MTTC Early Childhood General and Special Education (Birth–K) (134) Practice Test

Partnering with families is essential when planning an IEP for a young child. The most helpful approach is to invite the parent or guardian to share information about the child’s strengths and challenges at home, the child’s developmental history, and any family factors that may affect learning. Parents know the child across different settings and routines, so their insights reveal how skills show up in daily life, what supports have helped, and what barriers exist outside the classroom. This rich, home-and-family context guides goal setting, the types of services and supports chosen, and helps ensure that strategies used at school align with the child’s everyday experiences. Involving the family also builds trust, makes goals more realistic and relevant, and increases the likelihood that supports will transfer smoothly from home to school.

Excluding the parent from information gathering omits critical insight and undermines collaborative planning. Providing standardized test scores alone lacks context about how the child functions day to day or how home and family factors impact learning. Asking for only demographic forms misses essential developmental history, strengths, challenges, and family context that shape what supports will be most effective.