Collaboration Within an IEP Team

Each student’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP) requires a team to assess, evaluate, and create the documentation and direction for the student’s success. The members of the IEP team are detailed within the 20 U.S. Code § 1414 - Evaluations, eligibility determinations, individualized education programs, and educational placements, which came under the Education for Handicapped Children Act (EHA, now referred to as Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA) [1]:  

(B)Individualized education program team

The term “individualized education program team” or “IEP Team” means a group of individuals composed of—

(i)the parents of a child with a disability;

(ii)not less than 1 regular education teacher of such child (if the child is, or may be, participating in the regular education environment);

(iii)not less than 1 special education teacher, or where appropriate, not less than 1 special education provider of such child;

(iv)a representative of the local educational agency who—

(I)is qualified to provide, or supervise the provision of, specially designed instruction to meet the unique needs of children with disabilities;

(II)is knowledgeable about the general education curriculum; and

(III)is knowledgeable about the availability of resources of the local educational agency;

(v)an individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results, who may be a member of the team described in clauses (ii) through (vi);

(vi)at the discretion of the parent or the agency, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise regarding the child, including related services personnel as appropriate; and

(vii)whenever appropriate, the child with a disability.

It should be noted that under point (vi), the parents have the right to bring someone of their choosing to the IEP meeting, whether it be an additional family member, an advocate, or someone else that brings support; and the school can’t deny any guest that a parent would like to bring [2]. The purpose of collaboration for a student's IEP is to combine all of the team members’ skills and efforts into helping the student succeed in the classroom, whether it’s a behavioral, educational, social, and/or assistive technology need; with each student having their unique needs and solutions for each [3]. There are many opportunities for effective collaboration within an IEP team. If the student has a need and the IEP itself needs to gather more information on how to best support the student, they should seek out guidance from their networks. Collaboration is important in understanding each team member’s role and how to best work as a team, build on each other’s work, and streamline data together [4]. 

While there are multiple people within an IEP team, the parent needs to ALWAYS be heard and have their input given during IEP meetings, as they school must take the parent’s input into consideration rather than letting decisions be made away from them [5]. In addition, organization is important for a successful IEP meeting, including having as a set agenda and necessary materials distributed beforehand, as this will help everyone in the IEP Team be on the same page [6]. Furthermore, there still remain many disagreements within IEP meetings between parents and educators regarding how the student’s needs are being met, which can result in escalation, including filed complaints and more. The area of disputing an IEP can be read about here. 

Sources

[1] “Definition: IEP Team from 20 USC § 1414(d)(1) | LII / Legal Information Institute.” Legal Information Institute, Legal Information Institute, www.law.cornell.edu/definitions/uscode.php 

[2] “Who Is Required to Attend an IEP Meeting?” IEP Law Firm PC, 13 Aug. 2020, www.sandiegospecialeducationattorney.com/who-is-required-to-attend-an-iep-meeting#:~:text=Yes.,positively%20participate%20in%20the%20meeting. 

[3] “What Are the Benefits of Collaboration in Special Education?” What Are the Benefits of Collaboration in Special Education? | Wilson College, 8 Nov. 2023, online.wilson.edu/resources/collaboration-in-special-education/. 

[4] How to: Writing Collaborative Goals for IEPS, www.asha.org/practice/ipe-ipp/how-to/writing-collaborative-goals-for-ieps/. Accessed 29 May 2025. 

[5] Koch, Katherine. “IEP: Students Benefit When We Collaborate.” Edutopia, George Lucas Educational Foundation, 4 Apr. 2017, www.edutopia.org/blog/improving-collaboration-iep-table-katherine-koch. 

[6] Beach, Michelle, et al. “Collaboration Practices.” Introduction to Special Education, minnstate.pressbooks.pub/introductiontospecialeducation/chapter/iep-team-collaboration/. Accessed 29 May 2025.