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Interventions are extra supports that help students learn when regular classroom lessons aren’t enough. They are designed to fit each student’s needs, so learning happens at a pace that feels comfortable and doable. These supports can build confidence, make learning easier, and help students succeed. Students with challenges like learning disabilities, ADHD, or behavior differences often benefit from interventions because they give clear strategies and guidance that match their strengths. Families, teachers, and students can work together to pick the right supports, creating a positive learning environment where progress is visible and achievements can be celebrated.

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/understanding-response-to-intervention

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Modifications are changes to what a student is expected to learn. They help students who have bigger learning challenges, like intellectual disabilities or severe learning difficulties, by adjusting lessons to match what they can handle. For example, a student might be tested on fewer spelling words than their classmates if spelling is hard for them. These changes make sure every student can succeed and show what they know in a way that works for them.

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-difference-between-accommodations-and-modifications

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Free Counting Coins Pennies to Quarters Worksheet - Made By Teachers

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Free Money Math Worksheet Try this Free Counting Coins Pennies to Quarters Worksheet with your 1st and 2nd grade students. Add the coins in each box and

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Reduce complexity or steps in assignments

Fewer questions or alternative assessments

Alternative ways to show mastery (project, oral report)

https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/differentiated-instruction/articles/how-adapt-your-teaching-strategies-student-needs

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Developing life skills lesson plans for cooking and helping administrators and others know how beneficial it can be to our students can be tough. Cooking activities in the classroom need to go beyond the simple act of cooking the recipe. There are a ton of skills we can teach, pre-teach, and review with the lesson that we can spend a week focused on one cooking activity-1 recipe. And we can differentiate it with a variety of goals to help all the students participate.

But with everything else going on in your classroom, it's sometimes hard to justify time spent cooking, which seems special and fun for students and staff. It also can seem like a huge headache if you try to cook more than one time a week. And sometimes even that is too much. So let's look at how you can plan out a week's worth of activities from 1 cooking unit. You can probably even stretch it to two weeks, but I though one would be sufficient. However, never be afraid to repeat a recipe or to make the same one two weeks in a row. Familiarity with the recipe and the food can help students acquire more skills than always having something new.

Lesson Plans for Cooking

First, let me start with examples of lesson plans. Please don't be overwhelmed by them, because I swear once you get them set up, they are easy to maintain. I talk about the lesson plans in this post in more detail.

And I know that many of you may not write lesson plans. And I talk about why I think lesson plans are important and useful for all the teaching staff in this post. The main element here that's important is that lesson plans tell all the staff not just what the activity is, but how to do it and what the goals are. That can be important when you need staff to set up activities for independence, rather than just prompting the students. It helps if they know WHY it's important-what skills are being worked on.

In this example of lesson plans, you can see that the class didn't cook everyday. We also had art and community skills. The class cooked twice a week. I've worked with classes that have it as a daily activity and others have had it weekly. Even if you don't want cooking on your schedule everyday, you can implement the activities I'll describe here across the week just by folding them into other activities. So you might use the presentation in morning meeting. And you might have them sequence first in their direct instruction with the teacher. And later they might practice the sequencing tasks in independent work.

Different Grades and Ages for Life Skills Lesson Plans

Clearly what the activities look like when you are writing life skills lesson plans for cooking are going to look different for different grades. The complexity of the cooking activity will be different. So you might be making a snack with an early elementary classroom. But with high school, you might be planning a whole meal, going shopping and more. Because in high school we are working on life skills lesson plans and the need for independence in cooking as a life skill is important. But for the younger students, we might still focus on independence in the steps, but the cooking activities will work to build language opportunities, socialization skills, reading, math and more. I'm always about life skills lesson plans that get as many skills practiced as possible.

Choose the Cooking Activity for the Lesson Plan

Obviously, the first step in any life skills lesson planning is choosing what the focus of the activity will be. I'm going to choose units that are available in my TpT store. You can do these activities without them. However, the units in the store include ready-made lesson plans and pacing guides that can save you time when integrating them into your class plans.

