Understanding the Everyday Practice of Individualized Education Program Team Members

Abstract

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 states that individualized education program (IEP) teams are composed of members with distinct identities, roles, expertise, and histories. Although team members must work together to implement educational and related services for learners with special needs, little is known about how these members actually accomplish this throughout the school year. This study examined the practice of members on two elementary IEP teams through analysis of data from a yearlong case study using the communities of practice (CoP) framework. Contrary to idealized conceptualizations of IEP team practice as being equitable and occurring in meetings, the practice of members on both teams was controlled by a few team members and occurred during concise exchanges throughout the day. These findings underscore opportunities for innovating the practice of IEP team members to improve services for students with special needs.

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Elizabeth S. Hartmann

Elizabeth S. Hartmann, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at Lasell College in Newton, MA. Her research interests include Universal Design for Learning (UDL), teachers' collaborative practice in general education and special education, and the development of symbolic understanding in early communicators.

Note: The author reports that, to the best of her knowledge, neither she nor her affiliated institution have financial relationships or affiliations that could influence or bias the opinions, decisions, or work presented in this article.