On my fourth visit to Mrs. Dugans class I came as she was just finishing an IEP meeting.  After the meeting she sat down and reviewed the IEP with me.  To be honest I was overwhelmed with the amount of information found on the IEP.  I can understand the anxiety and confusion a parent must feel after seeing an IEP for the first time.  One of the first things Mrs. Dugan told me about the IEP is that the IEP form will vary depending on the District in which the IEP is being completed.  I also learned that the IEP that a High School Student has will very from that of an Elementary student.  With High School IEP’s there is more of a focus on the student’s success in life skills rather then their success in academic skills.  Students set goals with Mrs. Dugan each quarter before their IEP meeting. After setting the goals Mrs. Dugan, the attendees at the IEP meeting and the students will work on a plan for the student to reach those goals.  Before the next IEP meeting Mrs. Dugan will sit down with the student again and review the progress of the goals that they set last time.

            I had a chance to also speak with the occupational therapist about the IEP and the role that she plays with the process.  She attends all of the IEP meetings and is a crucial part of most students with the success of meeting their goals.  She explained to me that the time she spends with the students decreases, as they get closer to graduation.  When
I asked her why this was she said that in most cases the students skills are what they are by the High School level so they use the time to work on more life skills with students.

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