Your Role in a Student’s IEP: Making Meaningful Remarks for Student Performance

We spend a lot of time getting ourselves into the mindset of preparing grades and feedback, but we don’t always put the same amount of thought into the remarks for student performance we provide on a work and attitude report for an Individualized Education Program (IEP). It’s understandable: we have a lot on our plates, we may already be providing feedback as part of our regular classroom communication, sometimes we’re asked at the last minute to complete a work and attitude report, and other times, the request hits our email and we think, “I’ve got plenty of time to do this,” sending it promptly to the bottom of our priority pile in favor of all the “do nows” filling our to-do lists. Let’s not even get into the times we’re asked to complete paperwork for students who are so new to our classes we’re not even sure we actually know who they are, let alone feel equipped to answer important questions that require detailed responses. But this feedback is important. Not only is it legally required, but it is intended to help our most vulnerable students, and it doesn’t have to take you long to complete in order for it to be meaningful. Today we’re sharing the guidelines we’ve developed for our remarks for student performance, both as a result of completing many forms ourselves and from seeing the feedback, useful and not so useful, provided at years of meetings.

#1 Be specific.

The Special Education department at our school reiterated this all the time. Instead of providing vague descriptors like “doing fine,” “struggling,” “needs improvement,” or “good,” in your remarks for student performance, try to provide specific examples from your class. Not only does this clarify what “fine” or “needs improvement” means to you, but it also helps parents and case carriers get a better picture of what that student is doing in your classroom. This is especially important if you know you are unable to attend the meeting yourself. Don’t feel like you have to explain every instance of a student’s behavior or work performance. Choosing just one that illustrates typical behavior is enough to do the job.

#2 Break down your feedback by grade category.

We usually tried to share how students were doing in each of our four grading categories (Writing, Assessments, Classwork, and Participation). This helps to clearly explain why a student’s grade is what it is, and it allows for a more robust description of a student’s strengths and weaknesses: a student might struggle with test-taking strategies but turn in every assignment on time and participate regularly in class discussions.

#3 In addition to academics, address behavior and social skills.

While it’s tempting to focus only on a student’s academic progress, IEPs often address skills and behaviors that go beyond what is reflected in a grade. Many of the conditions that qualify students for IEPs affect things like attention, social interactions, sleepiness, speech, organization, and impulsivity. Students likely have goals to meet in these areas, so remarks you can make about what they are like as a person, not just a student, in your classroom can be incredibly helpful to parents, case carriers, and other members of the student’s support team.

#4 Reference specific goals and areas of growth if you know them.

When you’re aware of a particular issue a student is working on, especially if you are following up on a previous IEP meeting, be sure to address the student’s progress in that specific area. Sometimes a student may be struggling overall but has made progress on a specific issue the team discussed in previous meetings, and that deserves celebrating. If a student (or parent) hasn’t fulfilled the expectations decided on in a previous meeting, everyone on the team needs to know in order to determine a more effective strategy.

#5 Include specific things the student can do to improve.

When a student’s grades are low, try to offer suggestions about specific actions the student could take to improve or even specific assignments they could make up. Sometimes, we shared behaviors we would like to see more (or less) of. For example, if a student is earning a good grade but tends to be quiet in class, we might encourage that student to participate more in class discussions. The goal of IEP meetings is to help students be successful in our classrooms and beyond, and the most productive meetings we attended were those in which everyone was invested in helping the student create a plan of action.

#6 Remember that your feedback is a legal document.

It can be easy to forget that your remarks for a student’s performance for an IEP isn’t just for your site or for one meeting. It becomes part of a student’s file, and if there are issues with that student’s case at some point in the future, it can (and will) resurface. Even if you’re struggling with a student, academically or personally, keep your tone and diction objective and neutral. You don’t want to lose your temper and have it read back to you at a hearing one day. (On a related note, this is not the time or place to air your frustrations with the case carrier or the process.)

#7 Find something kind to say.

IEP meetings can be rough for students. Imagine sitting in a room, already insecure about your ability to succeed in school, listening to teacher after teacher list the things you’re doing poorly in front of your parents, principal, counselor, case carrier, and other adults you may or may not know. And this is a process they repeat year after year, if not multiple times in the same year. Do your best to find something kind to say, something to praise the student for. It’s an absolute delight to see a student smile in these meetings and look at their parents with shy pride, so no matter what issues you’re facing with a student, try to say something encouraging. Everyone benefits from kind words in these situations: student, parents, and the staff and faculty interacting with the student on a regular basis. We can think of multiple occasions where we were struggling to find anything redeeming about a particular student, and hearing nice things about them from other adults helped us to look for evidence of those same qualities in the student in our classrooms. 

Of course, the remarks for student performance you provide will vary based on each individual student’s needs, the time of year, and how they are performing in your class, but we’ve found these guidelines to be a helpful framework for providing a useful, well-rounded picture that ultimately helps students succeed.

What kinds of feedback have you found to be particularly helpful when you attend IEP meetings? What information have you provided that has really made a difference in a student’s growth and performance? Are any of these elements a challenge for you to provide for your students? Reach out to us at [email protected] or on Instagram @threeheads.works to share: we’re happy to be a sounding board for you as you work to refine your own style and system for completing student reports!