If the child's placement is decided by a different group, the parents must be part of that group as well. Before the school system may provide special education and related services to the child for the first time, the parents must give consent.
The child begins to receive services as soon as possible after the meeting. If the parents do not agree with the IEP and placement, they may discuss their concerns with other members of the IEP team and try to work out an agreement. If they still disagree, parents can ask for mediation, or the school may offer mediation.
Parents may file a complaint with the state education agency and may request a due process hearing, at which time mediation must be available. Step 7. Services are provided. The school makes sure that the child's IEP is being carried out as it was written. Parents are given a copy of the IEP. Each of the child's teachers and service providers has access to the IEP and knows his or her specific responsibilities for carrying out the IEP.
This includes the accommodations, modifications, and supports that must be provided to the child, in keeping with the IEP. Step 8. Progress is measured and reported to parents. The child's progress toward the annual goals is measured, as stated in the IEP.
His or her parents are regularly informed of their child's progress and whether that progress is enough for the child to achieve the goals by the end of the year. These progress reports must be given to parents at least as often as parents are informed of their nondisabled children's progress. Step 9. IEP is reviewed. The child's IEP is reviewed by the IEP team at least once a year, or more often if the parents or school ask for a review.
If necessary, the IEP is revised. Parents, as team members, must be invited to attend these meetings. Parents can make suggestions for changes, can agree or disagree with the IEP goals, and agree or disagree with the placement. If parents do not agree with the IEP and placement, they may discuss their concerns with other members of the IEP team and try to work out an agreement. There are several options, including additional testing, an independent evaluation, or asking for mediation if available or a due process hearing.
They may also file a complaint with the state education agency. Step Child is reevaluated. At least every three years the child must be reevaluated.
This evaluation is often called a "triennial. However, the child must be reevaluated more often if conditions warrant or if the child's parent or teacher asks for a new evaluation. Clearly, the IEP is a very important document for children with disabilities and for those who are involved in educating them. Done correctly, the IEP should improve teaching, learning and results.
Each child's IEP describes, among other things, the educational program that has been designed to meet that child's unique needs. This part of the guide looks closely at how the IEP is written and by whom, and what information it must, at a minimum, contain.
By law, the IEP must include certain information about the child and the educational program designed to meet his or her unique needs. In a nutshell, this information is: Current performance.
The IEP must state how the child is currently doing in school known as present levels of educational performance. This information usually comes from the evaluation results such as classroom tests and assignments, individual tests given to decide eligibility for services or during reevaluation, and observations made by parents, teachers, related service providers, and other school staff.
The statement about "current performance" includes how the child's disability affects his or her involvement and progress in the general curriculum. Annual goals. These are goals that the child can reasonably accomplish in a year. The goals are broken down into short-term objectives or benchmarks.
Goals may be academic, address social or behavioral needs, relate to physical needs, or address other educational needs. The goals must be measurable-meaning that it must be possible to measure whether the student has achieved the goals. Special education and related services.
The IEP must list the special education and related services to be provided to the child or on behalf of the child. This includes supplementary aids and services that the child needs. It also includes modifications changes to the program or supports for school personnel-such as training or professional development-that will be provided to assist the child.
Participation with nondisabled children. The IEP must explain the extent if any to which the child will not participate with nondisabled children in the regular class and other school activities. Participation in state and district-wide tests. Most states and districts give achievement tests to children in certain grades or age groups.
The IEP must state what modifications in the administration of these tests the child will need. If a test is not appropriate for the child, the IEP must state why the test is not appropriate and how the child will be tested instead. Dates and places. The IEP must state when services will begin, how often they will be provided, where they will be provided, and how long they will last. Transition service needs. Beginning when the child is age 14 or younger, if appropriate , the IEP must address within the applicable parts of the IEP the courses he or she needs to take to reach his or her post-school goals.
A statement of transition services needs must also be included in each of the child's subsequent IEPs. Needed transition services. Beginning when the child is age 16 or younger, if appropriate , the IEP must state what transition services are needed to help the child prepare for leaving school.
