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ASHA. (n.d.). How to: Writing collaborative goals for IEPs. American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. https://www.asha.org/practice/ipe-ipp/how-to/writing-collaborative-goals-for-ieps/?srsltid=AfmBOoqRx1UJg7m-3K6yQk4lOXCHptDn9mOHmIW3ke8xrO-vDy_7LJk2

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When the team creates goals for a student, they are created to meet the individual needs of the student by the team member that will be providing the support for the goal. A great way to build team cohesion is to change the way we think about goals. The team should work with all stakeholders to develop goals that are not just student-centered but also building on each other's work. By looking at what each team member does, allows everyone to see how each member works with the student and it may create an opportunity to overlap their goals to better streamline and simplify data collection as well as helping the student in various areas beyond the classroom (ASHA, n.d.)

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Students with disabilities' information is protected under both IDEA, or Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, parts B and C and FERPA or Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act. These laws protect students' personally identifiable information contained in educational records from being shared or dispersed to third parties. FERPA and IDEA pertain to all schools and institutions that receive funding from the Department of Education (Surprenant & Miller, 2022). PII of our students should only be shared with the IEP stakeholders and only staff members involved with working with our students. Our students with disabilities are also protected under Part B of IDEA, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.

FERPA and IDEA also allows parents or designated caregivers to request student records or to have the records amended if they believe there is incorrect information. They also require that student records be kept in a secure location and a record of access be maintained (Surprenant & Miller, 2022).

Student information should only be shared with relevant IEP stakeholders and staff that work directly with the student. Student data collection should be kept in a secure location and any files that are removed from the office should be checked out and returned promptly.

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The Council for Exceptional Children provides special educators with a list of 12 ethical practices to follow. These practices should be followed by all educators to ensure that the needs of or students with disabilities are being met in an ethical way. These practices include:

1. Maintaining challenging expectations

2. Exercising professional judgement and competence

3. Inclusive participation

4. Collaborating with other service providers

5. Developing relationships with our families

6. using evidence and data to inform our instruction

7. Protecting their physical and psychological safety

8. Not engaging in or tolerating practices that harm students with disabilities

9. Upholding all laws, regulations, and policies and advocate for changes that are needed

10. Advocating for resources and conditions that will improve learning outcomes

11. Actively engage in professional organizations

12. Help with the growth and dissemination of knowledge and skills

(CEC, 2015)

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CEC. (2015). Code of ethics. Council for Exceptional Children. https://exceptionalchildren.org/sites/default/files/2020-07/Code%20of%20Ethics.pdf

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Inspire Team. (n.d.). Vision board creation. Session Lab.

https://www.sessionlab.com/methods/vision-board-creation

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The IEP team is required under iDEA to provide notifications at various times during the IEP process. The following is a timeline:

Notification of Conference is provides to the parent/caregiver 10-days before the meeting to inform them of the date, time, and location of the meeting, reason for the meeting, and persons attending the meeting.

IEP Draft is required to be sent to the parent for review 3 school days before the scheduled meeting.

(ISBE, 2020)

General education teachers should send any IEP documents home with the designated student when they are provided to you. Related service personnel should ensure that any information needed for IEP documents are recorded before the 3-day draft is due to be sent home.

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ISBE. (2020). Notification of procedural safeguards for parents/guardians of students with disabilities. Illinois State Board of Education. https://www.isbe.net/SPEDReqNotConForms/nc_proc_sfgrds_34-57j.pdf

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Parallel. (n.d.). Collaborating with general education teachers: A guide for special education teams. https://www.parallellearning.com/post/collaborating-with-general-education-teachers-a-guide-for-special-education-teams

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Communication involves the exchange of information between IEP stakeholders. Effective and open communication is needed for purposeful collaboration.

Collaboration is when all the IEP stakeholders work together to share their resources,knowledge, ideas, and expertise to develop goals and strategies for students.

