Rocco Manzi made a presentation at his individualized education program meeting as a 3rd grader in New York’s Baldwinsville Central School District.

Rocco Manzi had a bad case of stage fright. However, neither that nor his multiple disabilities stopped the 3rd grader with the delightful giggle from standing in front of his IEP team and describing his strengths and weaknesses.

Having a voice in his individualized education program meeting gave Rocco, now in 4th grade in the Baldwinsville Central School District near Syracuse, N.Y., better insights into how he learns, says his mother, Bianca Manzi.

Rocco used those insights during the annual state assessment. When he needed a break, he asked for it. After walking the halls for a few minutes, Rocco returned to his seat and continued with the assessment.

Rocco is one of a growing group of students who, by taking an active role in their IEP meetings, recognize their particular learning needs and advocate for themselves.

“The students have a stronger understanding of themselves as learners,” says Rocco Nalli, the Baldwinsville district’s special education director. “They know what they need, and when moving forward, they can ask for accommodations if they’re not in place for them.”

Defining a Student-Led IEP
Student-led IEP meetings go by multiple names, including student-led IEP meeting, student-directed IEP meeting and student-facilitated IEP meeting. These terms, which are used interchangeably, describe IEP meetings in which students are active participants.

However, a student-facilitated IEP meeting often refers to an IEP meeting that follows a specific process. The meeting has a prepared agenda and team members agree on group norms. Student facilitators learn the process and help plan and lead the meeting. They follow the agenda and ensure the members reach consensus as well as explain their disability and accommodations.

Whatever the terminology, a student’s role in IEP meetings must be age and ability appropriate. Therefore, an elementary student or a student who has a significant disability may take a limited role such as introducing team members or showing a video of him or her performing a task. Middle or high school students who have a mild disability may assume a leadership role, including facilitating the meeting.

Federal Influence
Student-led IEP meetings are backed by research and legislation. A 2003 study for the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs by Christine Mason, Marcy McGahee-Kovac, Lora Johnson and Sandy Stillerman showed that students who lead their IEP meetings know more about their disabilities and accommodations than students who don’t participate in the meetings. Federally funded research by Michael Wehmeyer and Susan Palmer in Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities showed these students have higher graduation rates.

Additionally, student-led IEP meetings fall under the self-determination mantle, another research-backed practice that results in positive outcomes for students with disabilities. As a result, self-determination has been increasingly incorporated into learning goals for students with disabilities. Some states provide resources on self-determination for educators, parents and students.

Another contributing factor in the rise of student-led IEP meetings was the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act in 1997, which called for students to be included in IEP meetings that discuss their transition plans and required the plans to take into account the student’s preferences and interests.

While the special education community has not released any priorities for the next IDEA reauthorization, support has been expressed for student-led IEP meetings and the practice likely will be raised when reauthorization begins in earnest, says Sasha Pudelski, AASA’s assistant director of policy and advocacy.

Also, some districts that have embraced the use of student-led IEP meetings have seen fewer parents seeking legal action to gain services for their children, says Jennifer O’Malley, director of special education for informal dispute resolution for the Irvine Unified School District in California.

“The difference we’ve seen with student participation in IEP meetings, and especially student-facilitated IEP meetings, is that even when there is a disagreement, there’s a higher rate of efficacy among team members,” adds O’Malley. “There’s robust discussion, people have been heard, and they aren’t leaving with animosity.”

Starting Small
When Nalli first learned of student-led IEP meetings from one of his transition specialists in the Baldwinsville schools, he was intrigued but cautious. Deciding to start small, he limited participation to students in the district’s three secondary schools. With a grant from New York state’s Technical Assistance Training Center, teachers learned how to prepare students to participate in their IEP meetings. They also received resources, such as online surveys for students to complete with their parents or teachers to identify their learning styles, strengths and weaknesses. Teachers then incorporated the information into their students’ draft IEPs.

Nalli also set up a continuum for student participation in IEP meetings, ranging from not attending the meeting to fully running and coordinating it. Each year, teachers set goals for students to take a more active role in their meeting.

Though Nalli encountered some resistance from teachers who feared the process would be too time-consuming and that students would request unrealistic accommodations, those fears proved to be unfounded. Teachers also learned that they, as well as the students, benefited from the practice.

“Hearing the voice of the student and using that information helps teachers have a better understanding of their kids and ensures the students get the most from the supports we provide,” says Nalli, now in his 11th year as special education director of the 5,500-student district, including 800 students who have IEPs.

Participating in an IEP meeting led by student Ti’Leek Murphy at the Anderson Mill Elementary School in Spartanburg County, S.C., were (from left) assistant superintendent of special services Alan Eggert, teacher Emily Plumley, principal Beth Foster and special education teacher Mollie Suits.

