by Kristina Scott, Ed. D.
School has been back in session a few months now. This usually means that students and faculty have settled into routines and are much better acquainted with each other. By this point in the school year, teachers and related service providers really know their students and because of this they are more skilled to assess how lofty, spot on, or unambitious the goals created on your child’s IEP are. School personnel are also better equipped at this time to know which accommodations are helpful to your child and which they do not find useful. Knowing this as a parent, now is a good time to check in with your child’s team to evaluate progress. This can be done by requesting a meeting with your child’s liaison directly or with the entire team.
Once this request is granted, go to the meeting prepared with questions so you can leave with a greater understanding of your child’s current progress. To get a full picture remember to ask questions beyond just academics because this paints a more holistic picture about what is happening throughout the school day. Below are a few questions that may aid in starting to think of appropriate questions to ask.
Work Habits:
- Does my child ask for help when needed?
- How long (time period) does my child stay on-task?
- Is my child following multi-stepped directions on his/her own?
- Has my child missed any assignments (homework or in-class assignments?
Social Skills:
- Does my child have a core group of friends?
- Are you concerned about any behaviors my child exhibits?
- Is my child respectful towards adults and peers?
Academic Concerns:
- How is my child doing academically?
- How are you monitoring progress towards reaching his/her IEP goals (or the grade-level
standards)? - What strategies (or accommodations) work well for my child?
- Where does my child still need to improve? What is the school’s plan of action?
Home/School Partnership:
- What can I be doing at home to support my child’s development at school?
- Do you recommend any resources I can/should be using at home?
- What is the best way to stay in contact with you?