Students of all abilities have the right to a solid education to get ready for adult life. Students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) have a right to participate in IEP meetings to make sure the program is a good set-up for higher education, vocational training, work—whatever comes next after graduation.
Schools are required to invite students 16 and older to IEP meetings when life-after-high-school planning is discussed.
How students participate in their IEP meetings can make a big difference in the transition programming. To learn more about how to participate at IEP meetings, read PAVE’s article, Attention Students: Lead your own IEP meetings and take charge of your future.
The rest of this article can help you design a handout for a team meeting. The Student Input Form for a Meeting with the School is here for easy download.. If this format doesn’t work for you, you might choose just a few of these ideas to design a handout in your own style. You could also make a vision board or record a video to share at the IEP meeting instead of a handout.
Whatever style you choose for communicating with your IEP team, remember that standing up for yourself and asking for what you need is an important life skill.
Here are a few tips:
Keep your handout short to highlight your most important points.
You can send your handout to the school before the meeting. Or, take a moment when you arrive to hand out your one-pager and ask everyone to read it.
The top of your handout should include your contact information and other basics about the meeting. Try to include all of this:
- Student Name: Jane Imincharge
- Phone/email: 555-555-5555/memail@youthpower.you
- Meeting Date/Time: XX/XX/XXXX, 3-5 pm
- Location: Anywhere School
- Topic: IEP Review, Evaluation Review, Section 504 Plan, Re-entry after Discipline, Etc.
Next you want to describe your goals, what you are good at and what help you need. These sentences can help you get started:
- I enjoy…
- I learn best when…
- I’m good at…
- It’s hard for me when…
- I want more help…
- I like school the most when …
- Teachers are helpful when they…
- I want to learn more about …
- It would be great if…
Include a Photograph!
A photograph of you reminds everyone that you are the most important person at the meeting. Don’t be shy about bragging about what you are good at. It’s the school’s job to help you build on your strengths.
The final section of your handout describes your concerns. You may need to start on scratch paper with a longer list and then edit to settle on your key points. Remember that you want the team members to be able to read your handout quickly. You also want this list to help yourself stay on track at the meeting.
You might want to start this section with a statement like this: “My disability in the area of [briefly describe your disability challenge] makes school difficult because… “
Then, you can make a list with a heading like this one:
Here’s what I want to talk about today:
- A favorite class, teacher or subject in school?
- A time during the school day that is hard for you?
- Your IEP goals?
- Something that helps you feel comfortable and do well?
- Something you want to change in your school schedule or program?
- Graduation requirements and when you plan to graduate?
- Your High School and Beyond Plan?
- Anything else that’s important to you?
If your parent or another support person takes notes at the meeting, it’s great to ask them to help make a list of Action Items. Make a simple chart to list:
- The agreement/action
- Name of person responsible
- Deadline
- Communication plan, so you have follow-through
If your meeting is part of a formal special education process, such as an IEP meeting, the school provides a Prior Written Notice (PWN) to remind everyone what you talked about at the meeting. Your handout and notes can be part of the PWN. If English isn’t your native language, the Prior Written Notice must be provided in your native language or another mode of communication that you can understand.
Good luck at your meeting, and good job for training to be an expert self-advocate!
The The Student Input Form for a Meeting with the School is here for easy download. . If a download is not possible, all the information is above. If you need any support with this form, please email PAVE
