Acronyms... SO many acronyms

Going into an IEP or 504 Plan meeting for the first time (heck, even 4th or 5th time!) can

be a very pulse inducing, palm sweating situation for a parent. There are so many

players in on the IEP Team and as parents it can either feel like your on the same team

or “it’s them against us”. Reading over these documents can feel like your trying to

translate War and Peace from another language to English. I had a professor remind

me, as I was studying up on how to execute and IEP, that as Special Educators we can

become very “full of ourselves” with our knowledge of the Special Education system and

all the words and acronyms that go along with it. I thought that during this blog I would

demystify some of those words for you so that your front loaded with information before

your start or continue an IEP or 504 Plan meeting in the fall.

IEP: Individualized Educational Plan. This is for a student who has a primary and/or

secondary disability that affects the way they learn and need accommodations or

modifications to learn in any environment. This can be in a General Education or

Special Education classroom and you and your IEP team will discuss what is the “least

restrictive environment” for your child. Your “IEP Team” will consist of members such as

a Special Education Teacher, a General Education Teacher, school administration,

Speech Pathologist and Occupational Therapists (if included on your child's services

page of their IEP) and School Psychologist as well as you and any support you need on

your side (another family member, an advocate, etc). An IEP is reviewed annually, but

can be reviewed every few weeks or months depending on what your child's needs are

and what is going on in their setting.

LRE: Least Restrictive Environment. This is part of a law under IDEA that states a child

shall have to right and opportunity to be educated with non-disabled peers to the

greatest extent that is appropriate depending on the individuals disability and learning

abilities. As stated above, the IEP team will discuss the pros and cons of starting your

child in a General Education classroom or a Special Education Classroom. In some

cases a student can stay in a Gen Ed setting and have pull out services (i.e. RSP, or

resource) to cover their needs, or they can be pulled out and spend a portion of their

day in a Special Education setting. This will all depend on the child's strengths and

needs and should be looked at objectively to make sure they are getting the services

that will benefit them realistically.

504 Plan: This a part of the Section 504 Plan Act that is part of the Rehabilitation Act, a

civil rights act (note: not an educational act) that protects individuals with disabilities

from discrimination from programs and activities that receive federal funding. This

includes public schools. This is also for students who have health conditions, such as

diabetes, that need to be monitored during the school day but who’s disability do not

affect how they learn. In my experience being a parent and a Special Education teacher

at my daughters school this is something I have a lot of experience with and had to

reach out to some advocates for guidance. The school can be given more freedom in

what is put in a 504 Plan, so unless you really research your rights, you could be put in

a very unsavory position once you sign one without doing your homework. I found this

out the hard way and I cannot express enough how doing your research and advocating

for your child (and yourself) with either an IEP or 504 will help in the long run. Also, as

opposed to an IEP, a 504 Plan is only reviewed once a year.