Free IEP and IPP Meeting Prep Sheet

The meeting

Date

Time, if you know it

Who will be there

Names and roles, if you know them: the teacher, the principal, anyone you are bringing.

If the meeting only gets to three things, make it these. One line each.

1. What matters most right now

2. The next most important thing

3. One more thing you want them to hear

Write each one the way you would ask it out loud.

From the free Parking-Lot Script. Tick the ones you want in front of you.

To open

“Thanks for making time. I've done some prep, so I may ask to pause on a few things to be sure I understand them.”
“Before we start, is the plan in front of us a draft we’re working on together today, or a final version?”
“I want this to go well for everyone. I'm here to understand, to ask, and to get this right for my child.”

When you don't understand something

“Can you put that in plain language? What would that actually look like for my kid on a Tuesday?”
“Is that a goal, a service, or just a description? I want to be sure I know which.”
“Can you show me where that is in the document?”

When they say no

“I hear that. Can we get both the request and the reason for the no written into the notes?”
“What would need to be true for that to be possible: funding, an assessment, something else?”
“If not now, then when can we revisit it? Can we put a date on it?”

When it's moving too fast, and to close

“I want to make sure I'm tracking. Can we slow down on this part?”
“I'd like to take this home and read it before I sign. When do you need it back?”
“Can I get a copy of today's notes, and the name of the person I follow up with?”

Tick each one once it is in your bag. Add anything that is missing.