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Student-Led IEP Preparation — Conversation Guide + Interview

Sources (combined):

Localized 2026-05-10. All three live in Bancroft staff SharePoint at:

/Special Education/Student Involvement Initiative/

When to use: Preparing a student to participate in their own IEP meeting. Designed for elementary students who are old enough and able to engage with the conversation. Goes against the default of "the IEP happens about you, not with you" — preparing students to advocate for themselves builds skills they'll need by middle school.

The pre-meeting conversation

This is a multi-step conversation, NOT a one-shot. Notes from Bancroft's guide:

Step 1 — Intro: What is an IEP?

Ask the student if they've heard the term before from a teacher or family. Then break down the acronym one word at a time.

Sample script:

"I want to talk to you today about your IEP. Do you know what an IEP is? 'IEP' stands for 'Individualized Education Plan.' Let's look at each word — what does 'individual' mean? Just for ONE person, made specially for them. What does 'education' mean? Learning, or school. What is a 'plan'? So when we put those meanings altogether, what do you think an 'Individualized Education Plan' would be? That's right, a learning plan made special just for ONE person. And you have one."

Step 2 — Why do you have an IEP? (Intro disability)

Frame neutrally: "It's not a bad thing, it's not a good thing, it's just a thing."

Use team-created language for the student's specific disability. Emphasize that this has nothing to do with their effort or value — it's not their fault.

Identify specific examples of the student's strengths AND areas of need. Connect to the student's memory of being evaluated if applicable.

Sample script:

"The reason you have an IEP is because you have a learning disability/learning difference, which means that while there are some things that come naturally to you in school, there are other things that may be particularly difficult for you to learn. For example, one thing we've noticed is that you have excellent reading comprehension! When you hear a story read aloud to you, you not only understand what is happening but you're able to answer questions and talk about the text! At the same time, we've noticed that decoding, or reading, words can be really challenging for you, even when you work hard at it. Does that sound like what you've experienced?"

"Because of this, you have been given an IEP to help you learn by... providing extra support, helping keep track of your growth so we can make sure you're getting EXACTLY what you need, giving you certain accommodations."

Step 3 — Why are we talking about this now?

Tailor to context — newly found eligible vs. in SpEd for years.

"It's important that you know about this because you're an important part of the team! Your thoughts and ideas MATTER because this is YOUR plan."

"We also want you to practice advocating for yourself here at Bancroft so you're ready when you go to middle school."

Step 4 — How can you be involved?

Step 5 — So, what next?

Vocabulary to teach (Student Centered IEP)

For students who'll attend or contribute to their meeting, walk through these terms in advance:

Term Student-friendly definition
IEP Goals The skills we are going to learn this year
Accommodations Changes we can make in the classroom to help you learn — how material is presented, how you answer questions, how much time you have for tasks
Learning Difference The unique and individual ways some people process new information
Disability A person has differences in the way their body or brain works that can make it difficult to perform certain tasks. Some people with disabilities have unique strengths.
IEP Individualized Education Plan
Present Levels How you are currently doing in each subject
ADHD It can be difficult sometimes for your mind and body to stay still and focus
Autism A person's brain works differently. They may have difficulty expressing themselves, understanding social situations, or be very sensitive to their environment
Other Health Impairment (team to explain in plain language for the specific student)
SLD Specific Learning Disability — (team to explain)
Dyslexia A person may have trouble reading and writing

Student options for participation

The student picks how they want to participate (Y/N for each):

Student Interview (English)

Use these to gather student input ahead of the meeting. Adapt question count to age/attention; even 3-4 questions are valuable.

  1. What do you want to be when you grow up?
  2. What activities do you do for fun?
  3. What do you feel like you're really good at?
  4. What types of things do you think are difficult?
  5. What is your favorite subject?
  6. Which subject is the most challenging?
  7. What helps you to do well at school?
  8. What concerns or worries do you have when it comes to school?
  9. What are your goals for this year? Next year?

Student Interview — Spanish (Entrevista estudiantil)

For Spanish-dominant students or students more comfortable in Spanish:

Entrevista estudiantil: ____________________________ (Fecha: __/__/__)

1. ¿Qué quieres ser/hacer cuando seas adulto?
2. ¿Cuáles actividades te gustan hacer para divertirte?
3. ¿Cuáles son tus fortalezas?
4. ¿Qué te parece difícil?
5. ¿Qué es tu tema académico favorito?
6. ¿Cuál tema académico te parece más difícil?
7. ¿Qué te ayuda tener éxito en la escuela?
8. ¿Qué te preocupa sobre la escuela?
9. ¿Cuáles son tus metas para este año? ¿Cuáles son tus metas para el próximo año?

Connection to other docs

Why bother with student-led at age 6-7?

The user has 1st-grade students. At this age:

By 5th grade (when most kids transition out of Bancroft), students who've been doing student-led prep since 1st grade will be ready to genuinely co-lead.

Source files

Local OneDrive paths (synced):

Part of the DCPS SpEd Case Manager Yearbook · Back to index