How to

Prepare for
an IEP
Meeting Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate

Printable Forms, Templates, and Planning Worksheets so

you are Prepared for your IEP Meeting.
We lcome! So delighted you're here.
I've been where you are in the IEP process-
-overwhelmed, frustrated and sometimes
confused. That's why I have dedicated
myself to helping parents learn the IEP
process. All of my materials were
developed by parents and advocates, for
parents.

LISA LIGHTNER
Special Education Advocate

ADayInOurShoes.com
 Parent Recognizes
Needs / Struggles in their Child.
School
IEP Process for
Written Request
Agreed to
Evaluate
Parents.
Does the child already No for IEP Please Refer to ADayInOurShoes.com
have an IEP? Evaluations. for more information on each area,
including letter tempates for parents.
60 Days to Evaluate
( most states )

Do you agree with Next Steps:

the Evaluation IEP Meeting in ~ 30 days.
Yes. School
Report? Write and Send Parent
said NO.
Concerns Letter.
Progress Monitoring.
Read Procedural Safeguards for
IEP meeting.
Refer to IEP Yes
Troubleshooting
Guide on this School Do you agree with outcome of IEP
blog. response must Meeting?
be on a PWN.
Read your
Procedural No No
Safeguards Yes
Request IEP
Meeting Progress Monitoring. Options Include:
and PWN. IEP Meeting Annually Ask for an IEE.
Re - Evaluation every 3 File for Due Process.
yr.
 Timeline per IDEA
Date Action
IEP Action/Activity (adjust for state Parent Action Required Date Due
Happened
activity
IEP Meeting Not in IDEA, send After meeting IEP Letter Within 48 hours of
within 48 hours LEARN MORE IEP meeting

IDEA says Receive final draft of IEP and PWN If no state timeline, I
“reasonable;” some LEARN MORE give a week or two.
states have specific
timelines

Not in IDEA, due that Email to School notifying that The day you receive
same day you’ve received final draft and will final IEP copy and
take full 10 days to review. PWN.

Receive Final 10 Days for most Return signed PWN 10 Days after receipt
Copy of IEP and states LEARN MORE
PWN
Receive Progress Per your Not defined in IDEA Review your Progress monitoring No timeline; I
Monitoring Re- specific IEP reports; proceed as necessary recommend 2-3x
LEARN MORE per school year
ports minimum.

Begin Preparation If triennial IDEA says at least Is this a re-evaluation year? If No timeline; begin
for next IEP meet- re-evaluation annually. yes, begin compiling your list, get compiling and submit
year checklist about 75-90 days
ing. LEARN MORE prior to annual IEP
meeting.

Begin Preparation Look at IDEA says at least Compile your list of Parent Submit when you
for next IEP meet- current IEP annually. Concerns to begin your Parent RSVP to the IEP
date Concerns letter. meeting.
ing. LEARN MORE
IEP Meeting Prep Based on IEP Finalize plans-time off work, sitters,
invitation etc., plan agenda:
LEARN MORE
Annual IEP Meeting Based on IEP Annually Attend, participate, ask for PWN.
invitation And go back to the top of this sheet
and start over. Use IEP Meeting
Notes Worksheet.
 IEP Meetings
Nothing gets a mom’s heart racing faster than
anticipating an IEP meeting. But, we can make all
of that stress go away. Proper preparation,
knowing that you’ve done all you can and the right
frame of mind can change everything. Let's get
started.
 Several Weeks Before The IEP Meeting

And this is why I am such a huge advocate of my IEP Toolkit. It keeps you organized
and on a timeline. This IEP thing is not for the faint hearted, it is a year-long
commitment.
1. Review what records you have.
2. Compile and review the following items:
• Your child’s current IEP
• Progress reports toward annual goals in the IEP
• Related services and accommodations on your child’s current
IEP
• Report cards
• Recent work samples
• Performance on district/state assessments
• Results of most recent evaluations
• Communication with teacher/school
• Communication or recommendations from professionals outside
of school
• (i.e. Audiologist, ENT, private therapist)
• If your child is working/transition/job training, letters or reviews
from their workplace that are relevant.

Parent Invitation to The IEP Meeting

Some states define a timeline for invitations, others do not. Check your state’s special
education regulations to double check if you are unsure.
• Reply to the meeting with a simple RSVP email and send in your parent
concerns to be discussed.
• Ensure that the date and time work for you and anyone you are inviting to
attend.
• Ensure that the time works for your child to attend or prepare a written
statement or video from them.
• Prepare your child for the meeting if they are attending. Rehearse.
• Ensure that a reasonable amount of time is scheduled for the meeting. If
not, a simple email with “In the past, our meetings have lasted 2 hours,
and as such, I would like to reschedule for a time that allows that.”
• If your child is IEP transition age, double check which agencies will be
attending.
• Ensure all appropriate school personnel are listed as participants. Contact
the school if you are feel there are school personnel who should attend
and are not listed.
• Ensure that there will be at least one actual LEA at the meeting, especially
if you are asking for something big.
• You may request alternate means of attendance if you or someone who
you believe needs to attend cannot attend in person. This may include

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 teleconferencing or video conferencing. Please notify the school in
advance so that they can make the necessary arrangements.

If The IEP Team is asking You To Excuse IEP Team Members:

Your IEP meeting invitation may include a form for you to sign that would exempt
required IEP team members from attending.

Parents have the right to approve or reject the excusals. Your decision is up to you.
However, consider

• The team member’s area of curriculum or related service is not being

modified or discussed during the meeting
• The team member’s area of curriculum or related service is being
discussed and the team member will submit written input to the parents
and the team prior to the meeting.
If written reports are sufficient for you, you can sign it.

IEP Meetings- Parents’ Rights

These are the things you will want to do a few days before you IEP meeting, if you are
preparing for an IEP meeting as a parent.

• Read and Review your Procedural Safeguards (these are your parents’
rights)
• Request a draft IEP or reports but know that only a few states are required
to provide a draft IEP.

IEP Meeting Tips

• How often do you have an IEP meeting? IDEA states that this should
occur at least annually. But, you may have more than that depending on
the child and situation.
• Who can request an IEP Meeting? Any IEP team member can request
an IEP meeting at any time. It has been my experience that the school
personnel do not often request them outside of the annual meeting. That
most often happens at the parent request.
• How long is an IEP Meeting? As long as it needs to be. Remember that
there are no “have tos” when it comes to IEP meetings. If you need more
time to discuss, ask for more time or to reconvene. There is no “we have
to finish this today.” They may not want to be out of compliance, but that’s
no reason to rush through an IEP.
• Should you/Can I record my IEP meeting? If you want to, you can. Just
make sure you follow your state’s recording laws. They are all listed in that
post I linked.

