Who Attends the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Meeting?

Who Attends the Individualized Education Program (IEP) Meeting?

There are several steps that parents and guardians can take to help prepare for a successful IEP meeting. It is helpful to take some time before and after the actual meeting to help the process go smoothly. Many families find it helpful to keep all their child’s IEP information in a specific binder or folder so everything is kept together. Check out our resources below for helpful information on creating and maintaining an IEP binder for your child.

At least once per year, an IEP meeting will be held for your child. The goal of the meeting is to create a new and updated IEP for the coming year. This meeting includes setting educational goals, defining how progress in attaining the goals will be measured, and determining what special education services and supports your child will receive.

Your child’s school will contact you several weeks prior to the end date of an existing IEP to schedule a meeting time that works with both your schedule and that of the school. These meetings frequently occur before or after school, depending upon what school personnel will be attending. If your schedule makes it difficult to attend in person, you might ask for an online meeting to make coordinating a meeting a bit easier.

Those invited to attend your child’s IEP meeting include the following:

Students: Your child may be invited to attend, depending upon their age, developmental stage and comfort with the meeting. Generally, middle school or older students attend their IEP meetings. It is important to let the meeting coordinator know whether your child will attend.

Family: As parents, you are experts on your child and attend the IEP meeting to provide information on your child’s history, background, and strengths and to help in goal setting. You also may invite another family member or trusted friend who knows your child well or an advocate who understands the role that special education can play in your child’s life. Again, it is important to advise the meeting coordinator of any guests who are expected to attend.

Special Education Teacher: Your child’s special education teacher(s) attend the meeting to share information about your child's academic performance, the services and supports provided or recommended. They also provide information on service options available for the coming year and updates on the progress your child is making.

General Education Teacher: Your child’s general education teacher also will attend to offer information about how your child is progressing in their classroom and how your child’s instruction is being individualized to meet their specific needs. They also will discuss educational strategies for the coming year.

Testing expert: Often, someone like a school psychologist may attend to help explain the results of any assessments conducted and can suggest additional testing that may be relevant in the future. In some schools, the special education coordinator will serve in this role.

Related service provider: Other school staff who provide services to the student may also attend. This might include someone like a speech therapist, an occupational or physical therapist, a behavior specialist, or school counselor.

School administrator: A school administrator, like a principal, assistant principal, or director of special education services, also will be included. These individuals are the experts on the services and supports available in the district and can commit to providing the resources described in the IEP.

Other people who may be invited: This includes guests of the family, interpreters, or any other individuals that the IEP team believes would be helpful to the planning process.

Attending your child’s IEP meeting will give you the opportunity to see how each team member contributes to developing, implementing, and monitoring your child’s special education services. Your voice as a parent is essential to conveying the depth and breadth of your child’s experiences inside and outside of school. You also serve as the best advocate for services and supports to help your child succeed in school.

By continuing to communicate with your child’s special education teachers and keeping track of communication throughout the school year, you will be better prepared for the next annual IEP meeting. And remember, if you wish to make changes to your child’s IEP, another meeting can be called in addition to the annual meeting. Having frequent conversations with the school and comprehensive documentation will help you see the need for an additional IEP meeting, if necessary.

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