This document provides an overview of conferences. If you do not need an overview, skip this page and proceed with any of the tasks involved with conferences, including scheduling a conference, documenting conference notifications and documenting the actual conference.
What is a Conference?
A conference is a meeting in which Student Team members collaborate to address a student's needs. Conferences do not necessarily require that a member be physically present and may sometimes involve remote participation, such as tele-conferencing. Within the SSP, several types of conferences serve different purposes. Below are brief descriptions of the conference types:
Conference-Student
Needs - During this conference, the team members will define
the student's needs and, if necessary, analyze performance
data. The focus is to determine whether a challenge exists and
to develop a definition of that challenge. For 504 or IDEA referrals,
this type of conference is also referred to as Conference-Evaluation.
This type of conference also may be called when an IDEA or 504 referral
must go through re-evaluation.
Conference-Eligibility
- This type of conference is called only for 504 or IDEA referrals.
This type of conference is called after an evaluation takes place.
The goal of this conference is to determine a student's eligibility
for services.
Conference-Plan
- This type of conference is called to develop or evaluate a plan
for the student. For example, an IEP Conference falls under this category.
For IEP Conferences Only - When a Student
Team Member cannot attend an IEP conference, the Special
Education Teacher is required to complete the Agreement
to Excuse from Attendance document. This document requests
agreement from the parent to excuse the Student
Team Member.
If the parent agrees - The conference can proceed. If the agreement requires input from the excused Student Team Member, the Special Education Teacher will request input from the team member.
If the parent disagrees - The Special Education Teacher will reschedule the conference.
Conference-Manifestation
Determination - This type of conference is called to determine
if a student's behavior is a manifestation of his/her disability.
Tasks Related to Conferences
Schedule Conference - Record date, time and location. Document notification.
Complete the Agreement to Excuse from Attendance form (for IEP Conferences only).