The Individualized Education Program (IEP)

Introduction

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a written plan that describes how a child will be educated and what the goals for the coming school year will be. The IEP is created by a multidisciplinary team that includes parents, and is actually a written guarantee that a child will receive the services determined by the team to be necessary and appropriate for his or her education. The IEP helps ensure that all reasonable efforts are made to help the student reach the goals and objectives set out in the plan, but it does not guarantee that the goals and objectives will be achieved.

The IEP has five components:

A child’s present level of performance and functioning ...

The document includes a description of the child’s strengths and abilities and how he or she functions academically and socially, as well as in areas such as language, self-help, motor and pre- vocational skills. The description should be based on formal assessments and should not be merely a reporting of test scores.

Rather, it should state in plain language what the child can do in each area. These descriptions should match a parent’s knowledge of their child’s abilities. This section of the IEP also describes the child’s classroom performance and how the disability affects his or her participation in the general education curriculum.

This means two things: first, that the program is based on an individualized assessment and planning process; and second, that the child receives educational benefit from it. It is important to note that IDEA does not mandate that the school district provide the “best” or “better” educational program. It only requires that the plan be appropriate and that it enable the child to progress toward achievement of goals identified in the education plan.

Annual goals and short-term objectives ...

The goals and objectives combine to form a comprehensive picture of what the child will work towards during the school year, how he or she will get there, and how long it will take.

Goals are longer-term, usually the entire school year, and they describe knowledge, skills and behaviors that the child will achieve during the year. Objectives are more short-term and describe things that the child needs to accomplish on the way to achieving his or her goals. Goals and objectives should be “measurable” so it is clear whether or not they have been achieved. The teachers and other specialists who work with the child design learning tasks and activities that will work towards achieving the objectives and goals.

IEP goals are not the only educational goals that the child will work on during the year, but they represent the things that are considered most important for the child at the time the IEP is written.

A description of the child’s classroom placement ...

… and how much he or she will be included in the regular school program. The plan specifies the number of hours the child will spend in each classroom setting each day, what type of support he or she will receive in each setting, and how much time he or she will spend in the company of non-disabled peers.

Related services that the child will receive ...

Related services, also called designated instructional services (DIS) are services and supports that the child needs to benefit from his or her special education program. The IEP specifies each service or support, when each will begin, its frequency and duration, how long it will continue, and who will provide the service.

Examples of related services are: transportation, speech and language therapy, physical and occupational therapy, audiology services, psychological services, mobility instruction, adaptive physical education, career preparation and vocational training, counseling and guidance, behavior management, parent education, and school health services.

Evaluation and review ...

This section of the IEP describes how the child’s progress will be measured and specifies the annual IEP review date, which is the date when the team will meet to review and revise the IEP. The plan must be reviewed at least annually, or more often if requested by the parents or the school, if either party feels the plan is not working satisfactorily for the child. At least once every three years the team must take a comprehensive look at how the IEP has been working for the child, reassess him or her, and revise the plan as necessary.

Development of the IEP

The IEP is developed by a multidisciplinary team that includes at least the following people:

Parents and the child, if appropriate
Two teachers, one representing general education and one who is involved in special education
A school district representative with authority to commit resources to the IEP
The person who assessed the child or someone qualified to explain the assessment results
Any other individuals invited by the family

Timelines in the IEP Development Process

The following chart describes the important parts of the process that is followed when a child is referred for special education. It also gives some important timelines for the school district leading up to the IEP meeting, creating the IEP, and putting the plan in place. The timelines are expressed in calendar days, however an exception to a timeline occurs for any school vacation longer than five days and days between regular school sessions.

Component	Procedures	Timelines
Identification	Referral and initial screening Consultation: interview and observation	School has 15 days from initial referral or of parent’s written request to complete a written assessment plan
Assessment	Referral for assessment Assessment plan developed Parents give consent for assessment Assessment completed	Parents have 15 days after the assessment plan is submitted to them to decide whether the plan is acceptable and if they will consent to assessment
Planning	Team meets and develops IEP and placement recommendation Parents approve IEP and placement Student is placed and program implementation begins	Assessment must be completed and an IEP meeting held within 60 days If no assessments are required, the IEP must be held within 30 days of the original referral The IEP should be implemented immediately
Review	IEP program review IEP revision based on new assessments	The IEP must be reviewed at least annually The IEP must be revised every three years

Parents’ Rights in the Educational Process

When IDEA was written, legislators who drafted it considered parent participation in the education of their child with a disability so important that they included in the law specific rights and responsibilities for parents. First, parents were given very specific rights with regard to the IEP process.

Time and Place of the IEP Meeting

The IEP meeting must be held at a time and place convenient for all participants, and all members of the team are expected to attend. Parents may refuse to attend a meeting if one or more team members are unable to be there. Very importantly, the meeting may not be held without parents if they want to attend. Parents’ presence at the IEP meeting is considered so important that the law requires the school to keep a record of its attempts to schedule the meeting at a time convenient for the parents.

Signing the IEP Document

At the end of the IEP meeting, the parent will be asked to sign the IEP document to indicate their agreement with the educational plan. If a parent does not agree with the plan, they do not have to sign it.

If a parent agrees with some but not all of the plan, they should sign the parts that they agree with and withhold their signature from the other parts. Parents should not feel pressure to sign the IEP document at the time of the meeting. If they are not sure about something, the parent needs to tell the team that they want to take a few days to think about it or to consult with other people.

Set Yourself up for Success

Preparing for the IEP Meeting and Being an Effective Member of the Team

Parents are expected to be a full partner with other members of the IEP team in planning and implementing their child’s educational program. Following are some things parents can do to prepare themselves to be an effective team member.