When choosing a cooking activity, you obviously are going to choose one that fits the resources in the classroom. Don't have a heat source like a stove or oven? No problem, make a no-cook recipe like a green tossed salad. And you have to think about safety and student skills. For instance, are your students working on cutting with knives or is this something you should have items pre-cut for. Or can you assign different jobs to students based on their skills?

Monday-or First Activity on the Life Skills Lesson Plan

Step 1 is reviewing the recipe and activity that you are going to be doing. So for the Green Tossed Salad unit, for instance, you would review the slide show of the steps of the recipe. You can use them as cloze activities as well for students to fill in the blanks by raising their hand to answer or with their communication device. You might do this in morning meeting as a group.

Then have the students make a prediction about whether they will like the salad. They can graph the responses on a template by just putting their name in the box their prediction.

The students also can review the visual recipe (or the one without pictures) to become familiar with the steps. You are looking at building vocabulary, identifying ingredients, and you can also work on graphing, interpreting graphs and more with the prediction activity.

Tuesday-Identify the Ingredients

Part of cooking life skills lesson plan is always about learning about new foods as much as it is about cooking. So it's helpful to take some time to have the students review the ingredients. They can also work on locating the ingredients in the classroom. And you can work on expressive and receptive vocabulary.

This is also a tool that you could send home for homework. They could work with a family member to find the ingredients in their kitchen and talk about it.

You can use the visual recipe as a tool to help students know which words identify which ingredients. Or don't use the pictures and work on reading comprehension with the ingredients list.

Wednesday: Cook the Recipe

First, I would always start by reviewing the recipe again. You might allow the students to taste the ingredients, if they are cooking with their own materials. If they are working as a group, they may be assigned a specific job.

In addition to working on independence in life skills, this step can also include many academic tasks. For instance, have the students measure out the ingredients. Or count the number of items.

And of course the best part of cooking the food is that you also get to eat it. So that gives you another opportunity to see if their predictions about liking the item were right or wrong. You can then add the responses to the graph and compare the two graphs to each other. This could even be a writing activity if you needed one for compare and contrast.

Thursday: Review the Steps and Sequencing

After the cooking is finished, the next day is a great time to revisit what they did. This is a good time to complete a visual worksheet or reading comprehension worksheet. The one shown here is from my Tossed Salad Cooking unit. Curricula like the Unique Learning System often have these types of activities with the cooking activities as well.

It might be helpful to review the steps of the cooking activity visually, like in a slide show, before you do the worksheet to refresh their memory. You could also add some journaling into this step for students who need to practice writing skills. They could write out the steps and write about whether they enjoyed the activity or not.

Friday: Reviewing the Sequencing

This is a great time to work on language skills and talking about the activity. Many of our students have difficulty retelling an event and putting the steps of what happened in order. you can use the visual recipe and other tools from the activity to cue their memory about what they did. And then have them put the steps in order. This could be by putting pictures from the recipe in order, or writing out the steps in order, depending on your students.

If your students each had a different assigned job, this is a great time for them to present to the class what their job involved. This gives the students the opportunities to hear more about different parts of the life skills lesson that they didn't directly experience. You can also add follow up questions, like what was your favorite ingredient. Or which item in the salad did you like least?

Wrapping Up the Life Skills Lesson Plan

So there you are, 5 days of activities based on one cooking activity. To make it even easier, the cooking units in my store, like the one shown above, have lesson plans with the objectives and steps laid out for you for previewing, cooking and reviewing. That makes it super easy to drop them into your lesson plans for your classroom. In addition, they have the visual recipes, slide show, and even a communication board to help students communicate while cooking.

So if you are looking for easy life skills lesson plans with cooking in the classroom, grab the two units in my store below. I have another one I need to add for Ants on a Log. These were all developed as part of the Special Educator Academy for a cooking workshop. So if you are a member, you can grab those inside the membership. You can learn more about the Special Educator Academy here.