Age of majority. Beginning at least one year before the child reaches the age of majority, the IEP must include a statement that the student has been told of any rights that will transfer to him or her at the age of majority. This statement would be needed only in states that transfer rights at the age of majority. Measuring progress. The IEP must state how the child's progress will be measured and how parents will be informed of that progress. More information will be given about these IEP parts later in this guide.
A sample IEP form will be presented, along with the federal regulations describing the "Content of the IEP," to help you gain a fuller understanding of what type of information is important to capture about a child in an IEP. It is useful to understand that each child's IEP is different. The document is prepared for that child only. It describes the individualized education program designed to meet that child's needs.
States and school systems have a great deal of flexibility about the information they require in an IEP. Some states and school systems have chosen to include in the IEP additional information to document their compliance with other state and federal requirements. Federal law requires that school districts maintain documentation to demonstrate their compliance with federal requirements. Generally speaking, extra elements in IEPs may be included to document that the state or school district has met certain aspects of federal or state law, such as: holding the meeting to write, review and, if necessary, revise a child's IEP in a timely manner; providing parents with a copy of the procedural safeguards they have under the law; placing the child in the least restrictive environment; and obtaining the parents' consent.
While the law tells us what information must be included in the IEP, it does not specify what the IEP should look like. No one form or approach or appearance is required or even suggested. Each state may decide what its IEPs will look like. In some states individual school systems design their own IEP forms. What is important is that each form be as clear and as useful as possible, so that parents, educators, related service providers, administrators, and others can easily use the form to write and implement effective IEPs for their students with disabilities.
By law, certain individuals must be involved in writing a child's Individualized Education Program. These are identified in the figure at the left. Note that an IEP team member may fill more than one of the team positions if properly qualified and designated. For example, the school system representative may also be the person who can interpret the child's evaluation results.
These people must work together as a team to write the child's IEP. A meeting to write the IEP must be held within 30 calendar days of deciding that the child is eligible for special education and related services. Each team member brings important information to the IEP meeting. This information helps school personnel determine the next step.
At this point, strategies specific to the student could be used to help the child become more successful in school. If this doesn't work, the child would be tested for a specific learning disability or other impairment to help determine qualification for special services.
It's important to note, though, that the presence of a disability doesn't automatically guarantee a child will receive services. To be eligible, the disability must affect functioning at school.
To determine eligibility, a multidisciplinary team of professionals will evaluate the child based on their observations; the child's performance on standardized tests; and daily work such as tests, quizzes, classwork, and homework.
As a parent, you can decide whether to have your child assessed. If you choose to do so, you'll be asked to sign a permission form that will detail who is involved in the process and the types of tests they use. These tests might include measures of specific school skills, such as reading or math, as well as more general developmental skills, such as speech and language. Testing does not necessarily mean that a child will receive services. Once the team members complete their individual assessments, they develop a comprehensive evaluation report CER that compiles their findings, offers an educational classification, and outlines the skills and support the child will need.
The parents then have a chance to review the report before the IEP is developed. Some parents will disagree with the report, and they will have the opportunity to work together with the school to come up with a plan that best meets the child's needs. The next step is an IEP meeting at which the team and parents decide what will go into the plan.
In addition to the evaluation team, a regular teacher should be present to offer suggestions about how the plan can help the child's progress in the standard education curriculum. At the meeting, the team will discuss your child's educational needs — as described in the CER — and come up with specific, measurable short-term and annual goals for each of those needs. If you attend this meeting, you can take an active role in developing the goals and determining which skills or areas will receive the most attention.
The cover page of the IEP outlines the support services your child will receive and how often they will be provided for example, occupational therapy twice a week.
