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l E d u c a t i o n\u003Cbr>\u003Cbr>Individualized Education Program(IEP)/Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Facilitation: Practical Insights and Programmatic Considerations\u003Cbr>Timothy Hedeen, Ph.D.\u003Cbr>Marshall Peter, M.S.\u003Cbr>Philip Moses, M.A. Anita Engiles, J.D.\u003Cbr>January 2013\u003Cbr>CADRE is funded by\u003Cbr>|\n| --- | --- |\n\nCADRE is a project of  \nP.O. Box 51360, Eugene, OR 97405-0906 541-686-5060 voice 541-686-5063 fax [cadre@directionservice.org](cadre@directionservice.org)  \n[www.directionservice.org/cadre](www.directionservice.org/cadre)  \nThe contents of this document were developed under a grant from the Office of Special Education Programs, United States Department of Education,\\#H326D080001. However, the contents do not represent the policy of the United States Department of Education, and you should not assume endorsement by the Federal Government. Project Officer, Tina Diamond.  \nThe text of this document is in the public domain and may be reproduced in its entirety or portions thereof for noncommercial use without prior permission if the authors are cited. Upon request this publication will be made available in alternate formats.  \nThe Technical Assistance ALLIANCE for Parent Centers at Pacer Center  \n[www.taalliance.org](www.taalliance.org)  \nNational Association of  \nState Directors of Special Education [www.nasdse.org](www.nasdse.org)  \nNational Dissemation Center for Children with Disabilities  \n[www.nichcy.org](www.nichcy.org)  \n[Mediate.com](Mediate.com)  \nResourceful Internet Solutions, Inc.  \n[www.mediate.com](www.mediate.com)  \nThe authors gratefully acknowledge the significant contributions of Tina Diamond, Noella Bernal, Tom Kelly and Cheryl Stiles. Their hard work, insight, and expertise were of great assistance.  \nIntroduction  \nOver 6.5 million youth and their families are eligible for early intervention or special education services (Data Accountability Center, 2011) under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA) .  \nThe principal mechanism by which goals, objectives, services and placements are determined for Part B of the IDEA are Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings. Programs for children birth to three who receive services under Part C are developed in Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) meetings. Each plan or program is developed by a team of parents, early childhood service providers, teachers, administrators, and related service providers as well as attorneys and advocates, in some cases. These meetings represent an important opportunity to draw on participants’ expertise and aspirations in the interest of developing a plan that leads to important learning outcomes for the child (Reiman et al., 2010) .  \nMaking important decisions and developing plans on one’s own is often difficult. Making important decisions with others—particularly those who hold differing views—is further complicated. Fortunately, many groups find that the challenges of aligning diverse viewpoints can be overcome with the support of a facilitator, a term grounded in the Latin word for ‘easy’.  \nAn effective facilitator makes a group’s work easier—or at least, less difficult—by supporting clear communication among prepared parties in a structured and focused process. Put more simply, “A facilitator’s job is to support everyone to do their best thinking”(Kaner et al., 2007, p.32) .  \nThe application of facilitation to IEP/IFSP meetings has significantly increased. In 2008, twenty-four states reported using IEP facilitation and another eight states were in the planning or development stages (Henderson, 2008, p.7) . As the practice of IEP/IFSP facilitation has grown, a body of expertise and associated practice recommendations has emerged. This document summarizes practical insights and promising practices for IEP/IFSP facilitation, collected from a broad review of facilitation and special education l","cbCainz1bahGP4BD","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCainz1bahGP4BD","pdf",958061,11,"English","# Introduction\n## Practical insights\n### Before the meeting","[{\"question\":\"What is the purpose of facilitation in IEP/IFSP meetings?\",\"answer\":\"Facilitation makes group work easier by supporting clear communication through a structured, focused process so participants can engage in their best thinking to develop effective plans.\"},{\"question\":\"Who typically participates in IEP/IFSP planning teams?\",\"answer\":\"Teams commonly include parents, early childhood service providers, teachers, administrators, related service providers, and, in some cases, attorneys and advocates.\"},{\"question\":\"What preparation practices are recommended before an IEP/IFSP meeting?\",\"answer\":\"The document recommends explaining the meeting process and structure in advance, ensuring participants understand topics and materials to be reviewed, sharing draft agendas and relevant materials in participants’ primary language, and introducing ground rules ahead of time.\"}]","Individualized Education Program(IEP)/Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) Facilitation: Practical Insights and Programmatic Considerations | PDF",1792043129,28]