Step 1: Collaborative Conversations

The first step in the Comprehensive Inclusive Education process involves collaborative conversations with the family and with school team members. This lays the groundwork needed for the student receiving special education services to access the general education curriculum and for the team to implement the inclusive IEP.

Collaborative conversations with the family are an opportunity to meaningfully engage families as members of the school and team, to center family voice in educational planning and IEP development, and to share information about inclusive education.

Collaborative conversations with school team members should include general education teachers, special education teachers, related service providers, and others based on the student’s unique interests and needs. These conversations build a shared knowledge base to plan for instruction in grade-level standards and maximize learning, community, and belonging for the student.

Read more about Step 1 in Comprehensive Inclusive Education in Washington (pp. 8-11)

Additional Resources for Collaborative Conversations

Downloadable Tools

• Use the tool “Envisioning the Future: Supporting Families to Consider Valued Life Outcomes for Their Child” for collaborative conversations with family members
• Use the tool "Start Your Collaboration Out Right" to guide collaborative conversations with the school team

Resources for Collaborative Conversations with Family

• Developing IEPs that Support Inclusive Education for Parents with Students with the Most Significant Cognitive Disabilities (Sabia, Thurlow & Lazarus, 2021; TIES Center Parent Brief)
  This Parent Brief supports families to learn and understand the importance of an inclusive IEP for students with extensive support needs. The purpose of this brief is to support families to be equal, contributing partners on their child’s IEP team.
• Family Engagement Guidance and Toolkit (OSPI, 2021)
  This resource provides guidance and strategies for building strong partnerships between families, school, district and community groups. It includes strategies for building family engagement and collaboration, leading to positive outcomes, support and services for every student.

Resources for Collaborative Conversations with School Team

• High Leverage Practices in Special Education: A Look at Collaboration (Council for Exceptional Children & Ceedar Center)
  This resource describes key high-leverage practices that relate to collaboration between school, family and community members. Additional resources, materials and videos are also provided for further exploration.
• Together We Are Better! Collaborative Teaming to Support Authentic Inclusion of Students with Complex Support Needs (Jorgensen, 2018)
  This resource provides two vignettes showing how two boys with similar disabilities experience very different school days, and shows how collaborative teaming can be used to provide access and engagement in an inclusive educational experience for a student with extensive support needs.