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• How to Avoid IEP Meeting Negativity. Don’t get sucked in. Really, I
mean that.
• Who can I bring to my IEP Meeting? Can I uninvite people to the IEP
meeting? I have a post here that explains the mandated IEP team
members per IDEA. No, you really cannot uninvite people who the school
has invited. The exception would be their attorney. If they bring an
attorney, you should bring one or reschedule the meeting.
• Should I receive an advance copy of the IEP? Only a few states require
an advance copy of the IEP. IDEA does not require this.
• How to Not Cry at your IEP Meeting. It happens, we’ve all been there.
But if you don’t want it to happen, read the tips in that post.
• What is an IEP Meeting? What happens? How an IEP meeting runs
vary from district to district. It all depends on how much participation and
collaboration there is before the IEP meeting. The IEP meeting may be the
time when the team develops the IEP. Or, it might just be finalizing details
because IEP development has occurred over emails and mini-meetings
prior to this one. What an IEP meeting is NOT: A time for someone to read
an IEP to you and hand over for you to sign.
• Should I bring my child to the IEP meeting? I’m a firm believer that the
child should participate at the earliest age possible, to the maximum
extent possible. But what that looks like for each child will vary. Read
ideas and tips in that post.
• Can I request an Emergency IEP Meeting? Only a couple of states have
defined an emergency IEP meeting. For the most part, as long as they
respond to your meeting request in a “reasonable” amount of time, that is
sufficient. All you can do is appeal to them with your reasons for urgency.
• I don’t want my ex-husband’s new girlfriend at the IEP meeting. I get
it. But know this–if the IEP teams sense dissension among family
members, they may use it against you. I’ve seen it happen. The most
important takeaway here is this: This is not an IEP matter. This is a family
law/custody matter. As such, you should take it up with your family
attorney who you used for the divorce or custody arrangements. Do not
expect the IEP team to handle this. If the other parent invited her and it
does not go against any custody agreements, there is not much you can
do. Spend your energy trying to rise above it instead of blocking it.
• Does it matter what I wear to the IEP meeting? I think it does. Just like
you would want to present yourself well at a business meeting or job
interview, you want to here too.
• How do I know what to focus on during the meeting? I have created a
one-sheet that lists the 6 principles of Special Education and is an
overview of your IEP meeting concerns. That is a good starting point. I
have also heard from our Facebook group members that when they
brought in their IEP Organizer all ready to go, the team was impressed
with their preparation.

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• What should I bring to an IEP meeting? I have an IEP Meeting
checklist on this site which lists what to bring. If you haven’t done all
those items, don’t stress over it now. Just do better next time.
• Is there anything I can do if IEP Team Members leave early? There
are a couple of options, though, for most of them, it requires stepping out
of your comfort zone. One is that you can ask to adjourn the meeting until
everyone can meet for the entire time. The other is that you can get the
attendance sheet, and next to that person’s name, note what time they
left. Not many people are comfortable doing something like that. Or, just
make note of it yourself. What you really need to gauge is what impact this
will have on the meeting, and whether or not it is worthwhile to make a
fuss.
• Who runs an IEP meeting? This will vary from school to school, as to
who they designate to run the meeting. Just make sure that it is
collaborative and that as a parent, it is not just being read to you with little
regard to your input. The best idea ever: When a child is old enough and
has the self-advocacy skills to run their own IEP meetings. Make that
your goal!
• Why are IEP Meetings so stressful? They don’t have to be. Learn the
process. Be prepared. You still may hear “No!” but at least you’ll know you
aren’t being gaslighted. Read that post that I linked–and you’ll learn a
little secret on how not to stress at IEP meetings.
• Who is the LEA at an IEP meeting? LEA stands for Local Education
Agency. This is someone that the school district picks to represent the
School District at the meeting. It varies. In some districts it is the principal
or assistant principal, in others, it is a Special Ed supervisor. Important to
Note: If you ask for something and are told, “I don’t have the authority to
make that decision, we’ll have to get back to you.” The LEA must have the
authority to make these decisions or there wasn’t an LEA at the meeting.
That may mean that the school district is out of compliance with the IEP
meeting date. The exception, I’m told, is NYC who never has an LEA at
IEP meetings (but I have yet to figure out how this is ok!).
• I want a school staff person to attend the IEP meeting and the school
said they won’t be there. This happens often, particularly when it comes
to Paras and Aides. The school can do this, as long as they give you
access to the information that the person has that is relevant to the
meeting. To my knowledge, this concept has not been challenged in court.
So that is where my focus would be: getting to the information that you
think they have that is relevant to the meeting or IEP. And, you never want
to put someone in an awkward spot with their employer.
• The school said, “We can only meet at XY or Z times and won’t
accommodate my work schedule.” Nope, nope, nope, nope. Doug v
Hawaii is one of the few law cases that I recommend parents use in
working with their school. And that decision is very clear on this issue.

