Free IEP Meeting Agendas: Samples and Templates for a Productive Meeting

Inside: It’s best practice, but not required, to have an IEP Meeting Agenda. Here are some samples and templates for IEP Meeting Agendas for you to swipe.

IEP meetings are an important part of the special education process. These meetings are held to discuss, develop, and review a student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP). An IEP is a legal document that outlines a student’s educational goals, the services they will receive, and any accommodations or modifications that will be made to help them succeed in school.

To ensure that an IEP meeting is productive and efficient, it is important to have a clear agenda in place. An agenda helps keep the meeting on track and ensures that all necessary topics are discussed. It is recommended that the agenda be shared with all members of the IEP team prior to the meeting to allow for adequate preparation time.

The agenda should include an overview of the meeting’s purpose, a review of the student’s current progress, and a discussion of any necessary updates or changes to the IEP.

When There is No IEP Meeting Agenda

Even though I have attended hundreds of IEP meetings across several states, very few of them have a printed IEP meeting agenda ready for us when we arrive.

Ok, maybe it doesn’t have to be that formal. But I see a lot of issues come up when there is no IEP meeting agenda.

An IEP meeting agenda is a document that outlines the topics to be discussed during an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting. The purpose of an IEP meeting agenda is to provide structure and organization to the meeting, ensuring that all relevant topics are covered in a timely and efficient manner.

When there is no agenda, whoever is leading the IEP meeting usually just starts going over the IEP….and often just reading it to the rest.

I don’t find that to be particularly helpful. I know which of my clients have reading struggles, and we take care of those issues ahead of time. Having an IEP team member read us the IEP is not an accommodation that I have found valuable.

What is an IEP Meeting Agenda?

An IEP meeting agenda typically includes the following sections:

• Opening: Introductions and purpose of the meeting.
• Review of Previous IEP: A review of the previous IEP, including progress made by the student and any changes to their needs or goals.
• Present Levels of Performance: A discussion of the student’s current academic and functional abilities.
• Goals and Objectives: A review of the student’s goals and objectives from the previous IEP, as well as the development of new goals and objectives for the upcoming year.
• Services and Supports: A discussion of the services and supports the student requires to achieve their goals and objectives.
• Accommodations and Modifications: A review of the accommodations and modifications the student requires to access the curriculum and participate in school activities.
• Transition Planning: A discussion of the student’s transition to post-secondary education, employment, or independent living.
• Parent and Student Participation: A review of the parent and student’s participation in the IEP process and any concerns or questions they may have.

Overall, an IEP meeting agenda is an essential tool for ensuring that all necessary topics are discussed during an IEP meeting.

By providing structure and organization to the meeting, an IEP meeting agenda can help to ensure that the student’s needs are met and that their educational goals are achieved.

• Preparation: Before an IEP meeting, it is essential to prepare adequately to ensure that the meeting is productive and successful. Preparation involves gathering information, setting goals, and creating an agenda.
• Gathering Information: To prepare for an IEP meeting, the team needs to gather relevant information about the student’s strengths, weaknesses, and needs. This information may include academic assessments, medical reports, behavioral observations, and input from parents, teachers, and therapists. The team should review this information before the meeting to ensure that they are fully informed about the student’s current abilities and challenges.
• Setting Goals: The IEP team should set specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound (SMART) goals for the student. These goals should be based on the student’s strengths, needs, and interests and should align with the state standards. The team should also consider the student’s long-term goals and post-secondary aspirations when setting the goals.

Please note: The spirit of IDEA calls for the IEP to be drawn up by the IEP team at the annual IEP meeting.

In today’s society, IEPs have become such large and litigious documents, it’s not reasonable to think that an entire IEP will be written in one meeting.

Pre-work to the IEP–and some IEP team members meeting to discuss goals and other portions of the IEP, is common.

As long as they still hear and heed the parents’ concerns, this is not predetermination.

If you are concerned about IEP predetermination, then you should learn that concept and decide if you need to file for special education due process for violation of FAPE or not.

Creating the IEP Meeting Agenda

Creating an agenda is crucial to ensure that the IEP meeting stays on track and covers all the necessary topics.

The agenda should include the purpose of the meeting, introductions, review of procedural safeguards/rights, identification of various roles of IEP team participants, review of student’s current performance, discussion of goals and objectives, identification of services and accommodations, and determination of placement.

The agenda should be shared with all team members before the meeting to ensure that everyone is aware of the topics to be discussed. The team should also allocate sufficient time for each topic to ensure that all issues are adequately addressed.

Sample IEP Meeting Agenda

IEP meetings are critical for students with disabilities as they provide an opportunity for the IEP team to come together and discuss the student’s individualized education program.

The meeting is typically led by the student’s case manager or special education teacher and involves a variety of stakeholders, including the student, parents, general education teacher, and other related service providers.

In my perfect world where everyone has self advocacy skills, students should attend and lead their own IEP meeting. People think I’m crazy when I say it, but it’s their future we are discussing–they should be at the forefront of the conversation.

1. Opening Remarks

The meeting typically begins with opening remarks from the case manager or special education teacher, who will welcome everyone and introduce the purpose of the meeting. They will also review the agenda for the meeting and ensure that everyone understands the process.

2. Reviewing IEP Progress

The next step in the meeting is to review the student’s progress since the last IEP meeting. The team will review the student’s present levels of performance, which includes academic, social, and behavioral progress. The team will also review any assessments that have been conducted since the last meeting and discuss the implications of those assessments for the student’s education program.

3. Discussing IEP Goals

After reviewing progress, the team will discuss the student’s goals for the upcoming year. The goals should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. The team should also consider any accommodations or modifications that the student may need to achieve their goals.

4. Creating Action Plan

Once the goals have been established, the team will work together to create an action plan for achieving those goals. This plan will include specific strategies and interventions that will be used to support the student’s progress. The team will also discuss any related services that the student may need, such as speech therapy or occupational therapy.

5. Closing Remarks

The meeting will conclude with closing remarks from the case manager or special education teacher. They will summarize the key points of the meeting and ensure that everyone understands the next steps. The team will also schedule the next IEP meeting and discuss any follow-up that needs to be done before the next meeting.

IEP Meeting Follow-Up

After the IEP meeting is over, it is important to follow up to ensure that the agreements made during the meeting are implemented. This section will discuss two important aspects of follow-up: distributing meeting minutes and implementing the action plan.

Distributing Meeting Minutes

The meeting minutes serve as a record of what was discussed and agreed upon during the IEP meeting. It is important to distribute the meeting minutes to all team members, including the parents, teachers, and service providers. This ensures that everyone is on the same page and understands what was agreed upon.

Please note: IEP meetings are not required per IDEA. It is best practice to have a designated notetaker, but not required.

Implementing the IEP

After the IEP meeting, parents should do an after IEP meeting email. And, tasks should be clearly defined if there is any follow up to be done.

Parents may need to make calls, register their kids or sign forms. Parents should take ownership of this, and clarify any uncertainties.

IEP Meeting Agenda Template

Here is a very basic template for an IEP meeting agenda if the one above does not meet your needs, this allows for more personalization. https://adayinourshoes.com/wp-content/uploads/IEP-meeting-agenda-template.pdf