In addition to regular reviews of the Individual Education Plan (IEP), you, and your child, also have a role in monitoring the IEP. This means checking to see if the supports and services outlined in the IEP are being provided to your child.
To monitor the IEP, consider the following questions:
- Is your child making progress and achieving the goals set out in the IEP?
- Is your child struggling and do they need more help?
- Are the accommodations listed in the IEP being provided in the classroom?
- Is the modified or alternative program as described in the IEP?
- Are the supports, identified in the Human Resources section, being delivered with the frequency and intensity described?
- Are all of the listed Health Supports being provided?
Read the Report Card and the IEP together
When looking at the student’s progress remember that where the IEP is checked the student is working on a modified or alternative program. Students who are accommodated only will not have the IEP box checked as they are working on grade level learning expectations.
Look at the IEP together to see what the student’s goals were and look at the Report Card to see how the child has done this term/semester. Consider whether your child:
- Has improved their marks, or their achievement level?
- Has the teacher noted any areas of concern?
Planning for the next IEP
After you have reviewed the IEP and Report Card consider what feedback you would like to give the teacher for the next term’s IEP?
- Are you satisfied with the student’s progress and were the goals (learning expectations) for the term/semester met?
- If the goals were not met, do the goals need to be changed for the next term/semester?
- Are there strategies described in the IEP (accommodations, teaching strategies and assessment methods) working and should they be continued?
- Are there any strategies that have not been helpful and should be reconsidered?
- Do you have any suggestions for additional strategies that should be considered?
If you have any concerns or ideas for changes, contact the teacher to discuss your views and suggestions that you have for the IEP. You can also use the Parent Comments section of the Report Card, or the Parent Consultation section of the IEP to document your comments about what is working and what may need to be changed.
For more information on the IEP, check other articles on Easter Seals Kids at School, as well as the Ministry of Education Individual Education Plan A Resource Guide (2004) available at www.edu.gov.on.ca