(Wells Griffith, 2024)

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PowerSchool. (2021). Four keys to successful collaboration on IEPs. https://www.powerschool.com/blog/four-keys-successful-collaboration-ieps/

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Project Idea. (2024). Strategies for effective collaboration between general and special education teachers. https://project-idea.org/strategies-for-effective-collaboration-between-general-and-special-education-teachers/

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Open Lines of Communication and Frequent Collaboration

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Open Lines of Communication and Frequent Collaboration

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Open communication between stakeholders allows for open dialog, sharing of expertise and insights, a better understanding of students, and helps identify challenges early. An open line of communication between special education, general education, and related services creates a cohesive learning experience for our students receiving special education services (Project Idea, 2024).

This open line of communication will provide opportunities for the stakeholders to collaborate and work together to develop strategies, lesson adaptations, accommodations, and share and discover resources to help the students' be successful in an inclusive environment. Frequent collaboration between special education and general education teachers provides a sense of empowerment among the educators involved and cultivates an environment of respect and empathy for the students (Parallel, n.d.).

Collaboration and communication work together to set and maintain common goals, problem solve any concerns that may develop in a prompt manner, and discuss any obstacles that may prevent implementing any accommodations or modifications needed for the student. Working together as a cohesive unit creates an environment of respect and improved learning outcomes for the students involved.

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Collaborative planning between general education and special education teachers allows for effective and inclusive instruction. Some effective strategies to guide collaborative planning are:

1. Identifying clear common goals and visions aligned with the curriculum and IEP goals and what the desired outcomes of the collaboration are.

2. Assess individual needs and strengths to determine additional supports that may be needed for them to access the curriculum.

3. Establish benchmarks to monitor progress and growth towards the goals and determine what adjustments need to be made.

4. Collaborate to design inclusive lessons that integrate accommodations, modifications, and strategies. If applicable, utilize the time to create co-teaching lessons to ensure all students' needs are meet.

5. Determine what resources are needed for the student and pool them together with each person's expertise to create a cohesive and inclusive learning environment.

6. Discuss skills, training, and strategies that educators may need to learn and collaborate to develop professional development opportunities.

(Parallel, n.d.; Project Idea, 2024)

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Open communication is a foundation for effective collaboration. When there is open and clear communication, a relationship of trust is built between the team members and families. There are some strategies that can be utilized to build effective and open communication.

1. Determine how you will share information and updates such as email or a shared document platform. This can be utilized for questions, updates, student needs and progress, strategies, and adjustments that might need to be made. Keeping this information in a shared space allows everyone on the team access to the information and a dedicated space for collaboration.

2. Regularly share any updates, progress, needs, and adjustments to allow for prompt problem-solving and celebrations for successes.

3. Be clear, concise, and specific when communicating to avoid misunderstanding. When reviewing communications, be respectful of your team members perspectives, questions, and insights to maintain a positive environment with a solution-oriented mindset.

4. Be flexible with how other team members may need to communicate their ideas.

(Parallel, n.d.)

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Surprenant, K.H. & Miller, F.. (2022). IDEA and FERPA crosswalk: A side-by-side comparison of the privacy provisions under parts b and c of the IDEA and FERPA. U.S. Department of Education. https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/sites/default/files/resource_document/file/IDEA-FERPA%20Crosswalk_08242022.pdf

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Wells Griffith, K. (2024). What is the difference between collaboration and communication for field service organizations. PTC. https://www.ptc.com/en/blogs/service/what-is-difference-between-collaboration-communication-field-service

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An activity that IEP stakeholders could participate in to develop student-centered meeting skills and build relationships is to work together to create a vision board with the student.

A vision board is a visualization of your goals and aspirations and help foster motivation (Inspire Team, 2024). The team could work with the student to develop their personal goals or they could make it a team building activity and everyone could create their own and share it with the team.

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To help make everyone on the team feel valued and appreciated and build a stronger team you should take a small amount of time to validate and celebrate the progress that has been made toward goals. This can be done through verbal acknowledgement, snacks, or a shout-out at a team meeting. When team members are shown they are valued, builds camaraderie and strengthens, the team (Powerschool, 2021).