Prep, not representation

Walk in as the most prepared person at the table.

This meeting matters because your child does. You know your child by heart. I bring years of experience writing IEPs and helping families understand them. Start with a Clarity Session: in about 45 minutes, we talk through what an IEP is supposed to do, what to look for, and the questions you can bring to your child's school team.

Book your Clarity Session - $97 See how it works
Xaviera Latta, founder of SMART IEP Solutions
Xaviera LattaFounder, SMART IEP Solutions

I spent years on the school's side of the IEP table. Now I sit on yours.

Choose the support you need for your next IEP meeting.

There are different ways to prepare. Here is where my help fits.

Learn at your own pace

Use free resources to understand the terms, gather your notes, and begin a list of questions about your child's IEP.

Prepare with me

With Meeting-Ready, I review your child's IEP in plain English. We talk through what needs a closer look and practice the questions you want to ask. One flat fee.

Hire an advocate or attorney

Some situations call for representation or legal advice. My service focuses on IEP preparation, so you can choose the kind of support that fits your family's situation.

Start with a Clarity Session. Go as far as you need.

Everyone starts the same simple way. You never pay for more support than your family actually needs.

1

Start with a Clarity Session

A 45-minute call, $97. We talk through what's happening with your child, I show you what a strong IEP looks like and what to look for in its goals and supports, and you leave with questions to ask about your own IEP. Your $97 comes off whatever you do next.

2

Get Meeting-Ready

When you want a real read on your child's actual IEP, send it to me through a secure upload link. I explain what it says and where more detail or clarification may help, then we practice your questions together on a prep call.

3

Walk in ready, or I walk in with you

You go into the meeting with a one-page "what to say" script and a clear plan. Or, with In the Room, I sit beside you as a calm, steady presence and we debrief afterward.

You shouldn't have to become a special education expert just to help your child succeed.

Xaviera Latta, former Special Education teacher and Master Teacher

I have sat where the school sits. Now I sit with you.

I was born and raised in the Midlands, and I wanted to be a teacher for as long as I can remember. I went to Columbia College for my degree in Special Education and my Master of Education in Divergent Learners, and later did post-graduate work in educational administration and leadership at the University of South Carolina. That is the paper version. Here is what it actually looked like.

For nearly two decades I taught Special Education in South Carolina public schools: Lexington District One, Newberry County, and Lexington-Richland Five. I worked mostly with middle and high school students with mild to moderate disabilities, and my job was writing the IEPs those students carried into their general education classrooms. Then I became a Master Teacher, which meant I was the one teaching other teachers in the district how to write an IEP well. I sat in the meetings. I wrote the plans. I trained the people who write the plans.

Xaviera Latta writing at her desk

It started with the questions parents asked in the parking lot.

From that side of the table, I watched parents walk in with the same look. Shoulders up near their ears. A folder of papers gripped a little too tightly. Eyes scanning the room to figure out who was who before anyone had said a word. They knew their children well. The unfamiliar terms and the pace of the conversation could still make it hard to find a moment for their questions. I saw it more times than I can count.

There were meetings where a mom would say almost nothing the whole hour. She would nod. She would take notes. She would hold her real question until the parking lot afterward, then ask it almost apologizing for needing to ask at all. By then the meeting was over and the IEP was already signed. She just needed five minutes before the meeting started, not five minutes she had to steal after it was over.

In 2011 I wanted to be home with my own children and to homeschool them, so I stepped out of the classroom and started SMART IEP Solutions. The name is deliberate. Teachers are trained to write goals that are SMART: specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, and time-bound. A vague goal is the most common weak spot I find in an IEP, and teaching people to write goals that are not vague is exactly what I did for my district. It is what I do for parents now. Since then I have sat with families across this state and taught them how to read what is in front of them and ask for what their child needs.

Outside this work, I am married to Stuart, and we have four children: Jasmine, Josie, Jacoby, and Jaison. Jacoby is forever 3. After we lost him, Stuart and I co-founded Jacoby's Shield, a nonprofit that walks with bereaved parents, grandparents, and siblings. I mention it here because it is part of why I sit the way I do with a parent who is frightened about their child.

