Introduction
Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a legislation that provides federal funding to eligible children with disabilities. The special instructions are designed to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities at no cost to parents. The law is divided into five components, namely: Part A, B, C, D, and E. Part A contains the Act’s general provisions, with most terms used in IDEA defined. The most important part for special education teachers and administrators is part B because it sets out the provisions of assisting children with disabilities.
Summary of IDEA
Part B of IDEA has six professional practice standards that guide special education teachers in upholding procedural safeguards and key law components. It also ensures that such children receive free appropriate education (FAPE). FAPE entails special education and related services. One of these is the zero reject principle, which imposes mandatory special education on all students with disabilities unconditionally. Identification of children living with disabilities whose ages span from 3 years to 21 years is mandatory, a concept dubbed as the child find system. The system is based on affirmative duty, with the district school having the autonomy to find these children. Protection in evaluation is the second principle and contends that all students must receive individual evaluation administered by an expert before they can receive FAPE. Evaluative materials, such as tests, must be selected and administered to curb racial or cultural discrimination, which is essential for proper placement.
The third principle is free to appropriate education, which requires determined eligible students for FAPE be provided with these services in conformity with the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Special education services are all about individualized programming. The least restrictive environment (LRE) principle also comes forth and dictates that students with disabilities be trained with their peers without disabilities to the maximum extent possible. However, the district school may move a student with a disability to a more restrictive setting if the general setting is inappropriate. The sixth principle is the procedural safeguards that schools must abide by when developing special education programs.
Importance of Collaboration between IEP’s Members
Collaboration between IEP team members plays a vital role in helping schools meet the educational needs of students with disabilities. Working as a team, keeping communication open, and developing plans for students living with disabilities are ways to collaborate among IEP members. The IEP team is composed of a parent of a child with a disability, at least one regular education teacher, one special education teacher, a qualified representative of the Local Education Agency (LEA), who is trained and knowledgeable in supervising and providing specially designed tests, an individual who can interpret the instructional implications of test results and any member chosen by a parent of the agency.
IEP team meeting attendance is not necessary under certain agreements. The precondition for skipping an IEP meeting, in whole or in part, is when LEA and the parent of a child with a disability agree in writing that no related services of the curriculum are being modified (Center for Parent Information & Resource, 2017). Another condition could be if the member submits their input in writing to the rest of the team before the meeting commences. The parent and LEA agree that there is no area of the curriculum or related services requiring modification or discussion, or the parent and agency consent in writing. Open and constant communication between special education teachers and parents during IEP meetings and making placement decisions ensures that parents play a meaningful role in their children’s education. The parent of a child with a disability and LEA may also agree to have an alternative means of meeting participation.
Team Process
The team process is essentially composed of three integrated steps that aim at reaching an improved outcome. The first stage is eligibility determination for special education services. The team must first use criteria per IDEA to evaluate a child based on suspected disabilities. The next stage is developing the IEP, where the team discusses and captures IEP’s elements (Congressional Research Service, 2019). Implicit to this stage is the input from general educators, parents, special educators, and students, which lays the ground for special educations services. The placement decision is the last stage of the IEP process in which the general education classroom with necessary services is considered the first placement option. According to IDEA provisions, students must be placed in general classrooms unless the disability requires a restrictive environment.
Executing the three activities in line with procedural requirements is imperative to avoid due process disputes. Special education disputes usually arise from substantive or procedural issues (Center for Parent Information & Resource, 2017). While the latter deals with the child’s right to FAPE, the latter is concerned with the IEP process’s technical aspects or evaluation. For example, a procedural dispute may come into being if the IEP team meets without including a certain key member of the school fails to give prior written consent. A parent could lodge a dispute case if the school’s procedural violation had an educational implication on a child. Thus, the IEP process must be conducted within the bounds of IDEA’s guiding principles to avoid possible due process complaints.
Components of IEP
IEP has individual parts that act as the road map, establishing where the child is and future goals and how to attain these goals. One of the components is the current skill level, which describes the academic and functional performance and how the disability affects the child’s involvement and progress in education (Organization of Autism Research, 2020). IEP also has a statement of annual measurable goals specifying what a student is expected to learn. The goals are designed to address the child’s needs by focusing only on areas requiring much attention. Another important component is explaining how to measure progress towards objectives (IDEA–Reauthorized Statute1, n.d.). Under this component, parents often decide whether their children may need alternative testing. A special education services statement is another IEP element that details the education program that suits particular needs. Quite often, students need these services to succeed in the classroom.
IDEA identifies students with disabilities’ basic rights and discourages any form of discrimination against disability. One of the legal issues that come forth is non-discriminatory evaluation, in which all eligible students are subject to an objective evaluation in school (Lipkin & Okamoto, 2015). From an ethical standpoint, these students have the right to a due process whereby fair treatment and complaint redress is necessary in the event of a dispute. Providing proper accommodation, qualified professionals to offer medical services, and involving their families in decision-making are additional ethical issues. Implementing these requirements ensures that the needs of students with disabilities are met.
Conclusion
After watching “FIEP: A Facilitated IEP Meeting,” I have realized that facilitated meetings often generate rich student results. Initially, I thought that the facilitators’ role in a meeting is to moderate the discussion. However, the documentary has been insightful by showing that helpful facilitators play an essential role in creating special educational programs that meet students’ needs. With facilitation, team members collaborate and iron their differences amicably, eventually improving the IEP process and outcome (Region 13 Education Service Center, n.d.). When members acknowledge each other’s perspectives and embrace interest-based problem solving, the final consensus is tailored to meet the needs of students with disabilities.
References
Center for Parent Information & Resource. (2017). The Short-and-sweet IEP Overview | Center for Parent Information and Resources. Parentcenterhub.org. .
Congressional Research Service. (2019). The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) Funding: A Primer (pp. 1-24). Congressional Research Service.
IDEA–Reauthorized Statute1. Individualized education program (IEP) team meetings and changes to the IEP. Wrightslaw.com.
Lipkin, P., & Okamoto, J. (2015). The Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for children with special educational needs. PEDIATRICS, 136(6), e1650-e1662.
Organization of Autism Research. (2020). The components of an individualized education program | Organization for Autism Research. Researchautism.org.
Region 13 Education service center. Facilitated IEP meeting. Education service center Region 13.