Click to Purchase the Unit on TpT

In each set I included (in print and Google Slides)

Picture-based and written recipes

Digital or printable presentation with fill-in the blank for practicing vocabulary

A slide for making a prediction of whether they will like the dish they are making

Lesson plans previewing the lesson, cooking and reviewing the lesson as well as evaluating progress tips and plans

A Pacing Guide that could be shared with parents or paras for planning purposes to extend cooking activities throughout a week

A symbol communication board with core vocabulary integrated to assist in answering questions

Graphing templates for prediction of whether they will like the recipe and did they like the recipe and completing compare and contrast

Picture and Word-based sequencing templates of varying difficulty from 2-items, 4 items and 6 items to sequence

Click to Purchase on TPT

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Life Skills Lesson Plans for Cooking: How to Plan A Week's Worth of Activities - Autism Classroom Resources

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Cooking is such an engaging activity. It can be hard to plan, but one recipe could yield a week of valuable lessons. Find out how.

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Small-group instruction for focused skill-building

Frequent check-ins and progress monitoring

Behavior supports such as visual schedules and token systems

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MTSS4Success – Classroom and targeted supports: https://mtss4success.org/blog/how-can-teachers-improve-instruction-students-disabilities-and-all-students-tier-1

Understood.org – Response to Intervention explained simply: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/understanding-response-to-intervention

IRIS Center – Free modules on evidence-based interventions: https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/

Effective School Interventions: Evidence-Based Strategies for Improving Student Outcomes (3rd edition) by Matthew K. Burns, T. Chris Riley-Tillman, Natalie Rathvon – Comprehensive guide to implementing evidence-based academic and behavioral interventions in PreK–12 | ISBNs: 9781462531486 (digital), 9781462526147 (print) | VitalSource

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Differentiation means teaching a lesson in different ways so every student can understand and connect with it. It recognizes that every learner is different, with their own strengths, needs, and interests. For students who need extra help, like those with learning differences or who are learning English, differentiation gives tools and strategies to support them. For students who are ready for more challenge, it provides ways to extend their learning and think more deeply. Differentiation helps teachers create a classroom where all students feel included, confident, and able to succeed, and it helps families see how their child’s learning is designed to meet their needs.

https://www.edutopia.org/article/practical-guide-planning-intentional-differentiation/

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At the Center of Learning | American Libraries Magazine

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Learning centers provide focused, self-directed activities where learners work independently or collaboratively.

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Tiered assignments (different levels of difficulty)

Flexible grouping for projects or discussions

Choice boards and multimodal options (drawing, writing, hands-on)

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Differentiated Instruction

By considering what students need to know, their interests, and how learning will be assessed, teachers can differentiate assignments.

Planning: Content, processes, and products

Learner access: Readiness, interests, and learning preferences

Environment

Differentiating for the needs of all learners is an important focus that many teachers across the world share. We want our students to have a year-plus growth in courses, whether they're struggling with core basics, are just at the appropriate skill level, or have understanding that exceeds the learning outcomes of the curriculum. These are the key elements to consider in differentiating instruction:

Much has been written to help teachers think about and provide differentiated experiences for learners that align and explain these elements. However, the question and challenge that I hear and observe from teachers most often is: how do we effectively plan intentional differentiation that we can implement and evaluate with the same confidence and understanding as traditional lessons? The answer that follows is based on a change in how to use the planning elements-content, processes, and products-for differentiation, which is finding traction in classrooms that are using this approach.

A Three-Pronged Approach to Planning for Differentiation

Part 1: Content. Content is what students need to know, understand, and do something with. When identifying these outcomes, we also shape the assessment(s) by how learners can demonstrate what they understand. Success comes from teachers accomplishing two steps for this task.

First, identify the specific skills and concepts that students must achieve. This is what gets measured and analyzed through a variety of assessments. Unpacking the skills and concepts enables teachers to track student learning progress for areas of additional support for learners with significant gaps and learners who are ready for complexity beyond the content expectations of the lesson. This understanding enables teachers, instructional coaches, and supervisors to be on the same page as to what students need to learn through intentional differentiation.

