Standard #: 6.

Artifact #: 6.3

Artifact Name/Title/Description: IEP (Individualized Education Program) Meeting

I have chosen this artifact to demonstrate my increased knowledge of creating and

conducting IEPs for students with exceptionalities. In my student teaching setting, we had a new
student in the middle of the school year. My cooperating teacher and I made sure to create a
warm and welcoming environment for the new student. We gave her space for the first week and
allowed her to explore the classroom and gradually get to know her peers. From this artifact,
learning was reflected on how to effectively communicate with parents to meet the needs for
their children. One of the most effective ways to collaborate is to ask the parents what goals they
would like to set for their child so that the teacher knows how to help him or her succeed. The
students mother stated that she would like her daughter to communicate more and work on her
behavioral skills, so we explained to her how we were going to support her; we brainstormed
various ways to support the new student, and the mother was fond of the idea of providing her
daughter an augmentative communication device for her communication skills and a behavioral
reward system for her behavioral skills. Standard 6.0 entails that beginning special education
professionals understand that diversity is a part of families, cultures, and schools, and that
complex human issues can interact with the delivery of special education services. English is not
this students dominant language, so it is difficult for her to use expressive language with her
teacher, aides, and classmates. The mother only speaks Spanish, so there is a language barrier
between the students home life and school life. She also has a difficult time grasping the rules
and regulations for our class, as she sometimes plays rough with other students and she will
leave the classroom to use the restroom without asking. The teachers and aides always make sure
to keep in mind that the students actions may be caused by the different way that she is raised at
home.
As a student teacher, I am incessantly learning strategies to prepare myself for IEPs for
when I become a teacher. This particular student was sent to the school with barely any
background information, including test scores, IEP goals, etc. The best strategy the special
educator can use in this situation is to be very observant, by gathering every minor detail from
the current setting the student is in to write her IEP. I watched my cooperating teacher take
multiple notes on the student to help myself grow as a student teacher. My cooperating teacher
noticed that the student likes to help others during independent work time, so that was one of the
important details that she added onto the students IEP. In the future, I can apply the strategies
and skills that I have acquired on how to conduct IEP meetings. I have noticed how effective it is
to start the meeting on a positive note, by stating the students strengths so that the parents or
caretakers will have reasons to be proud of their child and understand that you care for their
childs success. For example, in the beginning of the IEP meeting, my cooperating teacher and I
explained to the mother that her daughter can trace her name, sight words, and short sentences
with fairly good consistency. When addressing the areas of need, it is always important to ask the
parents if these problems occur at home as well so that you can work as a team to help the
student improve. For example, the student tends to rush through her work, so we asked the parent
if she tends to rush through her homework after school every day. All of these strategies are
imperative for conducting IEP meetings and I will implement them into IEP meetings for my
students in the future.