Student Involvement In IEPs

There has been a recent initiative for students to be involved in their Individualized Education Plan. The goal is for students to become self-advocates and learn to develop goals that pertain to their interests. The study examined this process of including students by addressing three questions. First, does student involvement in their IEP lead to greater mastery of IEP goals? Second, does student involvement in their IEP impact academic achievement? Third, in what ways does the Self-Advocacy Strategy, IPLAN, increase student participation in IEP meetings? Three students participated in the study by providing inventory on their strengths, weaknesses, and what helps them learn. They then turned that information into a presentation of their choice to present at their IEP meeting. Each student differed in the amount of inventory they provided, support that was required to complete the presentation, and understanding and application of the inventory in the classroom.