Student Participation in the IEP Meeting
Participation begins with the development of a students own IEP. Konrad (2008) explains the ways to involve students in their IEP in five stages are (a) developing background knowledge, (b) planning for the IEP, (c) drafting the IEP, (d) meeting to develop the IEP, and (e) implementing the IEP. Before a student can become involved in the process of their IEP, they have to gain knowledge on what is included within an IEP. Students need to be involved in the IEP process and should be involved in writing their present level of performance, developing post secondary goals, identifying their own accommodations and modifications, and having responsibility in achieving transition and post-secondary goals (Van Dyke et al., 2006). Students will then be involved with the development of their education plan and future.
Students need to be motivated to start and continue involvement within their IEP process. This encouragement can come from those individuals surrounding the student in their every day lives. Self-determination is essential and eventually leads to student involvement in their IEP process. “Teachers and administrators report that they value self-advocacy and self determination skills and are interested in receiving instruction regarding how they can better prepare students for active participation in their IEP meetings” (Test et al., 2004, p. 391). Educators are willing and have the drive to educate students about becoming self-advocates. This passion will be passed on to each student in special education. Students will want to voice their rights, speak their mind, and discuss their goals for the future.