Unheard Voices: Examining Factors Related to Student Participation During Individualized Education Program Meetings

Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) are an important component of special education. During an annual IEP meeting, a team outlines academic and/or functional goals for the student with disabilities, as well as supports and services designed to help the student achieve these goals. Using a national, web-based survey, this study examined student attendance and participation during IEP meetings. Participants included 1,183 parents and/or legal guardians of school-aged students with disabilities. Results indicated that only one-third of students attended their IEP meeting, with students in older grades more likely to attend. Most students who did attend their meeting were not actively participating. Although historically student participation has been conceptualized as consisting of both administrative-type student IEP behaviors and students providing input about IEP content, a factor analysis revealed only a single, unified factor. Correlates of student attendance and participation included the strength of the parent’s partnership with their child’s teacher, as well as student characteristics such as grade level, time in the general education setting, anticipated high school diploma, and functional ability level.