Understanding The IEP Process with Karina Quezada

What is an IEP and how to best collaborate with your school site to support student success. 

Music by DayFox from Pixabay - Salangseuleoun

Transcript

 Cecilia  00:11

Hello and welcome to Parenting with Passion. My name is Cecilia Holguin, Family Engagement Manager for SBCSS. And today we are diving into the individual education plan, also known as the IEP process, and how to best meet the needs for students with disabilities. We will discuss parents rights and how to work collaboratively with your school site to provide your students with reasonable accommodations to support their learning. We are joined today by an expert in the field, Dr. Karina Quezada, who works at Desert Mountain SELPA as an Educational Psychologist and Program Specialist. Welcome, Karina.

Karina  00:50

Thank you for having me here. It's my pleasure.

Cecilia  00:53

Can you please tell our listeners at home who are maybe not familiar with the IEP what exactly it is, and how it can be used to support our students?

Karina  01:06

An IEP stands as you mentioned, as individualized educational program. And it is part of the Individuals with Disabilities Act that was enacted back in the 1970s. And it's a way of ensuring that our children who have an identified disability have access to the general education curriculum, and that they can be educated in the least restrictive environment with their neurotypical children.

Cecilia  01:40

That's awesome. What a great support for parents. Now I have I have had several parents ask, what is the difference between a 504 plan and an IEP? And how would they know which one is best for their students? Can you help explain that? Yes.

Karina  01:57

So a 504 plan is open to a person, including children who have a perceived disability, and it can range anything from a temporary condition such as perhaps a broken bone and a child not being able to write and all the way to other more serious conditions, perhaps in a chronic condition, such as diabetes. So a 504 plan is meant to provide accommodations for our child within the general education setting. In IEP, on the other hand, is far more specific. And it requires that a child meet the eligibility of 13 categories that have been identified in the federal and state law. So in order for a child to have an IEP, they would have to have one of those disabilities present.  And also, as a result of that disability, they required specific instruction and support.

Cecilia  03:09

Okay, great. Thank you so much for clearing that up for parents. How does a parent identify and get diagnosed, their child diagnosed that is, with the certain disability? How does that work for parents if they're at the beginning stages, and they maybe identify that their child's having some learning issues or maybe even behavior, and they're wanting to get the child tested? How does that process look for the parent?

Karina  03:40

Yes, that's an excellent question. Not every disability requires an IEP. So I think that's something important for us to understand. Yeah, having a condition does not equate to needing an IEP. So if a parent has a concerned, what I would recommend, the first thing to do is to talk to their classroom teacher, that would be your first point of contact. From that point. The school is obligated to engage in something that we refer to as child find. And in that process, the classroom teacher would then convene a meeting that typically involves the school principal, there might be other individuals who are invited who perhaps have an expertise on certain things. And during that meeting, typically referred to as a student study team or an SST. Sometimes, some districts will refer to it as MTSS meeting or a multi tier system of support meeting regardless of how its name, the purpose is the same. It's the parent coming together with the school officials, typically the principal of that school We'll in the classroom teacher, and talking about what their concerns are about the child. And as you mentioned, it could be related to academics, it could be related to social emotional development, it could be related to health factors, or even discipline factors. So we come together. And in that format, we discuss what our concerns are. And we discuss what interventions we can try. And during that meeting, we can also determine the severity of the condition and the situation that's going on. And as a team, we decide, you know, this might be a good referral for special education. And then at that point, other individuals become involved. But before they can become involved, the parent needs to provide written consent. And that triggers and initiates the process for us. And then once we have written consent from the parent, then we are engaging in the process of determining if the student has one of those 13 disabilities. And there will be a meeting that will follow and that will be your initial IEP meeting. And at that meeting, it is the responsibility of the team. And that includes a parent to determine whether the child meets eligibility for special education. And then at that point, we determine if they do meet eligibility, then we determine what services are required.

Cecilia  06:35

I love that this process is such a collaborative process, everybody coming together for the goal of that child to be successful. So how does a parent know when the interventions are enough? Or when maybe more supports are needed?

