How to manage too many IEPs in one class
Having dozens of students with lengthy IEPs buries teachers in paperwork, data collection, and constant meetings, which makes planning time disappear. This overwhelming administrative load degrades the quality of daily instruction and causes usually careful teachers to make mistakes with specific accommodations. When too many plans require time-intensive actions like radioing for immediate counselor support or making mandatory parent phone calls, staff get bottlenecked and students ultimately go unsupported.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
How to manage too many IEPs in one class
- 1Using erasable pens for students who refuse to write in pencilDid this help you?
- 2Researching strategies on their own and asking colleagues for helpDid this help you?
- 3Relying on substitutes or winging classroom instruction without adequate trainingDid this help you?
- 4Mixing grade levels to dilute high concentrations of IEP and 504 plans in single classroomsDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“I teach 7th grade SPED math and co teach general math, and it's insanely ridiculous the amount of IEPs kids have. The amount of things they have on it too is ridiculous.”source ↗
“Special education teachers are spending increasing amounts of time responding to requests, completing paperwork, gathering data, and attending meetings. Planning time disappears, and the quality of instruction and preparation for the students already on our caseloads suffers.”source ↗
“The number of kids whose plan includes calling for admin/counselor support has collectively become an unreasonable burden. Every single day, kids go unsupported because we radio for support… but they’re already responding to other radio calls.”source ↗
“I have a kid with an IEP that says I'm supposed to contact the parent if they get a grade that's less than a 70.”source ↗
“I am also tasked with all team taught classes. Out of 100 students, 53 have IEPs. Today I had a mistake pointed out with an accommodation, which I never make mistakes with, and I just feel awful. I've never had this many IEPs and while learning 7th grade on top of it, I feel underwater.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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