Role of Regular Education Teacher

The regular education teacher has a very important role in the IEP. The regular education teacher is probably the first one to notice that the child may have a disability. The regular education teacher is also the one to think of initial interventions to see if those make a difference in the problems they see.  In the first IEP meeting, and subsequent meetings, the regular ed. teacher has a very important perspective on the child’s progress. Initially, the regular ed. teacher can talk about the issues they have seen and all the things they have done to try to correct the issue. Then, they can talk about how the child is doing in the regular classroom. The regular ed. teacher also has an important perspective on how the interventions, accommodations, and other services are helping the child function in the regular classroom. They have a very helpful role because other professionals who work more with children with disabilities, or with the child in a special education setting, may not see how the child is functioning in the same way that the regular ed. teacher does.