Second, collect data on what the students bring to the focused content. Sometimes, this step is viewed as finding strategies for planning differentiation. That is a mistake. Meeting learner needs means knowing what opportunities they bring to the lesson based on what they already know and what challenges exist, based on gaps in core areas of need. Examples of student data to collect prior to planning include life experiences and interests outside of school and academic skills. Using strategies like K-W-L charts or need to knows is one way to find out what learners already know about the topic. Their level of understanding of the content should be factored into the planning. No student feels engaged with a lesson or session that delivers content they have long since mastered. This stage of planning also helps to confirm gaps in knowledge.

Educators should collect information about students' interests and passions that may relate to, or give them background for, applications of the content. This data can lead to rich learning experiences, such as providing informational text to read and analyze from articles about sports or Minecraft if many students identify those as areas of interest.

Accomplishing these two steps helps to ensure that the educators feel well prepared about the specific curriculum expectations at a targeted level. It also ensures that teachers are fully aware of what students bring to the content in terms of opportunities and areas of challenge.

Part 2: Processes. Process is about the different ways that students make sense of the content. Students need frequent experiences of sense-making through a variety of different ways and opportunities. Teachers make this happen through lessons that are made up of a series of activities.

Differentiation through processes is applied in one or more of these activities that make up the lesson. Teachers might start with differentiating one activity. As confidence and experience grows, most lesson activities can be differentiated. The focus of intentional differentiation for process is based on students' content opportunities and challenges. It also incorporates at least one of the learner access elements: readiness, interests, and learning preferences.

Here are two examples.

English: Using details in writing through learning centers. Each center focuses on a different type of detail strategy: example, facts, and sensory detail. Each center includes two options and students choose one to complete.

Math: Understanding the parts and functions of fractions through think dots. Students are put into groups based on their readiness skill level to complete a tiered activity where they all must complete the focus skills. Each group collaborates to solve the six tasks in a random order of choice.

Part 3: Products. Products are the artifacts that students create to show what they know and do not know. These products vary in format both small and large, such as quizzes, reflections, discussions, multimedia, social media tools, and performance tasks.

Intentional differentiation is based on how to leverage what's known about students' content opportunities and challenges. Also, use at least one of the learner access elements: readiness, interests, and learning preferences. These experiences range from practice to learn to assessment checks on progress. There is much flexibility to provide learners with a range of opportunities and experiences to help them make connections and extend their learning while maintaining the content focus.

Driving Forward With Differentiation

Explore this approach for reflecting and planning for students' needs through differentiation. Using content, processes, and products as planning steps provides a clear and concise approach toward choosing strategies and activities based on learner needs that align with the lesson outcomes. This resource curation portal offers ideas to build into your plan, and this differentiation guide offers more insights and a differentiation planning criteria checklist to start your planning journey.

This structure not only empowers student learning but also gives educators common language for collaborative professional opportunities to discuss, implement, and build stronger experiences that meet the needs of all their learners.

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A Practical Guide to Planning for Intentional Differentiation

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By considering what students need to know, their interests, and how learning will be assessed, teachers can differentiate assignments.

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Edutopia – Differentiated instruction strategies: https://www.edutopia.org/article/practical-guide-planning-intentional-differentiation/

Colorín Colorado – Teaching multilingual learners: https://www.colorincolorado.org/videos/classroom-video

Faculty Focus – Classroom-ready lesson ideas: https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-classroom-management/activities-that-get-students-ready-to-learn/

How to Differentiate Instruction in Academically Diverse Classrooms (3rd edition) by Carol Ann Tomlinson – Guide for effectively differentiating instruction to meet diverse student needs | ISBNs: 9781416623304 (print), 9781416623328 (digital) | ASCD / VitalSource

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The Transformative Power of One-on-One Teaching

