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A note from Special Education Services
Active Student Participation Inspires Real Engagement ASPIRE
Research shows that students with disabilities who become active partners in their IEP (Individualized Education Plan) meeting are more engaged in their education, leading to an increase in their academic and social achievements.
In order to address the need for student and parent engagement, the Monroe County Department of Instructional Student Support is participating in a project with the Georgia Department of Education (GADOE) in association with Partnerships for Success called ASPIRE. This project will train our teachers to assist students in learning about their disability, their strengths, their weaknesses and what they need in order to be successful in school. Further, they will help students take an active role in their Individual Education Plan (IEP) meeting each year.
Our system's parent mentor will be working with parents to help them understand the program and how they can support their children as they take on more responsibility for their needs.
The goal is that high school students would be able to lead their IEP meeting. However, we will begin to build skills even at the elementary level by having young children introduce members of the team and tell the team about what they have learned during the school year.
The project will be monitored using surveys for students, parents and teachers participating in the project to assess whether our students better understand their disability, their needs and the role that the Individual Education Plan plays in helping them meet their goals.
The desired outcome is that students better understand themselves and can advocate for themselves as they move into high school and post-secondary. For more information, contact Lisa Allred, Director of Instructional Student Support.
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