Everyone is always asking what the secret to IEPs is. And honestly, it’s not that hard. The biggest secret is to just make sure that you plan in advance and remain organized.
Like anything in life, if you leave things to the last minute, it gets very stressful, real fast. Because you have all of that added pressure. Now in an ideal world, we’d always have the time to get things done in advance, but this isn’t always the case. And sometimes we just generally do run out of time. So today I thought I’d share 5 of my best tips for helping you win with IEPs!
1. Be SMART When Setting Goals
If you don’t know SMART, I will for sure be surprised. It’s something that’s be drummed into my head for so many years that I feel like I could probably dream about it!
SMART goals are;
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Results-Orientated
Time-Bound
If you follow this layout when you’re setting IEP goals, it will make your life so much easier. So often I see in teacher Facebook groups where teachers are stressing because they don’t understand a goal. Or they’re unsure how to track a goal, or present evidence. This is just a whole lot of added stress you don’t want added to your plate! Make them SMART!
2. Keep IEPs in Mind for Planning
A lot of educators tend to do this backwards. They do their planning – and then later on they start trying to find ways to work on IEP targets that fit in with their planning. Instead, try to use the IEP targets of your students for your planning. This way you’re already working on those targets without having to find extra time or activities. Use them as a basis.
For example. When you’re about to plan your next topic, first of all get all of your students IEP targets out. Divide them into subject areas/skills needed. Then use this as your starting point for your planning. It’s going to be so much easier for you in the long run when you’re already working on those goals.
3. Keep On Top of Dates
The second you have access to necessary deadlines and dates – add them to your calendar! Get everything prepared and organized in advance so you’re not running around like a last minute headless chicken. Make sure to give yourself enough time in the leads up to these so that you can get everything prepared.
4. Know Your Students Goals
IEPs can be a lot of paperwork and headwork for us to keep on top of at all times – especially for all our students in our classrooms. One of my biggest tricks is to make a one page summary for each of your students for their IEP goals. Put it in an easy accessible place that’s organized efficiently so anyone can easily get access to this and understand student’s goals.
The one page summary is also helpful if you are sharing with other teachers or service providers for a quick overview. I like to keep them at the beginning of the student’s IEP binder.
5. Be Prepared for IEP Meetings
Like anything in life, the more you do something, the better you get at it. Which is why it’s completely normal to be nervous and overwhelmed for your first ever IEP meeting. But don’t stress! The secret is just being prepared.
First of all, you can always find a mentor to come in with you for the meeting – just double check with all attendees. Many families won’t mind at all, and it will help you feel more comfortable to have a familiar face in there supporting you.
Also – don’t be afraid to do a practice run! Find a teacher buddy and run through your proposed IEP meeting. Ask if there’s anything that needs changing or how you performed. Sometimes we just need that reassurance from others.
And most importantly, have a schedule to follow. It can be very easy to go off track. Have a schedule created for the meeting, and go over this schedule briefly at the beginning of the meeting. You can allocated time for questions at the end so that you stay on track throughout. This will help you stay more focused – because there’s nothing worse than being taken off track with something and then trying to remember where you were and what you were going to say next.
So those are my 5 tips for the secret to IEPs being less stressful! Do you have any tips you’d like to share with others about IEPs? If so, leave them in the comments section below.
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