Knowing how to write an IEP is what lets me read yours. I know what a strong goal looks like, because I wrote them and I taught other people to write them. I know where the language goes vague, what tends to get left out, and what a school means by the words it uses. That is what I bring to your side of the table now. I help you understand what you are looking at and prepare for a conversation about what your child needs.

Start for $97. You know the price before you say yes.

Each service has a clear, flat fee. Start with a Clarity Session, and your $97 comes off whichever you choose next: Meeting-Ready or In the Room.

Your $97 Clarity Session is credited toward whichever you choose next, Meeting-Ready or In the Room.

Start here

IEP Clarity Session

Understand what you're looking at before you decide anything.

$9745-minute call. Flat fee.
  • We talk through what's happening with your child and this meeting
  • I show you what a strong IEP looks like and what to look for in its goals and supports
  • You leave with the exact questions to ask of your own IEP

Your $97 is credited toward Meeting-Ready or In the Room.

Book your Clarity Session
Most families

Meeting-Ready

A real read on your child's IEP, plus a prep call.

$497Founding rate. Flat fee.
  • Plain-English review of your child's actual IEP, in writing, yours to keep
  • One-hour prep call to practice your questions and what you want to say
  • A one-page "what to say" script to bring into the room

Less your $97 Clarity Session.

Get Meeting-Ready

Meeting-Ready + In the Room

Everything in Meeting-Ready, and I walk in with you.

$1,250Flat fee. Preparation and meeting support.
  • The full Meeting-Ready prep: review, prep call, and script
  • I attend the meeting with you, a calm, steady presence beside you
  • A short debrief afterward, so you leave knowing your next steps

Less your $97 Clarity Session.

Add In the Room

In the Room is preparation and support, not representation. I sit beside you as you share your questions and take part in the conversation. In the Room depends on meeting date and fit, since I can only be in one meeting at a time.

Coming back next year? Once we have worked together, the Annual Review Partner keeps me beside you year over year. I already know your child's file, so each annual review gets easier, not harder. $1,200 a year, including a mid-year check-in and priority access when a question comes up.

Want year-round support? Some families want me alongside them for every meeting and review, all year long. If that sounds like your family, let's talk.

My promise to you

Send me your child's actual IEP. Show up to one prep call. You'll walk in knowing exactly what to ask, what your IEP is missing, and what to say when the room moves fast. Or I'll prep you again, free, before your next meeting.

Questions parents ask me.

What actually happens in a $97 Clarity Session?
It is a 45-minute call. We talk through what's going on with your child and this meeting, I show you what a strong IEP looks like and what to look for in its goals and supports, and you leave with questions to ask about your own IEP. It is orientation, not a review of your specific document. If you want me to read your child's actual IEP and prepare you for the room, that's Meeting-Ready, and your $97 comes off the price.
I'm already my child's best advocate. Why would I need you?
Nobody knows your child like you do. I bring experience with how IEPs are written and how meetings work. Together, we make room for your knowledge of your child in the questions and examples you bring to the team.
Is this legal advice? Are you an attorney?
No. I am a former Special Education teacher, not a lawyer, and this is not legal advice. I help you understand your child's IEP and prepare for the meeting. For your child's specific legal situation, talk with a special education advocate or attorney. Some details vary by state.
How does this help me work with my child's school team?
We prepare the questions you want to ask and the things you want the team to know about your child. I help you understand the IEP and practice putting your concerns into words, so you can take part in planning together. My role is preparation and support, not representation.
How much does it cost?
You start with a $97 Clarity Session, and that $97 is credited toward whatever you choose next. Meeting-Ready is a $497 flat fee, and Meeting-Ready with me In the Room is $1,250. You know the full price before you book, and you can choose the support that fits your family.
I've already read everything I can find about IEPs and I still feel lost. Won't this be the same?
Reading about IEPs in general and reading your child's actual IEP are different things. You already have general information. I read your child's actual IEP, explain the file in plain English, and prepare you for this specific meeting.

Let's prepare for your next IEP meeting, together.

Start with a 45-minute Clarity Session. Tell me a little about your meeting first, so we make the most of our time together.

Book your Clarity Session - $97
Step 1 - book your Clarity Session

Tell me about your meeting.

A few quick questions first, so we make the most of your 45 minutes. Then you'll pick a time on my calendar and complete the $97 booking. I'll have the basics before we talk.

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