Beyond helping to write the IEP and working with the child to carry out the IEP, he or she may:
IDEA includes a definition, incorporated from ESSA, for “highly qualified” special education teachers who teach core academic subjects.
Additional Team Members
Another important member of the PPT team is an individual who can interpret a child’s evaluation results and discuss the results in terms of designing appropriate instruction. The evaluation results are useful in determining how the child is progressing in school and his or her areas of need. This PPT team member must be able to talk about the instructional implications of the results to help the team plan appropriate instruction.
The individual representing the school system is also a valuable team member. This person knows about special education services and educating children with disabilities. He or she can talk about necessary school resources. It is important for this individual to have the authority to commit resources and ensure that whatever services are in the IEP will actually be provided.
The PPT team may also include additional individuals with knowledge or special expertise about the child. The parent or the school system may invite these individuals to participate on the team. For example, parents may invite an advocate, a professional
with special expertise about the child and his or her disability or a vocational educator who has been working with the child and can speak about his or her
strengths and challenges. Payment for experts invited by parents should be discussed in advance.
The school system may invite one or more individuals who can offer special expertise or knowledge about the student, such as a paraprofessional or related services professional. Because an important part of developing an IEP is considering a child’s need for related services, related service professionals are often involved as PPT team members or participants. Related service professionals share their special expertise about the child’s needs and how their own services may address those needs. Depending on the child’s individual needs, related service professionals might include occupational or physical therapists, adaptive physical education providers, psychologists or speech-language pathologists.
The school system may invite one or more individuals who can offer special expertise or knowledge about the student, such as a paraprofessional or related services professional. Because an important part of developing an IEP is considering a child’s need for related services, related service professionals are often involved as PPT team members or participants.
Related service professionals share their special expertise about the child’s needs and how their own services may address those needs. Depending on the child’s individual needs, related service professionals might include occupational or physical therapists, adaptive physical education providers, psychologists or speech-language pathologists.
When an IEP is being developed for a child of transition age (16 years old), representatives from transition service agencies may be important participants. Whenever the purpose of a meeting is to consider needed transition services, the school must invite a representative of any other agency that may be responsible for providing or paying for transition services, such as Department of Disability Services or Department of Children and Families. This person may help the team plan any needed transition services and can also commit the resources of the agency to pay for or provide the needed services. If he or she does not attend the meeting, the school must take alternative steps to obtain the agency’s participation in the planning of the student’s transition services.