Are You Asking These Questions at IEP Meetings?
Breathing a sigh of relief that you have made it to the Accommodations section of the IEP…you realize there are just a few, generic accommodations listed. As you read the short list, you also realize these are the same things listed on your child’s IEP for the past several years. Ugh! What do you do?
a. You ask if these accommodations have actually been working for your child.
b. You admit aloud that you don’t know what these accommodations mean.
c. You smile at the special educator and say, “Yes, these accommodations look fine.”
d. You ask if there can be some discussion of the accommodations so you understand how they will help your child.
Let’s face it, just getting through the Present Levels and Annual Goals of your child’s IEP was a major feat. You’re not sure how much energy you want to put into also writing accommodations.
I’ve got 3 questions you can ask when you get to this section of the IEP that will help the team develop an individualized and meaningful list of accommodations.
#1 What are the most effective ways to present new information to my child?
#2 What are the most effective ways for my child to show what he knows and can do?
#3 What are the most effective ways for my child to be motivated/engaged in his schoolwork?
Things to consider when answering question #1:
* When you watch your child learning a new skill, is it helpful for him to watch someone else do it first, or watch a video about it, or have it verbally explained to him, or listen to a CD that explains the steps to do, or have a checklist to look at to know what to do next, etc.?
* Share with the teachers what you notice. Ask them what ways they have found to be the most successful when presenting your child new information/concepts/skills.
* Write down in the accommodations section of the IEP the most effective ways for staff to present new information to help your child learn new skills.
••• Get great ideas on a variety of ways to present new information, Click here.
Things to consider when answering question #2:
* When your child wants to share what he has learned is he most successful when he can sit down and tell you about it, or draw a diagram or picture, or act it out, or write a story about it, etc.?
* Give examples to the teachers as what you see when your child wants to show something he learned or is able to do. Have a discussion at the IEP meeting about the most effective ways the teachers have noticed for your child to be “evaluated” for what he knows.
* Capture the ways mentioned by writing these down in the accommodations section of the IEP.
••• Tap into some new ideas for having students show what they know (without tests), Click here.
Things to consider when answering question #3:
* Think about times when you’ve seen your child so excited to learn something new, or activities that he can spend hours doing, or if he prefers to work by himself or with others, or what kinds of choices keep him engaged.
* Offer ideas you’ve seen work to keep your child interested in learning, to the other IEP team members.
* Make sure the ways to keep your child motivated are written in the accommodation section of the IEP.
••• If you want some cool ideas for keeping students engaged in learning, Click here.
Bonus TIP: Having accommodations organized in these 3 categories (how to present information, how the student shows what he learned, and how to engage the learner) is a helpful way teachers can remember the different kinds of accommodations: present, show, and engage.
Here’s to more specific and meaningful accommodations for your child so they can shine at school!
Take care,
Charmaine
P. S. You’ve been secretly learning about Universal Design for Learning while reading this issue of TIPspirations. Interested in learning more about effective ways for your child to learn? Click here.