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Unveiling the Benefits In the vast landscape of education, the traditional classroom setting with a teacher addressing a group of…

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Accommodations help students access learning in ways that work best for them, without changing what they are expected to learn. They can support students with learning differences, ADHD, or sensory needs by giving tools, strategies, or changes in how lessons are delivered. Accommodations make it easier for every student to participate, show what they know, and feel successful in the classroom.

https://www.understood.org/en/articles/accommodations-what-they-are-and-how-they-work

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Extended time for tests or assignments

Audiobooks or text-to-speech tools

Preferential seating or noise-reducing headphones

Visual aids and graphic organizers

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Understood.org – Easy guide to accommodations: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/accommodations-what-they-are-and-how-they-work

Wrightslaw – Legal context for accommodations: https://www.wrightslaw.com/blog/eligibility-giving-sped-accommodations-to-students-who-are-not-evaluated/

Common Sense Education – Tech tools for accessible learning: https://www.commonsense.org/education/

Guidelines for Assessment Accommodations (2nd edition) by J. Fourie – Practical guide for implementing assessment accommodations for diverse learners | ISBNs: 9780627039348 (print), 9780627039355 (digital) | Van Schaik Publishers / VitalSource

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Adaptations are changes made to the classroom or learning materials to help all students take part in lessons. They make it easier for students who might have physical challenges, different learning needs, or sensory sensitivities to learn and participate. Adaptations can be things like giving larger print or digital text, letting students show what they know in different ways, making the classroom less distracting, or using tools like pictures or charts. By making learning easier to access, adaptations help every student have a fair chance to do their best.

https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/cnm/cresource/q2/p08/

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Larger print or simplified worksheets

Quiet spaces or flexible seating

Assistive tech like speech-to-text or picture symbols

Teacher-family collaboration for best strategies

https://www.parentcenterhub.org/the-parent-center-network/

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Understood.org – Comparison of accommodations vs. modifications: https://www.understood.org/en/articles/the-difference-between-accommodations-and-modifications

Reading Rockets – Adapting curriculum: https://www.readingrockets.org/topics/differentiated-instruction/articles/how-adapt-your-teaching-strategies-student-needs

Smart Kids with LD – Parent advocacy and modification ideas: https://www.smartkidswithld.org

Adapting Early Childhood Curricula for Children with Disabilities and Special Needs (10th edition) by Ruth E. Cook, M. Diane Klein, Deborah Chen – Guide for tailoring early childhood curricula to meet the needs of children with disabilities | ISBNs: 9780135204450 (print), 9780135204627 (digital) | Pearson / VitalSource

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Step Into Reading Books - Level 2 - Set of 8

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Grades 1 - 3. Help young readers along the path to literacy with the Step Into Reading Level 2 Books. designed for children who are beginning to read with help. These books typically feature basic vocabulary, short sentences, and simple stories that are engaging and age-appropriate. Here are two benefits of these books for young readers. Written for children who can recognize familiar words and sound out new ones with aural and visual cues, these books simple yet interesting stories, basic vocabulary, and short sentences meet children where they are but also challenge them to grow. Set of 8 books.

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Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) is teaching that is adjusted to fit a student’s unique needs, based on their Individualized Education Program (IEP). It helps students understand grade-level lessons, learn in ways that work best for them, and practice skills at their own pace. SDI can include different teaching methods, extra support, or tools that make learning easier. The goal is to help students become more independent, feel confident in their abilities, and succeed in school alongside their classmates.

https://www.pacer.org/guides/iep-504/iep-100/

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It can be quite challenging to give all of your students the differentiated, individualized attention they need.

For many special educators, classroom rosters may span three different grades, or four different levels of students with moderate to severe disabilities. Does this sound like you?

Let's navigate how you can use small group instruction to improve your classroom management, individualized learning opportunities, differentiated instruction, and even data collection!

How to organize and implement small groups

The options are endless when it comes to how small group instruction can be organized. Many teachers find it helpful to have semi-consistent groups based on student commonalities. This allows for differentiation and individualization between groups.

