The Individualized Education Program (IEP)
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The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legally binding contract of services provided by a school district for children who are identified with a disability and qualify for special education services. The IEP is a written document created through a team effort and reviewed at least once per year.
Before an IEP can be written, your child must be determined to be eligible for special education. The IEP will address the student’s strengths, areas of needs, and necessary accommodations, modifications, goals, services and placement.
By Federal law, a multidisciplinary team must determine that your child 1) has a disability and 2) requires special education services to benefit from the general education program.
The IEP Process
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Who are the IEP Team Members?
The IEP team will always include the following:
- Parent
- General Education Teacher
- Special Education Teacher
- Administrator
When necessary additional participants may be invited, such as:
- School Psychologist
- Occupational Therapist
- Physical Therapist
- Behavior Intervention Specialist
- Mental Health Specialist
- School Nurse
- Parents may also invite other necessary participants
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Your Role in the IEP Meeting
As equal members of the IEP team, parents of a student being assessed shall be encouraged to participate in developing, reviewing and revising the student’s Individualized Education Program.
Here are some ideas that may help you reduce your anxiety, increase your participation and facilitate the process:
- Communicate regularly with school staff so you both have a mutual understanding of your child's needs
- Prepare your thoughts before the meeting by writing down the important points you want to make about your child.
- Take someone with you to serve as your support system. If you decide to bring a friend or advocate, inform the school so they are aware of whom you're bringing
- Ask questions if you don't understand the terms being used.
- If necessary, arrange to meet with individuals after the meeting to review their reports
- Try to stay focused and positive
- Remember you can sign in attendance, but you don't have to agree to the goals or services at the meeting.
- You can take the IEP documents home to review, get input, and return later.
Parents must give consent before any special education service may be provided.
Interpreters for the deaf or for parents whose primary language is not English will be provided when necessary.
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Initial IEP
At the initial IEP, the team will meet to review the assessment, determine eligibility and, if necessary, discuss the need for special education services.
The IEP team will review your child’s strengths and areas of need (Present Levels of Performance) and develop annual goals in the areas of need. Once the IEP team agrees upon annual goals, they will determine appropriate accommodations, modifications, and services and placement to meet the annual goals.
Accommodations help the student access the curriculum. An accommodation does not change what a student is expected to learn. It can change how the learning is accessed or how learning is demonstrated. An example of an accommodation is a specialized writing tool for a student with fine motor deficits or flexible seating for students who have attending deficits. The content of the curriculum is not changed.
When a student is performing well below his or her peers in the classroom and the IEP team decides that the student should not be expected to complete assignments as typically given, modifications to the curriculum or grades may be appropriate. Modifications change what the student is expected to learn. It is very important for the IEP team to be mindful that when modifications are made to state standards and grading standards, a student may no longer be eligible for a high school diploma and may instead work toward a certificate of completion.
After discussing accommodations, the IEP team will discuss what services are needed for the student to make progress on their goals. Examples of services are:
- Specialized Academic Instruction in the general education classroom
- Specialized Academic Instruction outside of the general education classroom
- Speech/Language Services
- School-based Occupational Therapy
- School-based Physical Therapy
- Adapted Physical Education.
- Counseling
Lastly, the IEP team discuss the best placement or setting to provide the services and in which your child can meet their goals. There is a wide range of placement options, from general education to a residential treatment setting. It is the intent of RUSD as well as our legal obligation to help your child make progress on their annual IEP goals in the presence of his or her non-disabled peers to the greatest extent possible. This is known as least restrictive environment (LRE).
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Consenting to the IEP
At the completion of the IEP, you will have the option to review the IEP paperwork, including taking it home with you for review, if necessary.
As a parent, you have the option of
- fully consenting to the IEP
- not agreeing to any part of the IEP or partially agreeing to the IEP.
If you indicate that you do not agree to the IEP, the school will not implement it.
If the IEP is partially signed, the District will implement only the parts that are consented to by the parent.
If you need assistance or have questions, you may request an ADR Support Request.
Once you have agreed to the IEP, the IEP team, including yourself, discussed proposed goals and services, the school team will implement the IEP as written.
You will receive progress reports on your child’s progress towards their goals at the same rate as general education parents receive progress reports. The progress reports will give you information about how the student is progressing toward their annual goal and if they are on track to meet the goal. If the teacher reports that the student is not making appropriate progress or that they have met the goal ahead of time, an addendum IEP may be called to make adjustments.
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Implementing the IEP
Written parent consent is required before the IEP can be implemented. If you agree with only parts of the IEP, let the team know so services can begin for your child in those areas.
The IEP is reviewed at least once a year. However, if you or the teacher believe that your child isn't making progress or has achieved the goals sooner than expected, an addendum meeting may be scheduled to revise the IEP.If you believe an IEP meeting is needed, put your request in writing and send it to your student's Case Manager or Teacher. We have 30 days to schedule the meeting.
Work collaboratively with the staff responsible for your child's IEP and ask what you can do to reinforce skills at home. -
How Oten Does the IEP Team Meet?
The IEP Team meets to review the student’s performance annually to determine progress and plan for the upcoming year. A reevaluation of the student’s program is completed every three years (triennial), unless both the parents and district agree that it is not required.
The IEP team may also meet at other times to discuss new concerns that have arisen (addendum meeting).
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Annual IEP
Every year - the IEP team will reconvene for the Annual IEP meeting.
At that annual meeting, the team will review the progress on the previous goals, update the Present Levels of Performance, agree on new goals and discuss any needed adjustment to the accommodations, services and placement.
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Addendum IEP Meeting
An addendum IEP meeting is held when a member of the team, including the parent, has a new concern to address that is related to the child’s disability or feels that part of the last annual IEP needs to be adjusted in order for the student to make progress on their agreed upon goals.
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Triennial IEP
Every three years, a triennial IEP meeting is held to re-determine if your child continues to be eligible for special education services.
The IEP team will send the parents an assessment plan and assessments will begin once the parent has signed the assessment plan and returned it to the school. The assessment may include questionnaires and rating scales that the parent will need to complete.
If you have questions or need a translator to complete any of the requested information, contact the school psychologist. As with the initial assessment, this assessment also helps to determine your child’s continued areas of need.
