Rights and Responsibilities of IEP Team Members
Special Education Teachers
The child’s special education teacher has a lot to contribute at the IEP team meeting, including important information and experience about how to educate children with disabilities. The special education teacher can discuss issues such as:
- how to modify the general education curriculum to help the child learn;
- the supplementary aids and services that the child may need to be successful in the regular classroom and elsewhere;
- how to modify testing or to provide the test with individual appropriate accommodations so that the child can show what he or she has learned; and
- other aspects of individualizing instruction to meet the child’s unique needs.
Beyond helping to write the IEP, the special educator has responsibility for working with the child to implement the IEP. He or she may:
- work with the child in a resource room or special class devoted to children receiving special education services;
- team teach with the child’s regular education teacher; and/or
- work with other school staff, particularly the regular education teacher, to provide expertise about addressing the child’s unique needs.
General Education Teachers
IDEA states that the regular education teacher must, 'to the extent appropriate, determine' appropriate positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies for the child.
The general education teacher has knowledge of the general education curriculum and should collaborate with other members of the IEP Team to determine what the student needs to have access to the general education curriculum.
The general education teacher has the responsibility to determine the supplementary aids and services needed to ensure the child is able to:
- make progress towards meeting annual goals
- access the general education curriculum
- participate in extracurricular activities
- have opportunities to interact and to learn with students without disabilities
IDEA requires that at least one regular educator serve on the IEP team, but many students with disabilities have more than one teacher. It is very important that each of these teachers be well-informed about the students IEP. Teachers need to know what the student's goals are, what classroom or testing accommodations need to be provided, and what supplementary aids and services are necessary so the child can access and progress in the general education curriculum.
Schools must ensure that each regular education teacher (as well as other service providers working with the child) have access to the student's IEP, and is informed of his or her specific responsibilities related to implementing the IEP. Teachers should regularly review the IEPs of their students, and monitor how well the IEP is addressing the child’s needs, progress, and learning.
If the IEP needs to be revised to address either a lack of progress or mastery of a goal, teachers responsible for the child’s education are invaluable in alerting the rest of the team that it’s time to gather and discuss what adjustments need to be made.
Paraprofessionals
A special education paraprofessional, sometimes called a teacher’s aide or assistant, can be an asset to the classroom teacher. The paraprofessional provides support to the teacher and especially to students with disabilities in the classroom who need modified instruction or assistance. Both students and teachers rely on the skills and presence of paraprofessionals in their classrooms.
Typical duties of a paraprofessional:
- modifying or adapting instruction for students with disabilities;
- working with individual students or small groups of students to reinforce learning of material or skills introduced by the teacher;
- providing one-on-one assistance to students with disabilities;
- guiding independent study, enrichment work, and remedial work with students as set up and assigned by the teacher
- assisting students with self-care tasks (if necessary)
- record-keeping
Related Service Personnel
Related services means transportation and any other developmental, corrective or other supportive services that a child needs to benefit from special education. Some children need related services in order to meet the goals in their Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Related services help children with disabilities benefit from their special education by providing extra help and support in needed areas, such as speaking or moving. Related service personnel can include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
School Psychologist
School Nurse
Speech and Language Pathologist
Occupational Therapist
Physical Therapist
Related services means transportation and any other developmental, corrective or other supportive services that a child needs to benefit from special education. Some children need related services in order to meet the goals in their Individualized Education Program (IEP).
Related services help children with disabilities benefit from their special education by providing extra help and support in needed areas, such as speaking or moving. Related service personnel can include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
School Psychologist
- Consults with teachers, parents, and school personnel about learning, social and behavior problems;
- Teaches lessons on parenting skills, learning strategies, substance abuse, and other topics pertinent to healthy schools;
- Researches the effectiveness of academic programs and behavior management procedures, and study new information about learning and behavior;
- Assesses and evaluates the wide variety of behavior, skills, emotions, and goals in the schools they serve;
- Intervenes directly with counseling services for students and families;
- Acts as an interdisciplinary team member in the special education eligibility process, administering IQ, personality, and achievement tests;
- Articulates test results to parents who are not familiar with psychological tests;
- Works with a wide range of student emotional and academic factors;
- Generally has offices in individual schools and serve one or more schools. Some school systems, however, centralize their psychology staff into a single building.
