Newsletter: How to make sure your Individualized Education Plan is ACTUALLY Individualized (April 12, 2024)
- Sean McCormick
- Apr 11, 2024
- 3 min read
Updated: Jul 30
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Here are 2 things that parents who ACTUALLY get an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) do…
Parents who don’t do these things often get a “cookie cutter” IEP that is mainly copied and pasted from another IEP by an overworked, underpaid special education teacher.
Wondering what they are? Keep reading…
Number 1: They Get Regular Updates on IEP goals
Kids who get real value from their IEP plan have parents who understand the IEP goals and know how to identify if their child is progressing toward them.
Many parents do not understand the IEP goals they have been “given,” but are too afraid to challenge the school team by asking questions, getting clarification, and adjusting those goals to reflect their parenting expertise.
Then, the parents don't hear anything about these cloudy goals until a year later when the next mandated IEP meeting occurs.
What parents can do instead of staying silent...
Instead, parents can ask for regular progress updates on how their child is progressing toward the IEP goals (at least once per semester) and make sure to ask HOW the progress is being measured.
If you want a template for how to ask for these updates, check out this article.
Number 2: They Get Clear On The Accommodations
The other thing parents who get lots of value from the IEP process do is make sure their student is aware of their IEP accommodations and can advocate for them.
So many kids have beautifully written, thoughtful accommodations written in their IEPs, and use them a total of 0 times throughout the semester.
How parents can help their kids get clear on their accommodations
Start the semester by:
Sitting down with your student
Reading through their accommodations together
Helping them craft an email to their teachers sharing a bit about their learning style and what accommodations they would like to use that semester.
If you would like an example email that is already drafted and ready to use, check out the downloadable resources in this article:
Final words
Don’t forget…
There is a reason it is called an “Individualized” Education Plan.
Make that IEP sweat a little bit, rather than collecting dust.
Hope this helps 🤙🏻
P.S. If you want to work on executive function skills with your students, consider joining hundreds of other educators and parents who have completed my Semester Success Blueprint Course. In less than 2 hours, this comprehensive course will teach you and your student the system I developed to help hundreds of students learn how to manage school effectively and raise their self-awareness and engagement with school.
About Me
Hey! I'm Sean 👋
I'm a former public school special education teacher who realized that executive function skills are more important than knowing when George Washington crossed the Potomac.
Since then, I've made it my mission to teach anyone who will listen about how to develop these key life skills.
In 2020, I founded Executive Function Specialists to ensure all students with ADHD and Autism have access to high-quality online executive function coaching services. We offer online EF coaching and courses to help students and families.
Realizing I could only reach so many people through coaching, in 2021 I started the Executive Function Coaching Academy which trains schools, educators, and individuals to learn the key strategies to improve executive function skills for students.
In 2023, I co-founded of UpSkill Specialists, to provide neurodivergent adults with high-quality executive function coaching services.
When not pursuing my passions through work, I love spending time with my family, getting exercise, and growing my brain through reading. You can connect with me on LinkedIn.
Want me to speak on executive function skills at your event? Learn more about my speaking topics here.