Support services might include special education, speech therapy, occupational or physical therapy, counseling, audiology, medical services, nursing, and vision or hearing therapy. If parents disagree with the report, they will have the opportunity to work together with the school to come up with a plan that best meets the child's needs. The next step is an IEP meeting, during which the team and parents decide what will go into the plan. Also, a regular classroom teacher should attend to offer suggestions about how the plan can help the child's progress in the standard education curriculum and how it can be used in a regular classroom setting, if that's appropriate.
At the meeting, the team will discuss a student's educational needs — as described in the CER — and come up with specific, measurable short-term and annual goals for each of those needs. The cover page of the IEP outlines the related services and supports students will receive and how often they will be provided. These can include many different things; for example, transportation; speech-language pathology and audiology services; psychological services; physical and occupational therapy; recreation, including therapeutic recreation; social work services; and medical services for diagnostic and evaluation purposes only.
If the team recommends several services, the amount of time they take in the child's school schedule can seem overwhelming. To ease that load, some services may be provided on a consultative basis. In these cases, the professional consults with the teacher to come up with strategies to help the child but doesn't offer any hands-on instruction. For instance, an occupational therapist may suggest accommodations for a child with fine-motor problems that affect handwriting, and the classroom teacher would incorporate these suggestions into the handwriting lessons taught to the entire class.
Other services can be delivered right in the classroom, so the child's day isn't interrupted by therapy. The child who has difficulty with handwriting might work one-on-one with an occupational therapist while everyone else practices their handwriting skills.
When deciding how and where services are offered, the child's comfort and dignity should be a top priority. If a child has academic needs and is working below grade level, services may be offered outside the regular education classroom, with students getting small-group instruction in a particular subject area usually language arts or math by a special education teacher with other students who have similar needs.
The IEP should be reviewed annually to update the goals and ensure the levels of service meet the student's needs. What kind of preparation, knowledge, or skills will be needed? What kind of supports? Will he or she live independently or continue to live at home?
Will you need help from other agencies to carry out these plans? Answering these questions—and many more! The transition plan must then be updated every year and specify:. Whenever the team is going to talk about transition, your child must be invited to the meeting. Services can include: instruction, related services, community experiences, developing employment and other adult living objectives, and if appropriate daily living skills and giving your child a functional vocational evaluation.
A lengthy discussion of transition planning is beyond the scope of this guide for parents. However, because transition planning is so important, we are pleased to explore this topic much more fully in the separate Transition Suite. Depending upon your state law, this usually happens at some point between 18 and Not all states transfer rights at age of majority.
Beginning at least one year before your child reaches the age of majority, you and your child will receive written notice from the school telling you of the upcoming transfer of rights if any. When this happens, the IEP must include a statement that you have received the notice and have been told about the transfer of rights. There are some exceptions to this transfer of rights. For example, some children with disabilities may need to have a guardian appointed to make decisions for them.
Other students may not have the ability to give informed consent 60 regarding their education. Or your child may be fully capable of making these decisions but still want your help in these matters. Once the IEP team has decided what services your child needs, decisions must be made about where services will be provided. To the maximum extent appropriate, children with disabilities. Often, the IEP team makes the placement decision. In some places, the placement decision is made by another group of people.
In either case, under IDEA, the group that makes the placement decision must include you, as the parent s , and others who:. A placement that is least restrictive for one child may not be least restrictive for another. Decisions must be based on individual needs as stated in the IEP, not on—. In making placement decisions, the group looks to another important part of the IDEA, the continuum of alternative placements.
These options include placements such as:. What aids, services, and supports does your child need to make this possible? Bring your records to the meeting. What things are easy? Students are often much more aware of their strengths and weaknesses than parents realize. Make notes on what your child says.
Consider his or her learning style, special education needs, and social needs. How can these needs be addressed in the IEP? What kinds of supports or services might your child need in order to be successful in the general education class? Let your child know how important the meeting is and that his or her opinions and input are valuable. You may need to prepare your child to speak up at the meeting. Talk with your son or daughter about how to share his or her feelings about what is being proposed.
Doing a Positive Student Profile Answer the following questions about your child as a way to prepare for the IEP meeting. Describe your child, including such information as place in the family, personality, likes and dislikes. Highlight all areas where your child does well, including school, home, community, and social settings.