School Nurse
- Performs vision, hearing, dental and scoliosis health screening tests;
- Provides emergency first aid;
- Monitors student compliance with state immunization laws;
- Assesses the health needs of students and faculty and coordinates appropriate curriculum or activities for them;
- Counsels students about chronic illnesses, nutrition, disease prevention, and positive lifestyles;
- Interprets medical data and contributes to the health component of individualized education programs (IEPs) for students with disabilities;
- Participates with the school administration in investigating cases of suspected child abuse and neglect;
- Trains teachers and staff members to perform standard procedures that might be needed for students with disabilities; and
- Serves as a liaison to the community
Speech and Language Pathologist
- Diagnose disorders and educates students, staff, and parents
- Writing Individualized Education Plans (IEP) and/or Individualized Family Service Plans (IFSP)
- Has a role in the IEP/IFSP meetings
- Provides direct services to students, parents and teachers
- Maintains accurate files
- Collaborates with other professionals
- Prepares lessons that include games, American Sign Language, computer programs, and other technology and assistive devices during therapy
- Has knowledge of various disabilities along with hearing loss and child development skills
Occupational Therapist
- Observe student engagement in activity and provide strategies to facilitate all students' full participation.
- Reduce barriers that limit student access, participation, or progress during naturally occurring activities and routines within the school environment.
- Utilize assistive technology to support student success.
- Support the needs of students with significant challenges, when helping to determine methods for alternative assessment to promote academic achievement, for example.
- Collaborate with the educational team to provide service to the child and on behalf of the child to promote functional, developmental, and academic performance.
- Identify educationally relevant goals related to student outcomes and annual yearly progress.
- Utilize evidence to the extent practical when choosing specific school-based strategies and interventions.
Physical Therapist
- Identify physical conditions that interfere with a student's educational program
- Conduct assessments of mobility skills, daily activities, positioning and posture during activities in the school environment, muscle strength, and sensorimotor performance
- Collaborate with teachers, other education and health professionals, and parents to determine physical therapy goals that will allow the child to benefit from the individualized instructional program
- Advise on purchase of specialized equipment and modifications to the classroom and home
- Develop recreation and leisure programs for older students
- Advocate for environments that are physically accessible
Special Education Teacher's Communication and Collaboration Skills
Communication and Collaboration with the Regular Education Teacher
It is crucial that the special education teacher and the general education teacher communicate successes of their collaborative efforts. This may happen through sharing information about a student's social gains or about a student's academic successes through grades, tests, or portfolios.
Disability-Specific Teaching Adaptations
Through collaborating with the general education teacher, the special education teacher will address individual student performance for students with disabilities and how to accommodate these differences in upcoming instruction.
Effective Instructional Skills
The special education and general education teacher can collaborate to create effective classroom management techniques. The special education teacher can help create structure in the general education classroom by creating effective routines to positively reinforce positive behavior and on-task behavior in the classroom.
Effective Progress Monitoring
The special education should particularly monitor the progress of students with disabilities towards meeting their annual goals. The special education teacher should communicate each student's progress with the general education teacher. In the event the the student is not meeting his or her goals, the special education teacher should collaborate with the general education teacher to develop teaching and learning strategies that may help the student meet the goals.
Communication and Collaboration with the Regular Education Teacher
It is crucial that the special education teacher and the general education teacher communicate successes of their collaborative efforts. This may happen through sharing information about a student's social gains or about a student's academic successes through grades, tests, or portfolios.
Disability-Specific Teaching Adaptations
Through collaborating with the general education teacher, the special education teacher will address individual student performance for students with disabilities and how to accommodate these differences in upcoming instruction.