Commonalities that may determine how you structure your small groups can include:

Student ability: this can include grouping students together who require less support, or those who require more support
Students who need additional practice opportunities to maintain skills, those who need additional intervention to generalize skills

Skills being taught: students who are working on specific concepts or skills within a subject can be grouped together
Students who are working on one digit addition, or a group working on 1:1 correspondence

Skill deficits: grouping students together who need further instruction on specific concepts or skills
Students who are still struggling with the "th" sound after whole group instruction

Student interest: students can be grouped for generalization or extension activities based on specific interests
Students who are motivated by animals, or students who are motivated by food

Personality: students who work well together or can act as peer supports for each other can be placed together
A student who requires less support can help a student who requires more support within the same group.

W hen to incorporate small group instruction into your class schedule

By rotating small groups every 15-20 minutes, you can use small group instruction time to your advantage. Here's how:

You may decide to have three small group stations running simultaneously, similar to stations
One group can be led by you, another group by your paraprofessional if you have one in your classroom, and possibly another group working independently

If you are in a resource room where students are coming and going, you may be able to utilize small group instruction while a chunk of students have left the room
This gives you the opportunity to run smaller, focused groups.

How does classroom management and data collection come into play?

When you're working with a smaller number of students at a time, classroom management and data collection is simpler.

Classroom management

When it comes to classroom management, students can have the opportunity to earn extra points or tickets for prosocial behavior when they are in a small group. This could be listening to others, helping friends or raising their hand. You and your paraprofessionals can keep an eye out for prosocial behaviors within the set groups.

Data collection

For data collection in a small group, you can give students their own data collection sheet. You can provide your students with color-specific stickers to place on the sheet as you work through group time. If your students get a question correct, they can give themselves a green sticker, and if their answer is incorrect, they can utilize an orange sticker for example.

While your students are working independently, you can provide them with a laminated self-management checklist and a dry erase marker. Put simple steps that they have mastered on this checklist and have them take data on whether or not they are able to put this into an independent routine.

For example, have your students place a check mark next to each step as they complete it:

Step 1: Get your work folder

Step 2: Take work out of your folder

Step 3: Complete Sheet 1

Step 4: Put work back in your folder

Step 5: Put folder away

Small group instruction is an effective option to help further differentiate instruction and focus on individualized learning opportunities for students.

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Advantages of Teaching Small Groups in Special Education

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Small group instruction can improve classroom management, individualized learning, differentiated instruction and data collection!

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Explicit instruction with step-by-step guidance

Modeling strategies for new skills

Guided practice with immediate feedback

Small-group or one-on-one sessions tailored to needs

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Math Manipulatives: A Student-Centered Approach to Teaching Mathematics

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Read some of the research behind manipulatives in math, and learn how the writers of Eureka Math² incorporated these vital tools throughout the grade levels.

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CEEDAR Center – High-leverage practices guide: https://ceedar.education.ufl.edu/high-leverage-practices/

PACER Center – Understanding SDI and IEPs: https://www.pacer.org/guides/iep-504/iep-100/

Inclusive Schools Network – Tools for inclusive classrooms: https://inclusiveschools.org/

Specially Designed Instruction (1st edition) by Anne M. Beninghof – Guide for implementing SDI in classrooms | ISBN: 9780367622572, 9781000414646 | VitalSource

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An IEP meeting is when a student's team comes together to create or update the student's Individual Education Plan, or IEP. But it doesn't stop there. Teams come together to talk about everything from referrals to discipline, and everyone around the table has an important role.

What is an IEP meeting?

An IEP meeting is held anytime that the child's team needs to make a change to their IEP. Any team member-parent, teacher, therapist, even the student-can request an IEP meeting. Annual reviews must happen on a schedule, but many other meetings happen anytime a concern arises.

Source: Modern Teacher

What are the rules for an IEP meeting?

