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Survey and roundtables show mixed family experiences with IEPs; work group pushes plain language, translation, and facilitation toolkits
Summary
A brief MSDE–Parents' Place survey found 55% of respondents felt they were equal members of their child's IEP team and 45% did not. Breakout groups recommended plain‑language IEP materials, draft‑IEP translation, online signing capability, cultural brokers, consistent IEP facilitators, pre‑meetings and training toolkits to strengthen trust and participation.
A short statewide survey and follow-up roundtables conducted by Parents' Place of Maryland in partnership with MSDE found that families report uneven experiences participating in Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings.
Renee Everest of Parents' Place (presenting in the transcript) reported that 55% of respondents said they felt they were equal members of their child’s IEP team while 45% said they did not feel equal partners. The most common reasons families said they did not feel equal were poor or jargon‑filled communication, language barriers, insufficient translation of documents (including draft IEPs), and limited opportunities for meaningful two‑way engagement.
In the work group's breakout sessions, participants recommended several concrete supports to strengthen family–school partnerships: plain‑language templates and use of the governor's plain‑language executive order principles; translation of draft IEPs into families’ preferred languages; the ability to sign forms electronically through Maryland Online IEP; pre‑IEP meetings to build parent capacity and set meeting norms; consistent facilitation training and toolkits for IEP chairs; and stronger external partners (such as the federally funded parent training and information center) to serve as trusted third parties.
Dr. Hickman (MSDE) emphasized trust and equal footing at the IEP table, saying, “For it to be a true partnership, there has to be some give and take.” Breakout participants, including school staff and parent advocates, also highlighted cultural brokers and community organizations as key to rebuilding trust.
Why it matters: The findings and group recommendations identify operational steps MSDE and LEAs can take to reduce disputes and strengthen participation without waiting for long policy cycles. Participants asked MSDE for consistent training, scripts and coaching so that new and veteran educators can run meetings that are equitable, strengths‑based and accessible.
Next steps: MSDE will include these recommendations in the draft report; work group members will receive the draft for redline review and MSDE will return updates on implementation and prioritization at future meetings.