Rehearse For The IEP Meeting

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I always recommend that parents rehearse portions of what they are going to say in
their head. Particularly if you get nervous at the meetings or this is out of your comfort
zone for you, it can help. I put the article there about gaslighting more as an FYI, just so
that you are aware that it can happen. Don’t let it rattle you. If you learn about the
issues, you can better prepare your part of the discussion and not be caught off guard
without a response.

• Should I receive a copy of the IEP before the meeting?

• What to do when the school says ‘we don’t do that here’ {when
you’ve asked for something on the IEP}
• Are you being gaslighted at IEP meetings?

The Day Before A Meeting

Only a few things to worry about the day before. I have them listed in the articles below.

• {Free} IEP Meeting Checklist and Essentials for your IEP meeting.
• What to wear to an IEP meeting. Because, yes, it matters.

After The IEP Meeting

Yes, you can breathe a sigh of relief when the meeting is over. But you are not done!
There are still more letters/emails to write and ask for a PWN. Then, even if you agree
with the team, you need to be aware of what to do if it is not being followed.

• After the IEP meeting~what you need to do, what to expect.

• PWN: The little known game-changer in the IEP process. {Learn it,
use it.}

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 IEP Meeting Readiness Checklist
These are some of the common areas of need for a child receiving IEP evaluations. Use this list as a
guide to request IEP evaluations, re-evaluations, your parent concerns letter or to add to the
Permission to Evaluate form you receive. For more assistance, visit ADayInOurShoes.com

Tasks Notes
Reviewed current IEP with notes
and highlighter.
Participated in the 5 essential parts
of the IEP process.
Wrote a thorough Parent Concerns
letter.
Completed Vision Statement with
family.
Talked with my child about
attending the meeting.
In agreement with other parent
about issues, if applicable.
If applicable, talked with Advocate
about last minute details.
Compiled list of child's strengths,
ideas how to leverage.
Reviewed necessary school district
policies (attendance, discipline).
Compiled a list of suggested goals,
strategies and accommodations.
Rehearsed difficult conversations in
my head or in front of mirror (or in
car)
Have printouts about child's
condition or from specialists.
Researched evals and strategies for
child's issues.
RSVP'd to meeting with
expectations of who I expect to be
there.
Have child care for other children.
Requested time off work.
Have outfit picked out (for
confidence).
Cleared schedule day before and
after meeting (for prep and rest).
 IEP Meeting Worksheet
REMEMBER:
NAME CURRENT GRADE

Remember the pendency or

the stay-put clause – your
child stays put in current
placement until an agreement
Main areas of concern for Present levels of performance -
is reached. If you do not like
today’s meeting any essential test scores
the placement being offered,
do not agree to “just try it out”
because that will then become
their pendent placement.

Things I need more explanation

on, from school

What does next year look

like/transition
What IS/ISN'T Working:

Medications and Side Effects

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 Name: Current grade:

Main areas of concern for today’s

meeting

SDI’s that are working and not working

Present levels of performance - Things I need more explanation

any essential test scores on, from school

What does next year look Medications and Side Effects

like/transition
Remember

Remember the pendency or the stay-put clause – your child stays put in current
placement until an agreement is reached. If you do not like the placement being
offered, do not agree to “just try it out”
because that will then become their pendent placement.
IEP Meeting
Agenda/Worksheet

Introductions, Review Last Year's IEP Vision Statement from Family

Evaluation Reports and IEP Goals and Progress Special Factors and Disability
Present Levels Monitoring Category

Interventions, SDIs, Related Services Transition Planning

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 Topic/Section of IEP Agree w/ team Disagree w/ team
Evaluations and Present Levels:

IEP Goals:

Supports and Inverventions:

Related Services:

LRE:

Disability Category:

ESY decision
Month:
MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY SUNDAY

Things to do
If you found this product helpful
to you and your IEP journey, be
sure to keep in touch!
Lisa Lightner, Special Education Advocate

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