First, assume good intentions. Everyone is there to create a plan that works for the student. As in any meeting, it's important to maintain professionalism, especially when people disagree. There are also rules on the paperwork side-each meeting has its own documents that need to be printed and signed. (Paperwork is typically handled by a case manager.)

After every IEP meeting, a Prior Written Notice is given to the parents. This is a summary of what the team agreed to at the meeting, and what the school will implement. The Prior Written Notice contains everything from updating the child's goals to conducting a reevaluation.

It's not a rule, but it's important to consider that the IEP meeting can be overwhelming for parents. As a teacher, you may attend a handful in a year, or you may feel like you've attended a hundred meetings at least. For parents, this may be the only IEP meeting they attend each year, so it can be anxiety producing.

Who has to attend an IEP meeting?

Source: Unidivided.io

The IEP team includes:

A district representative (called an LEA, or Local Education Authority)

General education teacher

Special education teacher

Someone to review the evaluation results

The parent(s)

The LEA or special education teacher and results person can be the same. But often the person who reviews the results will be a psychologist or therapist.

Other people who may be at a meeting, depending on which services a student receives, are:

Speech therapist

Occupational therapist

Physical therapist

Teacher's aide

Social worker

Counselor

Anyone else who provides services for the child

The child's parents may bring an advocate or outside member to participate. For example, if a child receives ABA therapy outside of school, the family may bring in the ABA therapist to provide their opinion.

And if the child is receiving support from an outside agency, that agency may send a representative.

Finally, the student may attend the meeting. They are required to be invited once the team is planning their transition out of school (often age 14), but they may be invited before then if it's appropriate.

Read more from the Department of Education.

What are the types of IEP meetings?

IEP meetings cover everything from whether or not a child is eligible for special education services to reevaluation and discipline.

Referral

Happens: When a school, teacher, or parent suspects a child has a disability

Purpose: This is the first meeting for a child, so the team reviews the processes and procedures, and completes a referral. At this point, the team can decide to move forward with an evaluation if they suspect that the child has a disability. There are 14 disability categories under IDEA that qualify a student for special education:

Autism

Deaf-blindness

Deafness

Developmental delay

Hearing impairment

Emotional disability

Intellectual disability

Multiple disabilities

Orthopedic impairment

Other health impairment

Specific learning disability

Speech or language impairment

Traumatic brain injury

Visual impairment (blindness)

The team can also decide not to move forward if they think additional interventions are needed or there is another reason that a disability is not suspected. For example, if a child was referred for an evaluation for a learning disability but has been absent a lot, the team may not advance the evaluation until the student has been in school consistently. Lack of attendance has to be ruled out as a cause for a disability.

Initial Eligibility

Happens: After a child's evaluation is completed

Purpose: In this meeting, the team will review the results of the evaluations and explain whether or not the child is eligible for special education services. In order to be eligible, the child must have a disability that has an "adverse effect" on their education. If they are eligible, then the team will write the IEP. If they are not eligible, then the team may suggest a 504 plan or other interventions in the school setting.

Sometimes conversations about eligibility are straightforward, other times the team might have a longer conversation about where to determine eligibility. For example, if a child has a diagnosis of ADHD but is also eligible under a learning disability, the team may talk through the disability category that is most significant. The ultimate goal is to determine the area of eligibility that is most appropriate for their educational needs.

Read more: What Is a 504 plan?

Annual Review

Happens: Every year around the same time

Purpose: In this meeting, the child's present levels of functioning, goals, service time, and accommodations are updated. The team will also review the assessments the child is taking in the next year and make sure testing accommodations are up-to-date.

Reevaluation

Happens: Every 3 years

Purpose: At this meeting, the team will decide whether or not to do a reevaluation. This may include testing (psychological testing, educational testing, speech and language or occupational therapy testing) to determine if the child is still eligible, and/or if they require changes to their IEP programming (like adding occupational therapy). A reevaluation meeting opens the reevaluation, and a results meeting includes a review of the results and changes to the IEP. The results meeting often doubles as the child's annual review.