Effective Instructional Skills
The special education and general education teacher can collaborate to create effective classroom management techniques. The special education teacher can help create structure in the general education classroom by creating effective routines to positively reinforce positive behavior and on-task behavior in the classroom.
Effective Progress Monitoring
The special education should particularly monitor the progress of students with disabilities towards meeting their annual goals. The special education teacher should communicate each student's progress with the general education teacher. In the event the the student is not meeting his or her goals, the special education teacher should collaborate with the general education teacher to develop teaching and learning strategies that may help the student meet the goals.
Communication and Collaboration with Paraprofessionals
The special education teacher should plan lessons and instructional support activities that the paraprofessional can implement. The special education teacher should monitor and assess the achievement of students with disabilities who work with paraprofessionals. The paraprofessional and special education teacher should consistently communicate on each student's progress.
The paraprofessional should be informed of the accommodations and modifications of the student's IEP. Based on the paraprofessional's experience, the special education teacher should include and update the paraprofessional as part of the instructional team.
Effective Communication
To develop effective communication between the paraprofessional and the special education teacher, the special education should provide regular feedback to the paraprofessional. The special education teacher should provide support to the paraprofessional as necessary to meet the needs of the student with disabilities.
Establishing Expectations
The special education teacher should make the paraprofessional aware of the expectations in the classroom. The paraprofessional must understand what is expected of his or her performance and how goals should be accomplished. When the paraprofessional understands the importance of helping the student with disabilities meet his or her annual goals, he or she will more effectively implement strategies.
The special education teacher should plan lessons and instructional support activities that the paraprofessional can implement. The special education teacher should monitor and assess the achievement of students with disabilities who work with paraprofessionals. The paraprofessional and special education teacher should consistently communicate on each student's progress.
The paraprofessional should be informed of the accommodations and modifications of the student's IEP. Based on the paraprofessional's experience, the special education teacher should include and update the paraprofessional as part of the instructional team.
Effective Communication
To develop effective communication between the paraprofessional and the special education teacher, the special education should provide regular feedback to the paraprofessional. The special education teacher should provide support to the paraprofessional as necessary to meet the needs of the student with disabilities.
Establishing Expectations
The special education teacher should make the paraprofessional aware of the expectations in the classroom. The paraprofessional must understand what is expected of his or her performance and how goals should be accomplished. When the paraprofessional understands the importance of helping the student with disabilities meet his or her annual goals, he or she will more effectively implement strategies.
Communication and Collaboration with Outside Agencies
Proactive Communication
The special education should make other agencies aware about the school policies, routines and other operational matters so that more time and effort is available for communicating about students' needs and progress. The special education teacher should establish a consistent procedure for other agencies to use to communicate students' progress.
Proactive Communication
The special education should make other agencies aware about the school policies, routines and other operational matters so that more time and effort is available for communicating about students' needs and progress. The special education teacher should establish a consistent procedure for other agencies to use to communicate students' progress.
Effective special education requires the cooperation of a diverse team, including the special education teacher, general education teachers, the school wide assistance team, parents and special education students. Thus, effective communication between them is crucial. Special educators need to check in regularly with cooperating general education teachers, parents and school administration to ensure that their students continue to make progress. This way, any needed change can be addressed quickly, before it becomes a bigger problem. Effective teachers make sure that colleagues know they are open to hearing any concerns. Essentially, having good communication and collaboration skills will help to prevent conflict among colleagues, enhance the learning of the student, and help build a working relationship between all members of the IEP team.
References
The IEP team. (2010, September). Retrieved from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/iep-speceducator/
http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_1_No_15_Special_Issue_October_2011/7.pdf
http://www.spannj.org/pti/Collaborative_teaming_and_PBS.pdf
The IEP team. (2010, September). Retrieved from http://www.parentcenterhub.org/repository/iep-speceducator/
http://www.ijhssnet.com/journals/Vol_1_No_15_Special_Issue_October_2011/7.pdf
http://www.spannj.org/pti/Collaborative_teaming_and_PBS.pdf