Karina  06:56

So I can answer this question from the general education setting, right. So if you're thinking that a child has not yet been identified, and perhaps there might be a little behind in certain academic areas. Once again, going back to those SST meetings, and MTSS meetings are critical. This is the opportunity once again, where you can share your concerns with the school team. Ideally, at those meetings, that will be benchmarks that will be set in is not a one time meeting, but rather is an ongoing process where we are progress monitoring our student and making sure that they're meeting the benchmarks that we are setting for them. And if the student is making progress, that is a wonderful thing as well, that doesn't mean that they're going to necessarily be at gray level immediately. But what we want to see is that they're making gains, if those gains are being made, that we know that they have the capacity to learn on the opposite. And if we are not seeing the results that we are expecting, and our interventions have been apply with fidelity and consistently, and we're still not seeing the progress that we want to see him, then that is the point where we want to stop and say why is this? What else might be going on? We not considering something yet. And that's perhaps a good time when we want to bring in those other experts, a speech pathologist or a school psychologist that can then diagnose and pinpoint if there is indeed a learning disability going on,

Cecilia  09:01

Okay. Wonderful. If a parent has their first IEP meeting scheduled, what can the parent expect in walking into that meeting? Because I know, especially with the first time parents, you know, they really discussed how they feel maybe a little intimidated by the process, you know, they're coming in, and they're meeting with so many different experts. And really, they're just scared for their child, they want what's best for their child and to advocate correctly for them. So what can a parent expect out of this very first initial meeting? And what would be the parents role in this process?

Karina  09:38

Excellent question. I'm gonna take us back one step and discuss that during the evaluation process. The parent is already involved. And this is a great opportunity to begin to meet some of the team members that will eventually become part of that initial meeting. As a peer Randy, during the evaluation process, you will be interviewed and asked to complete forms and surveys, and just different opportunities to provide input about both the strengths of your child as well as the needs that you see in the concerns that you have from a parent perspective. So that is a great opportunity for you to begin to meet those folks that eventually you will end up meeting at that initial IEP meeting, and perhaps even eventually working with them throughout the duration of that IEP. So that's, my first recommendation is that you become involved at that very stage that you return all of those forms. And that also, another way of being prepared for that meeting, is by requesting reports, the school can provide you with those reports that will be reviewed at that initial IEP meeting. And that will give you some sense of peace and preparation as well, by bringing in those reports ahead of time and having the opportunity to review those. And that way that that way, you can come up with some idea of what those results will be.

Cecilia  11:14

Okay, great. And so those reports are giving you the test results of how they've tested your child, right?

Karina  11:21

Yes, for those reports will be review with you as a parent, that initial IEP meeting, that will ease a little bit of the anxiety and nervousness coming in. But to return to your question, what to do and how to prepare, I think one important thing to know is that you are part of that decision making process and that your voice is needed and warranted, and that we want to hear your concerns, we want to hear your lens, you bring out a very important lens to that meeting. And it's important that you have that available for the rest of the team. Don't be afraid to ask questions. During the IEP. Sometimes as educators, we get caught up in using language and acronyms. That you may not be familiar as a parent, but please stop us and ask for clarification. We are here to service as you as much as we are there to service your student. And stop us and ask us questions. Ask for clarification. Even a private meeting with the school psychologist who will be evaluating your child is also within reason where you can have an opportunity to review results with that individual.

Cecilia  12:46

Yes, I love that you hit on that. Parents you have rights. And that includes the right to request meetings for whatever and request, you know, to stop the meeting and ask for clarification for that moment. And yes, so I love that you mentioned that. Thank you so much. Is there an age limit to eligibility?

Karina  13:06

No. Well, let me take that back. There is in the federal and state law, children who are within three years and 21 years of age, are eligible for special education services. So if you have a little toddler, a little baby that you're concerned about, you can certainly reach out to your school district once they hit the age oh three, they are eligible to be evaluated. And for the school districts, it is their responsibility to determine eligibility for those little, little babies. A child will continue to be eligible for special education up until they graduate with a high school diploma or until they age out at the age of 21. Also, I think it's important for parents to understand that every three years, the school district will call a triennial meeting to determine if additional testing is warranted. Once again, you are part of that IEP meeting. And every three years the district will reevaluate for a couple of purposes. One is to determine the progress that the student is making, and  also to determine if they continue to necessitate on the services of special education. So we call that a triennial evaluation. So if at one of those points in that triangle evaluation, the team and once again parents are part of that team. They determine that the child does not need special education services, then a recommendation to exit the student will be made, which is a wonderful thing. That is our objective. Our objective is that students eventually don't need the services that eventually they will be able to function within the general education setting. Without the need of any additional services. So that is something to celebrate. So if you're finding yourself in those conversations, you know, we gotta praise our children for the hard work that they've done. We also have to recognize the work of parents who have been involved along the way, as well as the educators that have been working really hard to make that happen. 

