Invitation Letter for the State of Virginia

IEPPLUS Version 4

Invitation Letter for the State of Virginia

The Invitation letter is used to invite participation in all special education meetings (IEP, Child Study, Eligibility, Reevaluation, Manifestation Determination Review and FBA/BIP). The letter will include the type and purpose of the meeting and will identify the time and location of the meeting as well as the participants.

The form contains the following sections:

• Select a Student
• Create a Meeting
• Select an Existing Meeting
• Parent/Guardian Mailing Information
• Meeting Information
• Purpose of Meeting
• Attendees
• Printing
• Navigation Bar

Getting Started:

1. Click Student Management > Manage an Existing Student.
2. Use the Search window to find the student based on: Last Name or First Name or Student ID.
3. Click Search.
4. 
   Click the student’s name.

Contacts:

The “Contacts” listed in IEP Plus are automatically integrated from the eSP program. It is important to review this information for accuracy prior to scheduling the meeting.

1. From the student summary screen, click the “Contacts” link.
2. Select the blue link with the parent name and open the “contact” file(s) for the parents/guardians listed.
3. Click on the “mail” link
4. If the parent is supposed to receive mail, click the top radio button labeled “Same as the student”
5. Select “SAVE”
6. Repeat the process for each contact listed.
7. If you need to add a contact, select the “new” icon and add the contact information.

Tip: Make sure the person listed as the “emergency contact” has the “do not send mail” radio button checked.

Reminder: Make sure all of the student’s contacts are listed in IEP Plus. If a student lives with a foster parent, we are required by law to send notification of all meetings to the last known address for the parent. For additional questions about children in foster care, contact the school social worker assigned to your building.

After you update the student’s contacts, select the Invitation Letter under forms, on the left side of the screen.

1. 
   Click New to create a new meeting invitation.

NOTE: There are two options when creating an invitation:

Option 1:“Create a meeting” while generating the Invitation letter. This will create a meeting record.

** Option 1 will be selected for most of the meetings scheduled.

Option 2:“Select an existing meeting” Generate a letter based on a previously scheduled meeting. Information from the meeting record will be displayed on the Invitation letter.

** Option 2 will be used if another invitation is required as a second or third notice ONLY when the meeting date remains the same.

Option 1: Create a Meeting

1. Enter the Meeting Date for this letter. Date Format: MM/DD/YYYY
2. Select the Meeting Type.
3. Select the Letterhead. For IEP meetings, select the IEP letterhead for the meeting location.
4. Click the Create Form button.

Option 2: Create a Letter from a Scheduled Meeting

1. Click Select an existing Meeting. Select the correct meeting from the drop down list.
2. Click Create Form.
3. The Meeting Date, Location, Time and Attendees will be displayed on the form. Changes may be made as necessary to this information. Any information that is changed will also be changed in the meeting record for the student.

Parent/Guardian Mailing Information

When the webform is visible on the screen, the date will default into the Date field. This date is required and can be manually changed if necessary. Check the appropriate option on the top left to note if this is the first, second or third notice of the meeting.

 The student’s name, guardian name and address as well as a salutation line will default.

• Reminder: Guardian information cannot be changed on the form; it is displayed from the Basic Information > Contact > Address section of IEPPLUS.

 Type is set to Parent/Guardian.

 The form will display guardian information from the student’s Contact Summary

A guardian will not be included if Do Not Send Mail is selected on the guardians address screen (second section of the information behind the “mail” link)

 If a student has multiple guardians, they will all be listed on the form.

 When printed, there will be a separate letter generated for each guardian.

 Invitation Letters will be generated for all students age 16 and older.

 The student must have a Mailing Address in Basic Information>Address for a letter to be sent.

Tip

If a student has multiple guardians on the Contact Summary with the same mailing address, set the Do Not Mail indicator for one of the guardians and update the Attention line with an appropriate salutation. One letter will be generated for both guardians.

Meeting Information

1. The Date of the meeting will be displayed from the date entered when creating the letter. This can be modified if needed.
2. Enter the Time of the meeting. Time Format: HH:MM AM or PM
3. Select the Location of the meeting from the drop down list.

Purpose of Meeting

Select the meeting purpose from the drop down menu.

To add an additional purpose, use the Other text box and type in the purpose. More than one purpose can be selected.

The Transition Planning is for students over 14 or if determined by the IEP team prior to the age of 14. Select what is appropriate for the student. If the student will be 14 or older during the annual review cycle, the meeting purpose must include “transition planning.”

