Initial IEP Meeting

Introductory Summary: This is an Initial IEP meeting. It is held during the COVID-19 pandemic via Zoom.
IEP Definition: An IEP (individualized education program) is a legal document required under the US federal law known as the Individual with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which makes a student eligible for individualized special education services. To qualify for special education services, a student must meet one or more of 13 federally recognized disability categories. IEP meetings occur on an annual basis. However, if the need for more meetings within a year arises, this can be requested by the parent and/or legal guardian.

Disclaimer:: This text is an original work of fiction based on real scenarios. Any similarities between people or places are purely coincidental.

Participants

Abbr.	Role	Language(s)
Int	Interpreter	en-US es-US
Psy	School Psychologist	en-US
M	Mother	es-MX
F	Father	es-MX
SE	Special Education Teacher	es-US
GE	General Education Teacher	es-US
AA	Administrative Assistant (Notetaker)	en-US

Contributors

Author

Romina Espinosa

Co-Author

Ana Soler

Editors

Devin Gilbert

Yohana Imperio

Allison deFreese

Audio Engineer

Omar Mendoza

Voice Actors

Full Summary: This is an Initial IEP meeting. It is held during the COVID-19 pandemic using the consecutive mode via Zoom. It is a hybrid session, meaning that most of the school staff connect from the school site. The notetaker is taking a road trip through northern Florida and taking notes from a trailer. The interpreter connects from her home office, and the parents from their living room. A 3rd grader qualifies for special education under the specific learning disability criteria. The school team explains to the parents what an IEP is by reviewing each section of the form. The school psychologist conducted the assessment, the Woodcock Johnson IV test, and explains the results to the team. The math teacher then shares an academic dishonesty incident, which is when an ethical dilemma happens.

Main Challenges: The math teacher shares that the student is great at addition and subtraction, then shares an academic dishonesty incident that happened the week prior. As an interpreter you have to think on your toes because the way the math teacher handled the incident was not the most ideal. A second challenge is when the father refers to a library using the term “librería” instead of the term “biblioteca.”

Key Terminology and Vocabulary

This dialogue is rated T for Teen and may not be suitable for children under 13.

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Supplementary Resources: What is an IEP? (Understood); IEP’s (Individualized Education Programs) (California Courts: The Judicial Branch of California); A History of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA); Medical Interpreting Standards of Practice (International Medical Interpreters Association); English-Spanish Glossary for Educational Settings (California Department of Education); Rodolfo Valentán, English to Spanish Glossary of Educational Terminology (Second Edition); National Standards of Practice (National Council on Interpreting in Healthcare); California Standards for Healthcare Interpreters (California Healthcare Interpreting Association); Code of Ethics for Medical Interpreters (International Medical Interpreters Association); Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice for Educational Interpreters of Spoken Language (Minnesota Department of Education); Code of Ethics and Standards of Practice (NAETISL); A National Code of Ethics for Interpreters in Health care (National Council on Interpreting in Healthcare)

Dialogue