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For special education teachers, IEPs are second nature. The acronyms make sense, the laws surrounding the documents are understood, and the necessity of

Use the special ed inclusion documentation forms to keep track of service times, lesson plans, and more. Streamline it all quickly and effectively!

Dear administrators, Let me start off by saying that I write this letter on behalf of special educators. While it's true that I might not speak for every single special ed teacher, after spending 10 years in the classroom, I like to think I speak for many. First off, we truly appreciate all th

IEP Laws and Regulations Several years ago, I was at a fundraiser. It was for an agency that assists disabled people. So, naturally, they had

3 Tips for monthly staff and paraprofessional training topics for special education teachers in the self contained setting.

There's a lot to do at the beginning of the school year and not the least of which is professional development. Here are some ideas!

Strategies, interventions, accommodations, and modifications are important academic student supports. Read this guide for teachers and parents.

The process of an IEP is designed to implement strategies and create success in school for children with special needs.

It is important for parents to understand the difference between IEP vs 504. IEPs have more safeguards in place to ensure schools provide the right support.

The four domains of the Danielson Framework rubric are Planning & prep, Classroom environment, Instruction, and Professional responsibilities.

What is a paraprofessional? What is a paraeducator? How special education paraprofessionals and special education instructional assistants support students.

As a parent, heading into an IEP meeting is overwhelming. Even well-seasoned parents of children with special needs get nervous before walking into a meeting where the sole purpose is to dissect what their child can and cannot do. There are some things that special education teachers can do for parents to elevate some of the anxiety that comes with attending IEP meetings. Be honest with all communication. Communicate with parents often. When you talk with parents throughout the year, do not sugar-coat everything. There is nothing worse than feeling blindsided when you have been told that "everything is fine" all year long only to hear a more realistic description during the IEP meeting. Phone calls, emails, and daily communication logs are all options, depending on the level of need. If you have a student that needs daily communication, this communication log saved me loads of time at the end of the day. Give as much unofficial notice as possible. The law says you need to give written notice five business days before an IEP meeting. However, for a lot of parents, that may not be enough time to make arrangements with their places of employment or for childcare. When you find out the date, even if you don't know the exact time, let the parents know so they can plan ahead. Supply a draft IEP and call home ahead of the meeting. Giving a draft IEP ahead of time allows parents to really review the IEP and come up with questions. Adding a brochure about IEPs like this one is a nice touch too. Do not tell the parents to call you with any questions because that can be too intimidating for some personalities. Instead, call home a few days after you send home the draft to go over the IEP with them. Set a positive mood in the meeting room. Many of the meeting spaces I have attended meetings in have been very formal conference rooms. One way to make the meeting space feel less formal and more inviting is to add a centerpiece and a small tray of snacks. A simple vase of fresh flowers along with a plate of cookies in the middle of the table can turn a cold boardroom into an inviting space. Have a familiar person collect the parent from the waiting area. When possible, have a familiar face walk the parents back to the meeting. Engage in casual conversation on the way to the meeting room. Chances are, the parents are really nervous and chatting with a familiar person can calm their nerves a bit. Have everybody introduce themselves. At the start of the meeting, have everybody introduce themselves and give their role in the meeting. Even if the parents are seasoned and have been to several meetings, they may only see the people at the table once a year. Introductions are important. A warm smile and a hello can go a long way to help a parent feel at ease. Give an overview of the meeting. For parents attending an IEP meeting for the first time, not knowing what the meeting will look like is a major concern. Sharing a meeting agenda is helpful, even for parents that have attended IEP meetings in the past. I love this one that also includes space for the parents to take notes if they would like. Share growth and positives. When each person takes their turn to talk about the student, make sure everybody begins with positive qualities and growth. After you share growth, then go into detail about struggles, concerns, and goals. Always remember who you are talking to. You are talking to these parents about their greatest love of all time. Put yourself in their shoes and show those parents the same compassion and honesty you would hope for. Check in after the meeting. Call the parents within a few days of the meeting to go over the decisions made and to answer any additional questions. Remind the parents that you are always available to answer questions about the IEP and about their child's educational programs. These are just a few things that you can do to make an IEP meeting less overwhelming for a parent. What else do you and your team do to make parents for comfortable with the process?

