for you between leading
your IEP meeting and just attending your IEP
meeting?
Questions and Answers