List all successes, no matter how small. List the areas where your child has the greatest difficulties. List the skills your child needs to work on and the supports he or she needs. Other helpful information. List all relevant information, including health care needs, that has not already been described above.
Write down things you feel must be included in the IEP. Decide how you want to share this information with the other members of the IEP team. Review the IDEA regulations and accurate summaries. Take the regulations with you to the meeting in case you need them.
Plan how you want to handle these. List any information that might support your position. Think of alternatives to offer if the school is not willing to accept your first suggestion. Another person may think of things during the meeting that you do not. As a courtesy, let the school know if someone will be attending the meeting with you.
If an advocate will be attending the meeting with you, review your agenda together before the meeting. Above all, be sure that the advocate understands what role you would like him or her to play in the IEP process. If a present levels statement is appropriate, there should be data to support it. If a goal is appropriate, there should be documentation to back up the need. You want to make sure that decisions are not made based upon a single event or random observations.
Avoid getting stuck debating a particular point over and over, especially if it feels like you are not getting anywhere. You need to be clear in your mind on where you can and cannot compromise. Communicate this in a reasonable and calm way. Sometimes, the following words can help the team resolve an issue. Can you tell me who does have the authority? How do we get that person here?
But we need to find a solution that will work for your child that we can all live with. One of the most difficult things in an IEP meeting can be keeping emotions under control. It is easy at times for anyone at the meeting to get frustrated. Everyone has demands placed on them that are outside their control. The teacher has concerns about meeting the needs of all her students, including your child. Therapists may be concerned with how many children they need to work with and how to fit everything that needs to be done into a single school day.
The administrator may be worried about having enough staff,. And, like any parent, you want what is best for your child, even though the law says you are only entitled to what is appropriate. It is a challenge to balance all these needs and demands.
Keep coming back to the purpose of the meeting—to develop an appropriate IEP for your child. Written notice must tell you in detail what the school is proposing or refusing to do, why, and what information it used to reach the decision.
This includes:. With this information, you may be in a better position to convince the school to rethink its decision or to proceed with the next step below.
With mediation , you and the school sit down together and try to work out the disagreement with an impartial third person called a mediator. The mediator does not work for the school system or make any decisions for you or the school. The mediator helps you and the school talk about your differences and work toward an agreement. The due process hearing is a formal, legal procedure where both you and the school present your views on the dispute to an impartial hearing officer. After all the evidence is presented and witnesses have spoken— much like in a court case—the hearing officer decides the case and tells you and the school how the matter is to be settled.
He or she issues the decision in writing. You request a due process hearing by filing a due process complaint that must contain specific information 77 , with a copy sent to the state department of education. Within 15 days, your school system must convene a resolution meeting between you, as parents, and relevant members of the IEP team. The purpose of the meeting is for you to discuss your due process complaint, which gives the school system the opportunity to resolve the dispute.
This resolution meeting need not be held if you and the school system agree to waive the meeting or agree to use mediation instead. When you file a state complaint, you must tell the state what part of the IDEA you believe the school has violated. You must also state the facts as you know them and provide copies of any documents or correspondence on the matter you may have.
The state will investigate your complaint, request documents if necessary, and give a written decision. There is a lot to know about each of these ways of resolving problems with the school.
Once you revoke consent, the school system may no longer provide special education services to your child, and they may not try to override your revocation of consent. There are also a number of other consequences that may arise, such as how your child will be disciplined.
Depending on the state you live in, your signature on the IEP will mean different things. There is no regulation that says you must sign the IEP immediately at the end of the meeting, or at all.
This lets the school know where you stand and gives everyone time to think of possible solutions or compromises. Whatever you decide, read the IEP document in its final version before signing. This is also a good time to review the list of concerns you prepared before the IEP meeting.
Did the team talk about all of those items? When all the talking is done, if you are comfortable with the IEP, go ahead and sign.
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