You sit down to plan your week, look at your caseload, and immediately feel the pressure. Communication goals. Reading fluency. Fine motor. Math facts. Social skills. Behavior. All of it matters. But how are you supposed to work on everything without burning out?

In this episode Stephanie tackles the question every special educator asks at some point: How do we actually prioritize IEP goals when time, staffing, and student needs are pulling us in ten different directions?

The truth is you cannot target every goal at once. And that is not failure. It is strategy. Prioritizing the right goals at the right time is what moves you from survival mode to impact mode.

In this episode Stephanie covers:

• How to identify and sequence foundational skills that unlock other IEP goals

• Simple systems like task boxes, team communication, and shared goal awareness to create consistency

• A practical classroom rotation model to maximize limited time and focus on high impact priorities

Prioritizing IEP goals is not about doing less. It is about doing what matters most first. You are not failing your students because you cannot hit every goal every day.

Check out the IEP Matrix: https://www.theintentionaliep.com/the-iep-matrix/

Learn how to use IEP Work Bins: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Um2CoF6KaQw

Not a member? Join Today — you can get 50% off your first month of membership https://products.theintentionaliep.com/tii-membership-50off1stmonth-podcast/

For more information, check out more of Stephanie's resources:

https://www.theintentionaliep.com/the-intentional-iep-book/

https://www.theintentionaliep.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theintentionaliep

https://www.instagram.com/theintentionaliep

Stephanie brings listeners into one of the most important skills we can teach our students independence. It’s not about making our lives easier or stepping back because we’re tired. It’s about helping students gain confidence, take initiative, and develop the skills they need to succeed both in and out of the classroom.

In this episode, she shares practical strategies to guide students toward doing more on their own while supporting their growth along the way.

Stephanie covers

• Why independence matters for students’ confidence and learning

• How to start in the zone of proximal development and scaffold effectively

• Using prompting hierarchies and fading support over time

• Modeling skills, repeating, and helping students generalize across settings

• Allowing students to make mistakes and learn from them

By the end of this episode, you’ll have concrete ideas for helping students take the lead, step back just enough to let them try, and celebrate the small wins that show real progress.

Stephanie reminds us that every step toward independence matters and that with intentional support, students can achieve more than we often realize.

Not a member? Join Today — you can get 50% off your first month of membership https://products.theintentionaliep.com/tii-membership-50off1stmonth-podcast/

For more information, check out more of Stephanie's resources:

https://www.theintentionaliep.com/the-intentional-iep-book/

https://www.theintentionaliep.com/

https://www.facebook.com/theintentionaliep

https://www.instagram.com/theintentionaliep

In this episode, Stephanie shares the books she returns to again and again — resources that have helped her understand IEPs, advocate confidently, partner with schools, and support children with special needs in real and meaningful ways.

Top 6 Books:

The Intentional IEP Book

The Special Needs School Survival Guide

Parents and Professionals Partnering for Children with Disabilities: The Dance That Matters

Wrightslaw: All About IEPs

Your Special Education Rights: What Your School District Isn’t Telling You

The Gift of Failure: How the Best Parents Learn to Let Go So Their Children Can Succeed