Organization for IEP Season - Part Four

Welcome back for the final part of this series.

Today I will provide some helpful tips on attending your CSE meetings.

Let me start by saying that if you are new to teaching and this is your first meeting, relax and breathe.

You have prepared all year for this time, you have kept accurate and organized data, and you know your students' strengths and weaknesses.

You will be just fine!

First off, it is crucial to have yourself organized and put together before your meeting begins.

I have dreadfully witnessed times where individuals have come to meetings and have not brought one bit of paperwork...and then they fumbled their words and even stated things incorrectly during their evaluation of the student...YIKES!

PLEASE...do NOT let this be you!

The following is my checklist that I refer to prior to every meeting.

Font Credits: KG Fonts and Hello Font

Remember, it is crucial to be prepared...but being prepared does not mean bringing every single note you ever took about your student to the meeting.

Bringing along too much data and paperwork to a meeting can actually work against you.

You may become lost in the bigger picture and become overwhelmed.

Stick to what is only most necessary.

 The post-meeting notes keep me organized with important discussions or comments that happened during the meeting and allow me to keep track of any changes that need to take place after the meeting.

Many times services or goals will be altered during a meeting, and I need to be sure those changes are properly executed.

Finally, you are ready to "present" your student to the Special Education Committee.

Again, breathe...you know your student inside and out.  All that is left to do is summarize your key points.  

Take a peek at the chart below.

1, Old Goals:  Begin your presentation by moving through each subject area and discussing the goals for the current school year.  Has the student met each one of these goals?  This will easily segue into number two.

2. PLOPs:  When reviewing the student's current level of performance, always talk about the student's strengths and gains first.  Discuss how he or she is performing academically and socially.  Finally, lead into the student's needs.

3. New Goals:  For each need on your IEP, you must create an appropriate, measurable goal to match the need.  It is also important to note that if the student did not meet particular goals for this academic year, that you justify why you may be carrying them over to the following year.

Thanks so much for joining me!  I would love to hear any ideas you have for attending your CSE meetings and keeping organized.  Please feel free to leave your comments below.

Missed any other articles I have written for IEP Organization?  Click through the pictures below to read more tips.