He allayed parent concerns by setting up training sessions they could attend alongside their child’s teacher.

With evidence of the practice positively impacting students, he expanded it to the elementary level.

“After our first year, we were sold,” Nalli says. “It’s a game-changer. When the student leads the IEP meeting, everything is centered around the student. Both the school and the parents listen to the child, and we’re all proud to see how phenomenally well students do with this process.”

A Culture of Self-Determination
At Spartanburg County School District 6 in South Carolina, all 15 schools use student-led IEP meetings. Currently, approximately 1,500 of 1,600 students with disabilities participate at some level in their IEP meetings.

It started nine years ago when Alan Eggert, the district’s assistant superintendent of special services, saw that many students didn’t want to attend their IEP meetings, didn’t know what their IEP was or what their accommodations were and didn’t act as self-advocates.

“I thought we could do things in a better way, like teaching specific lessons to all of our students so they would eventually take more ownership of their educational plan,” he says.

Thus began a districtwide initiative for student self-determination and, within that, student-led IEP meetings. Resource teachers teach self-determination lessons every other week, and self-contained teachers lead these lessons three times a week. Today, self-determination and student-led IEPs are built in the culture of the 11,500-student district.

Spartanburg County is seeing plenty of benefits. Students advocate for themselves in their classes, giving general education teachers a better understanding of the need for accommodations. Eggert also sees better parent attendance at IEP meetings — mainly because the students are so excited they beg their parents to come.

“The results speak for themselves,” he says. “When you see students actively involved in their IEP meeting, it’s exhilarating. We’re gearing them toward being successful in the workforce or in a two- or four-year college.”

Centralized Training
Some school systems moving into student-led IEP meetings rely on outside trainers, often an intermediate education agency. The Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization, which serves students with significant disabilities, provides support to students with special needs in another eight suburban districts outside Chicago. It implemented student-led IEP meetings five years ago to better align to NSSEO’s mission. (See related story.)

After developing a comprehensive professional development program, NSSEO started sharing its training modules with teachers in the consortium districts. Its staff serve as a resource.

“We try to have trainers who are representative of the schools act as a coach or trainer,” says Judy Hackett, NSSEO’s superintendent. “We find the program is much better received from a colleague who has done it.”

Even though NSSEO promotes student-led IEP meetings and provides guidance for school staff, Hackett doesn’t want to view the practice as one size fits all, saying teachers should adapt her organization’s processes to best meet their students’ needs.

“The program must have some flexibility,” she adds. “Otherwise it feels mandated and formulaic, and that flies in the face of what an individualized education plan is.”

Only the First Step
While more school districts appear to be using student-led IEP meetings, the practice remains novel in many school communities, according to Catherine Fowler, co-director of the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition.

Though educators may see value in the practice, for students to be meaningfully included in their own IEP meetings requires preparation for staff and students and investments in professional development.

“You’ve got to prepare the student to be ready to lead, and the process to do so must be of high quality and implemented with some level of fidelity,” says Deborah Ziegler, director of policy and advocacy for the Council for Exceptional Children.

Furthermore, advocates such as Fowler note, that student-led IEP meetings are only one step in helping students with disabilities become self-determined individuals. That’s an ongoing process in which teachers must continuously encourage students to monitor their progress and advocate for their needs.

“If we stop with the meeting, we’re losing the point,” Fowler says. “Student-led IEP meetings are a tangible, meaningful way to develop critically important skills. But if all we do is the student-led IEP meeting, we miss an opportunity. It has to fit within the broader school climate that supports students in decision making in many different ways.”


LYNDA VAN KUREN is a freelance education writer based in Wilmington, N.C. Twitter: @lyndavk



Additional Resources
Informational resources on student-led individualized education programs and ways to teach self-determination skills to students with disabilities:

» Getting the Most Out of IEPs: An Educator’s Guide to the Student-Directed Approach by Colleen A. Thoma and Paul Wehman, Brookes Publishing. This 2010 book gives practical advice on preparing students to participate in their IEP meetings.

» “How To Help Students Lead Their IEP Meetings,” an article in the January/February 2004 issue of Teaching Exceptional Children

» I’m Determined, a state-directed project funded by the Virginia Department of Education, with resources for involving students in IEP meetings at the elementary, middle and secondary school levels.

» National Technical Assistance Center on Transition, a federally funded organization providing information on evidence-based practices to help students with disabilities graduate ready for postsecondary education and employment.

» Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment at the University of Oklahoma has information on student-directed IEP meetings, self-determination curriculum and transition planning.