Student Led IEP Meetings

1. Student Led IEP Meetings Self Advocacy in Action

2. What is your definition of self advocacy?

3. Philosophy & Background • President Johnson’s “Great Society” Movement • Civil Right’s Movement for children with disabilities • Entitlement Programs: social welfare, vocational/rehabilitation services, Medicare, services for the elderly, Head Start, and Special Education • Belief that these systems led to dependence instead of fostering independence

4. Philosophy & Background • Mid-1990’s Welfare Reform & change in belief system for entitlement programs • Special Education = IDEA 97 Reauthorization Transition to Independence • Meanwhile in Glenn County… • Lyn Smith • Vicki Shadd • Kathy Brown

5. Educational Benefit ? Was the Transition Plan and Transition Service Language in the IEP reasonably calculated over a 3-year period to provide Educational Benefit in the area of Post-Secondary Transition?

6. ASSESSMENT • (Grade-level Transition Assessment) • Identifies… • PRESENT LEVELS OF PERFORMANCE • (Define Areas of Need) • Drives… • MEASURABLE POST-SECONDARY GOALS • (Written to meet areas of Need) • Which Drives… • ANNUAL TRANSITION GOALS • (In the areas of Training, Education, Employment, Daily Living) • Drives… • SERVICES • Ensures… • PROGRESS • Did the student make yearly progress? If not, were the goals and objectives changed? • Were there enough transition services/activities to ensure student progress towards? • Career Education Work-Based Learning • Grade-level Transition Assessment • Career/Interest inventories • TPP match class • Senior Portfolio or Senior Project • Student-led Individual Education Plan (IEP) and Self-Advocacy Exercises • Drives… • INSTRUCTION, LRE & ACCOMMODATIONS and/or MODIFICATIONS • (Does the instruction ensure student post-secondary outcomes?) • (Is the Accommodation & Modification Plan complete?) • Ensures… • EDUCATIONAL BENEFIT

7. Competencies of Student Led IEP Meetings • To prepare for life after high school • To develop confidence and promote ownership • To promote self-advocacy and disability awareness • To provide structure and natural setting to practice self advocacy • To provide immediate feedback and assessment for learning

8. Student Led IEP Meeting PROCESS • Before • During • After

9. Before: Gathering Evidence with the Student Psychological evaluation Progress toward goals Executive Functioning Teacher reports from General Ed Transition assessment Critical skills assessment Work experiences Grades, Attendance, Discipline What other information do you use?

10. With the student: Prepare the script Practice Fill-out a draft of the document Invite the IEP team members Before: Preparing for the IEP Meeting

11. The student uses the script to lead the meeting The teacher coaches the student and redirects conversation if needed During

12. After • Rubric – self score and student’s choice • Implementation – student’s take a role in making sure what was decided is carried out • Self- advocacy - the student is more likely to ask for what he needs because he was in on the decision • Increased awareness – fosters open dialog between the student and other school staff

13. Middle School and Work Ability IThe Beginning Tools Student-Led IEP Meetings

14. BEFORE…Transition Portfolio

15. DURING…WorkAbility I Expectations 6th Grade • Introductions • Share 1 piece of related information 7th Grade • Introductions • Share an artifact from Service Learning Project, Industry Tour, or Portfolio 8th Grade • Introductions • Share an artifact from Service Learning Project, Industry Tour, or Portfolio • Share High School Planner

16. Work-Based Career Interview Industry Tour Guest Speaker Service Learning Project Connecting Activities Student Data Forms IEP/ILP meeting participation High School Planning High School Visit High School Shadow Self Advocacy Development AFTER…WorkAbility I Support

17. Best Practices Service Learning and Tours

18. Self Advocacy is… knowing yourself, knowing your rights, and asking for what you need.

19. What is the opposite of fun for me? What kind of work can I see myself doing as an adult? What kind of work would be torture for me? What are my values? What really makes me upset? What makes me feel comfortable? What areas do I want to improve? How am I at communicating? How am I at organizing? How am I at relationships? How am I at school? sports? other interests? Knowing YourselfSelf-reflection journals Who am I?What do I want for myself?What kind of life do I want?What do I like?What don't I like?What am I good at?What do I need help with?What is easy for me?What is hard for me?What is fun for me? What interests will always be important to me?

20. More “knowing yourself” activities • Self portraits –with symbols represented various knowledge of self • Questionnaires – about goals, likes, dislikes, aptitudes • Learning Styles inventory • IEP exploration: • present levels • name of disability • accommodations • modifications • services

21. IDEA ADA Rights and Responsibilities When You Turn 18 Students added these links to their blogs www.hhlamb.blogspot.com Knowing my rightsteacher and students read, highlighted and took notes

22. Student-Led IEP grade 6 – age 22 Self-Advocacy grade 6 – age 22 Development of Standards

23. Start with the biggest part of the whole that the student can handle.

24. How to get started and how to make it work • Believe it is important • Identify your support partners • Prepare the team members for the change • Reframe the task • Scheduling Day Long IEP Meetings

25. Student comments … Tell us about the process of preparing the IEP script. What do you learn about yourself? What is the difference for you between leading your IEP meeting and just attending your IEP meeting?

26. Questions and Answers