Regular Educators on the IEP Team
From NICHCY
NOTE: In Texas, the IEP Team is referred to as the ARD Committee.
IDEA requires that at least one regular education teacher must be represented on the team “if the child is, or may be, participating in the regular education environment.” According to IDEA, the regular education teacher:
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must, to the extent appropriate, determine “appropriate positive behavioral interventions and supports, and other strategies for the child” [§300.324(a)(3)(i)]; and
- determine which “supplementary aids and services, program modifications, and support for school personnel” are needed to help the child progress toward attaining the annual goals; be involved in and make progress in the general education curriculum; participate in extracurricular activities and other nonacademic activities; and be educated and participate with other children with disabilities and those who are not disabled [§300.324(a)(3)(ii) and §300.320(a)(4)].
These supports and services might include adapting the curriculum, providing reading materials written at a lower reading level, using graphics along with written materials, or providing the child with a child assistant. The regular education teacher may also tell the rest of the team what he or she needs to help the child understand the general curriculum and achieve the goals listed in the IEP.
The regular education teacher often knows the curriculum for a child’s grade level and what children in regular education classes are typically expected to do. If the child is going to be educated in the regular education environment for any part of the school day, then the child’s regular education teacher may talk at the IEP meeting about what the child will be taught and expected to learn. This information can contribute directly to making decisions about what types of supplementary aids and services the child may need to be successful in that setting.
A final note: IDEA may require that at least one regular educator serve on the IEP team, but many children with disabilities have more than one such teacher. Because it's not practical for all of a child's teachers to attend the IEP meeting, the public agency must ensure that each regular education teacher (as well as other service providers working with the child) has access to the child’s IEP and is informed of his or her specific responsibilities related to implementing the IEP. He or she must also be informed as to the specific accommodations, modifications, or supports that must be provided to the child in accordance with the IEP. [§300.323(d)]
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