Addendum

Happens: Whenever a teacher, parent, or other team member requests it

Purpose: Anyone can make amendments to an IEP at any time. A parent may want to revisit a behavior goal, a teacher may want to revise reading goals, or a speech therapist may want to change service time. The IEP is a living document, so it can be adjusted at any time. Addendum meetings are often completed without the entire team, so they can be more streamlined.

Manifestation Determination

Happens: After a child who has an IEP has been suspended for 10 days

Purpose: A manifestation meeting determines whether or not the child's behavior that resulted in suspension was a manifestation of their disability, and if so, what changes need to be made to their IEP.

Read more: PACER Center: How to Evaluate Meetings

What does the general education teacher do at an IEP meeting?

A gen ed teacher provides important information about how the student is doing in class and what is expected in their current grade.

Source: Medium

How can a general education teacher prepare for an IEP meeting?

Come to any IEP meeting prepared with:

Strengths that you've seen in the child so you can share great things that are happening in school.

Work samples to show where the child is academically, especially if you have samples that show growth over time.

Classroom assessments. Be prepared to talk about how the child's testing accommodations helped, and which they used or didn't use.

Academic data: information that shows the student's progress throughout the year.

What if someone on the team can't attend an IEP meting?

Every effort will be made to have all the team members in the meeting, but if someone needs to be excused, they can be. If a team member's area of expertise is not going to be discussed or changed or if they provide information prior to the meeting, and if the parent and school consent in writing, then they may be excused. This applies only to the required team members (general ed teacher, special ed teacher, LEA, and interpreter of results).

If you have to leave in the middle of the IEP meeting, the leader will ask the parents if you have verbal permission to leave and that will be noted.

What happens if the team does not reach an agreement during the meeting?

An IEP meeting may be stopped because the team thinks it needs more information to make a decision. It may end because there is so much disagreement that an additional meeting needs to happen to allow everything to be completed.

What happens after the IEP meeting?

After the meeting, the IEP goes into effect as soon as possible (typically the next school day). So any changes to a child's placement, goals, accommodations or anything else should be implemented the next day. As a general education teacher, you should have access to the updated IEP, be informed of your responsibilities, and be informed of what accommodations, modifications, and supports are provided to the child.

What are parents' rights at a meeting?

Each state has a handbook that outlines parents' rights, but it's a good idea to be familiar with it from the school side too. Some important rights:

Parents can call a meeting whenever they feel the need. They may call a meeting because they are seeing an increase in behaviors, or because their child does not seem to be making progress and they want to adjust the goals or service time.

Parents can invite anyone they'd like for support. That could be someone who is familiar with their child's disability, an advocate who knows the system and laws, an outside provider, or a friend.

Parents' ideas should be welcomed and seriously considered. Often parents are doing things at home that could be helpful in the school setting, especially when considering the child's preferences.

Read more from Iris Center at Vanderbilt University.

IEP Meeting Resources

The Wrightslaw blog is the definitive place to go to research special education law.

Read more about IEPs before your next meeting: What is an IEP?

Have questions about IEP meetings or stories to share? Join the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook to exchange ideas and ask for advice!

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What Is an IEP Meeting? A Guide for Educators and Parents

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Eligibility. Annual. Addendum. So many meetings! Here's the definitive IEP meeting guide for educators and parents.

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IRIS Center – Adapting instruction: https://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/module/cnm/cresource/q2/p08/

Parent Center Hub – Supports & services: https://www.parentcenterhub.org/the-parent-center-network/

Colorín Colorado – Adaptations for multilingual learners: https://www.colorincolorado.org/ell-strategies-best-practices

Assistive Technology in Special Education: Resources to Support Literacy, Communication, and Learning Differences (3rd edition) by Joan L. Green – Guide for using assistive technology to support diverse learners | ISBNs: 9781618217585 (print), 9781000489682 (digital) | Routledge / VitalSource