Springtime is almost here! March, April, & May tend to be busy IEP months for schools, especially if your child's annual review of the IEP is due and/or if your child will be attending a new school next year! Perhaps your little preschooler attending the district's Early Childhood program is moving on to Kindergarten next year... Or your elementary schooler is preparing for the bigger world of middle school... Or maybe your child is moving on to high school next year! Springtime is when you will meet with the school team to ensure the IEP is appropriately edited to support your child in that BIG transition, via an IEP transition meeting.*
(*Please note that
the transition meeting being referred to here is not to be confused with "transition
planning", which is something different that begins at age 14 for post-schooling
planning.)
Sometimes your
transition meeting for moving on to a new school may be combined with an annual
review. In either case, it is important to ask a few clarifying questions to
ensure your child is properly supported in the new school environment next
year. Typically, a representative from the new school may attend your
transition meeting.
One big decision
to come out of this meeting is placement determination at the new school. This
may differ than your child's current placement. Be sure to ask clarifying
questions about this and discuss what supports need to be in place to make a
possible placement change successful.
For example, in an
Early Childhood program, if your child's current placement is in a blended
classroom, this may not be the case for kindergarten. In middle school, your
child's time with general education peers may look different than it did in
elementary school. Discuss all options with your child's IEP team and how each
placement option looks.
The continuum of
federally mandated placement options from least to most restrictive that every
school district must consider in an IEP meeting is as follows:
1.) General
Education
2.) General Education with accommodations
3.) Resource Program (student spends less than 60% of day in Special Education services)
4.) Instructional/Cross Categorical Program (student spends more than 60% of day in Special Education self-contained program)
5.) Public Day Program
6.) Private Day Program
7.) Residential Program
2.) General Education with accommodations
3.) Resource Program (student spends less than 60% of day in Special Education services)
4.) Instructional/Cross Categorical Program (student spends more than 60% of day in Special Education self-contained program)
5.) Public Day Program
6.) Private Day Program
7.) Residential Program
The
great thing about IEPs are that they can be completely customizable for that
child, no matter what the placement. And the placement can be customized as
well, via a combination of any of the above options, as deemed appropriate to
your child's unique needs.
Before
agreeing to a certain placement, you can request to visit the option(s) in person.
(Be sure this gets scheduled before the end of the current school year.) Remember, as a parent, feel free to speak up on your thoughts, as you are indeed a member of the team and a part of this important decision.
As
the first day of school nears in August, be sure to schedule a separate visit for
your child to see the school (i.e.: see where the classroom is, meet the
teacher, tour the school, see where the bus will come, etc). This will help
prepare your child to know what to expect, reducing any first day jitters for
both of you!
Do you have a
transition meeting coming up? Feel free to send me an email with specific
questions you have, to help you plan ahead prior to your meeting date. I would
be happy to have a complimentary 15 minute phone call with you!
Want to learn more about IEPs and
advocacy? Gigi's Playhouse Fox Valley Fox Valley
