One key characteristic of any effective meeting is clarity of purpose. The IEP process is intended to provide the structure that supports shared decision-making for families and school districts focused on children with special needs. The objective of this collaborative teaming process is the identification of innovative, specially designed, instructional strategies. It is a process, which at it's core, is about shared-learning to support problem solving around complex issues. The most successful IEP meetings occur when we stop seeing them as isolated meetings, and begin seeing them as part of a system of interrelated learning events. Unfortunately, as the culture of special education becomes increasingly adversarial, the focus on innovation and creativity is too often replaced by a focus on procedural compliance and the creation of a legally defensible document.
For IEP Facilitation to truly add value to this process we must revisit the core purpose and intent of the IEP and identify best practice, essential characteristics and qualities supporting an excellent IEP.
Specifically we will:
- identify what we believe to be the characteristics and elements of an excellent IEP process,
- identify examples of key themes at the heart of an excellent IEP process, the understanding of which is essential to the success of the process,
- discuss the ramifications for design and implementation of IEP Facilitation Resources, and create the opportunity for shared reflection and learning.