You might be asking yourself, “What is an IEP Party?” Let me be the first to tell you I am so glad you asked! First, lets start with the basics. An IEP (Individual Education Program) is a legal document for a child that receives special education services. This document provides vital information about the child ... Read More about IEP Party: Beginning of the year special education meeting with campus staff

One of the things I think is extremely important but sometimes difficult to do is advocating for your students as an educator.

Special Education teachers are the masters of data collection! At times, collecting data can be overwhelming, especially when you sometimes have to outsource the collecting to other teachers, specialists, or teaching assistants. Tracking accommodations is necessary to make sure an IEP is being followed and can be helpful in determining which accommodations should be added to or removed from the IEP. Believe it or not, collecting data on accommodations and modifications does not have to consume your life! Share Information Be sure to share vital information with all teachers and assistants that work with your students. I have an accommodations organizer that I organize all of the information of my class. The information is in one place which is helpful for sharing information with assistants, special area teachers, and substitutes. When I first began teaching, I did not bother sharing such information with special area teachers until it was brought to my attention that a student of mine did not complete a test in physical education class. That student had trouble reading and was supposed to have his tests read. The PE teacher was unaware of his accommodations and therefore did not deliver them. I use a special form that reminds me of who needs to be informed of accommodations and modifications at the beginning of the school year and after an IEP annual review. Train Your Team If you have paraprofessionals in your classroom working with students, it is important to train them in how to deliver and how to track accommodations and modifications. Some interventions are more detailed than others. Observe your team while they are working with students and provide feedback as needed. The time you put in to properly train your team to record data the same way you would is so well spent! Use Checklists When I first started teaching, I used to write notes on a post-it that included which accommodations and modifications were used on assignments along with their effectiveness. It was very time consuming and often times, I forgot to add some things. Finally, I came up with a few checklists and forms to help the process. Level of Support One of the forms I use tracks the level of support a student needs from an adult. I use this one to determine the need for a 1:1 teaching assistant. It is useful before adding a TA and to collect data to see if continuing the intervention is a necessity. The adult that works with the student at that time fills it out while working with the student. Accommodations and Modifications Tracker I use this form two ways, depending on what I am collecting data for. As an IEP meeting approaches, I like to review the need for the interventions on the IEP. I can track the types of interventions are needed for different types of assignments and activities. More importantly, I can track the effectiveness of such interventions. I can also cut this tracker apart to staple it onto work samples. The work samples can be to show the Committee on Special Education the student's growth or regression. I also like to send work home with students with the form filled out from time to time so parents can see what kind of help the student needs in order to complete assignments at school. Frequency Tracker Another way I like to track the use of accommodations and modifications needed in school is with a frequency tracker I created. This gives me a quick visual of which interventions are being used and which are not. I focus on this during the weeks before a meeting so I can determine which accommodations and modifications need to remain, be added, or be removed from an IEP. Data collection is so important but it doesn't have to take over your entire life. Once you create a few checklists that fit your classroom or purchase one of the many checklists and charts from my TpT store, you will save yourself a ton of time and will have more data than you've ever had before!

How many special education evaluations do you have during one school year? I average about 20-30. And I must say, it is HARD to manage at times. This year, I started using a checklist to help keep my special education evaluations organized. You can download this printable for FREE by clicking here! After downloading the […]

As a special education teacher, do you feel like your teacher evaluation is meaningful? I'm sharing tips for how to help.

One of the things I think is extremely important but sometimes difficult to do is advocating for your students as an educator.

Making sure our students have enough math practice is vital. Thankfully, there are math websites that are great for special ed!