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Home / Programs & Resources /

Parents Helping Parents

PACER is the Minnesota Parent Training and Information Center, funded by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education Programs.

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Who Is On My Child’s IEP Team?

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) calls for a team of individuals, including parents and school personnel, to work together to develop an Individual Educational Program (IEP) for a child who qualifies for special education services.
 
Because IEP decisions are made by a team rather than by any one individual, it’s important and helpful to understand the role of each member. While each person brings a different set of experiences, concerns, and skills to the table, you can expect that they all share a common goal: enabling the child to succeed in school and in life.

IEP Team Member of the Month:
Regular Education Teacher

At least one regular education teacher is required to participate as an IEP team member if the child is, or may be, participating in a regular education environment. This teacher should be a teacher who is, or may be a teacher of the child. This teacher will be responsible for implementing a portion of the IEP and can participate in discussions about how to best instruct the child. When a student has more than one regular education teacher, parents may request that particular teachers attend a meeting, but the school may decide which teacher or teachers will participate, based on the interests of the child. The regular education teacher has knowledge and expertise about the content of the grade-level general curriculum--the subject matter all children are being taught--as well as the classroom structure, environment, expectations and daily schedule.

Regular education teachers contribute to the IEP team in the following ways:

• Provide information about the student’s participation, performance, progress, and interaction with their peers in the regular classroom.
• Share information about the general curriculum.
• Identify areas of concern and determine appropriate positive behavioral interventions and supports and other strategies for the child to be meaningfully included in the classroom.
• Identify needed training, materials, or other classroom support teachers may need in order to help the student benefit from classroom instruction.
• Make recommendations about individualized learning strategies and effective accommodations to be used in the classroom and school community.
• Suggest ways parents can approach homework and other opportunities to reinforce learning at home.