Cecilia  15:22

Absolutely. 

Karina  15:23

You know, Cecilia, sometimes when we come to triennial evaluations, parents are very hesitant about it. And they don't want to necessarily exit their children because they fear that they're giving up supports. But I think I will like to mention that those are moments of celebrations as well, and that we have to recognize that our objective is to eventually return children back to the least restrictive environment, and that is within the general education setting.

Cecilia  15:56

Exactly. Thank you for that, that's perfect. And I know there's so many great staff, school staff that can come and be part of the IEP process to provide the student more support. And we have a lot of teachers and principals and other staff members that may also be listening to this podcast. So what advice can you offer our school staff to make this process maybe a little less intimidating for parents and just a smoother process in general, for our parents?

Karina  16:27

Yes. A couple of things come to mine, I think bringing down the language be mindful of the language that we're utilizing, I think internally, we get so accustomed with using acronyms and using certain code words, if you will, when we're referring to practices and things that we do around the school setting. So being very conscientious of that, and trying to eliminate that sort of language so that it is clearly understood to parents, what we're talking about. Another factor is to ensure that we have the right staff who is supporting us along that process. And what I mean by that is, for parents who perhaps are Spanish speaking parents, we want to make sure that we have the correct interpreters, folks that had been trained, and are familiar with a special educational lingo, who can interpret for our parents with precision, 

Cecilia  17:32

Yes, very important. 

Karina  17:34

We also want to keep the tone of this friendly, we want to make sure that we're not necessarily jumping ahead of ourselves. Initially, we want to be talking about interventions, and not talking about those heavy labels, that sometimes can be very intimidating for our families, and very emotionally draining as well. So if we have not crossed the bridge of identifying a disability, we want to stay away from that, and just purely discuss interventions within the general education setting.

Cecilia  18:16

Yes, and I'd like to also add, sometimes, even when parents walk in, they can come on one side of the table, and all of this great school staff is there to support them are on the opposite end of the table. And that alone can be a little intimidating. So I'd add for it to be more of a cohesive environment and sit next to the parent offer that support in that way as well. I know, on my end, parents have really explained that that was helpful for them, and it made them feel like they were more part of a team less judged. And so I'd also like to recommend that for our staff as well as

18:53

And that's a great point. And sometimes even our furniture, right? How we arrange our furniture is can make a huge difference. So if there is a possibility to have a round table, because that promotes that equality, right, that we're all equals at the table. If that's if that is possible at all, but yeah, absolutely. Visuals I think is another thing that comes to mind. Sometimes we're talking about numbers and things that are not necessarily supported with some visual in front of us. So if we can have work samples and graphics that explain the information that we're sharing, that can also be very meaningful. During SST meetings, or MTSS meeting, parents can work in collaboration with the school staff to design strategies that can be applied both in the school setting as well as in the home setting. So for instance, if There is a need for say, for instance, a visual schedule. That is something that a parent can carry that over into the home to help support what the school staff is also trying to implement. Equally, parents, you know your children best you spend the majority of the time with them. During those planning meetings, you can also bring ideas of what is working in the home, that could be replicated at school as well. 

Cecilia  18:53

Wow, that's all great helpful tips for parents, thank you so much. And to really sum it up, remember parents during the IEP process, keep your child the focus of the IEP have a positive attitude going in and focus on finding the solutions. We want to give and expect respect from all the team members included in this process. We want to keep the lines of communication open, especially with our instructors, our teachers, and our parents work together with as a team to support your child best. I think that has been such a great information session that you've just provided us. Thank you so much. I feel like I would just been part of the IEP training that you give. And so I want to say thank you so much to my incredible guests today for all this great information and helpful tips. So join us next time for a very impactful discussion on the gift of dyslexia and other learning challenges. Thanks again for listening. And remember parents, you are doing amazing, you are amazing, and you are raising amazing humans. So take a breath and enjoy the little moments. And we'll see you next time. And remember to subscribe to parenting with passion podcasts on Spotify, Amazon music or iHeartRadio