Meeting Attendees

1. Parents/Guardians will automatically default as attendees. Please check the columns to invite and include their names on the form. The Attended column at this point is not required.

1. Click Add Meeting Attendee to add attendees to the meeting. There are two options, Link to an existing person and Enter a name.

1. Link to an existing person: Enter part of an attendee’s Last Name and wait for the program to search. This option will search the Staff table for matching names. All matches will be displayed in the Name box. Use the scroll bar to look through the matching names. To limit the number of names in the list, enter more of the last name in the Search window. Click the name to select the correct attendee.
   Leave the Attended Type drop blank unless this attendee is excused from the meeting. If they are excused than select the appropriate reason from the drop down.
   Leave Status blank and hit OK to add the name to the list. If you want to cancel this process click cancel.
   

1. Enter a New Name:
2. Select a Title from the drop down list. If needed.
3. Enter the First, Middle and Last names of the attendee.
4. Select a Suffix for the attendee, if needed.
5. Select a Position from the drop down list. Leave Attended Type blank unless they are excused from the meeting. If they are excused than pick the appropriate reason. Leave Status blank.
6. OK to add the attendee to the meeting.
7. Cancel to cancel adding the attendee.

TIP: “Select A Team” – This drop down menu item will add a predefined list of team members. Teams will only be assigned for Child Study and Eligibility meetings.

Meeting Information

1. Add an Agency Statement – if this is appropriate for the student click the button to type in the statement or pick from one of the check boxes. If this is not appropriate than skip.

 If an outside agency representative will be invited to discuss preschool transition (part C to Part B services), select” Add agency statement”

 Add the agency name from the goalbook or, type the agency name into the text field.

 Select the computer disk icon in the lower left corner to save the agency information.

1. Contact information – this will default from the letterhead that was chosen. This can still be typed over if needed.

1. 
   After all data has been entered, click the Save icon at the top or the bottom of the form.
   
2. Previewing/Printing the Report (the published copy of the invitation)

1. Click Print Preview to display the form.

 The form will display in Adobe Acrobat.

 Select the Print icon or click the Save icon to save a copy of the form to your computer.

 For students 16 or older, a second copy of the letter will be generated.

1. After reviewing or printing the report, click Close Window to return to the form.

1. Click Return to continue working with the student.

1. If there are not any changes required, select Finalize from the navigation bar at the left side of the screen. This will lock the invitation letter and create a permanent archived copy which will be displayed in the Archives section of the IEP Navigation

Tips:

 Always hit Return when leaving the form or else it will look like you are still working that form and someone else will be locked out until you properly exit the form by clicking on the Return icon.

 Once this form is complete, a Meeting Record will be created for the student. This record can be viewed in the Meeting section of the Student Summary. The meeting record will contain the meeting type, date, time, location and the attendees of the meeting.

Meeting Invitations/Records and Schedules in IEP Plus

All personnel (administrators, SST members, compliance specialists, teachers, related service providers etc) are using the Meeting Schedule Utility in IEP Plus to monitor meeting responsibilities in assigned buildings. Therefore, it is imperative that invitations include a date, time, reason and location. Refer to the screen shot below for a meeting schedule without meeting locations or times assigned.

Meeting Scheduling Reminder:

Meetings will appear on the meeting schedule calendar after an invitation for the meeting has been created in IEP Plus.

Meeting Invitations and Meeting Records

• When an invitation is completed, a meeting record is also created.
• Conversely, if an invitation is deleted because of a data entry error, the meeting record must also be deleted (via the student summary screen).
• Refer to examples 1 and 2 below.

Rescheduling meetings:

• If the date of the meeting is changed (edited) in an invitation, the date on the meeting record will also change (for eligibility, reevaluation, child study and MDR only).
• For IEP Team meetings, do not delete or edit an existing invitation if the parent requests a new date. A new invitation should be created and sent to the parent as the “2nd Notice or 3rd Notice”.

Reminder: If there is an action relating to a scheduled meeting (invitation sent, parent contacted, parent requested a rescheduled meeting etc), record the contact and dates in the meeting record (Meeting record - contact dates link).

Meeting Invitations and Creating Forms:

• The forms are linked to a meeting date at the time the form is created.
• The only exception is the eligibility form that is set-up at the Child Study meeting so team members can enter evaluation data during the 65 day evaluation period.
• At the time the eligibility form is completed, the option “do not select a meeting” shall be selected.
• The compliance specialists will link the eligibility meeting record to the form after the invitation is created.

Notifying Meeting Participants:

Documenting the Meeting Contact: