Raven's Guide to Special Education: The IEP

The IEP - 2

The IEP process | Parts of an IEP | IEP meetings

Parts of an IEP

Present levels of performance. The IEP begins with a statement of the student's present levels of academic achievement and functional performance. This includes the student's strengths and weaknesses, concerns of the parent’s for enhancing their child's education, how the student's disability affects his or her involvement and progress in the general curriculum (or for preschool children, how the child’s disability affects the child’s participation in appropriate activities), and for age 14 and older, the student’s current knowledge, skills, and abilities in relation to targeted post-school areas.

The student's most current evaluation is a good source of information for determining the present levels. There should be a direct relationship between the present levels of educational performance, the annual goals, and the other components of the IEP.

Annual goals. Annual goals, including academic and functional goals, describe what the IEP team expects the student to achieve in one school year. The goals should be measurable and should help the student be involved in and progress in the general curriculum. The team should develop annual goals that will reduce the adverse effects of the student's disability on his or her performance in school.

Short-term objectives. Short-term instructional objectives or benchmarks are the measurable steps to be taken to achieve the annual goals. The objectives describe what the student will be able to do as a result of instruction. The IEP should include the date on which each objective is started and mastered. Short-term objectives or benchmarks are only required for children with disabilities who take alternate assessments aligned to alternate achievement standards.

Evaluation procedures. The IEP describes the evaluation methods the teacher will use to measure the student's progress in reaching objectives. These methods could include teacher observation, mastery of grade level proficiency skills, performance on standardized tests, and daily classroom performance.

Special education services. The team must describe in writing the special education services, related services, and supplementary aids and services, based on peer-reviewed research to the

Related services

Transportation
Audiology
Physical therapy
Recreation
Diagnostic medical services
Speech pathology
Psychological services
Occupational therapy
Social work services
Counseling services

extent practicable, the student will receive. The statement must include the the location of the services, date services will begin, the length of time they will be given, and who will provide them.

Special factors. The IEP team must consider "special factors," including the student's need for assistive technology, English language instruction, Braille services, communication services, and a behavior intervention plan.

Participation in regular programs. The IEP states the extent to which the student will participate in regular education programs, including regular classes and non-academic and extracurricular activities. The IEP must describe any modifications needed for a disabled student to participate in regular education programs, including physical education and vocational education.

Least restrictive environment. The team must provide a statement in the IEP indicating the most normal educational setting in which the student can be educated. They must document the reasons why less restrictive options are inappropriate, justification for the selected placement, and possible harmful effects of the placement. The team must make each placement decision on an individual basis and must decide if the student can be educated at his or her home school.

Continuum of special education services

Consultant services in regular classrooms
Itinerant personnel
Resource rooms
Self-contained classes
Special day school
Residential school
Hospital or homebound tutoring

A student can be removed from regular classes and placed in a special education program only when the student's disability prevents an appropriate education in regular classes even with supplementary aids and services. A student with disabilities also can be removed from regular class placement when that student's behavior is so disruptive that it significantly interferes with the education of other students, and it prevents the needs of the disabled student from being met. The IEP team must select the least restrictive environment (LRE) based upon the IEP. The placement does not have to be the best placement, but it must provide the student "educational benefit."

Exclusion from non handicapped peer activities. The IEP team must decide what activities and opportunities the student will not have access to because of the special education placement.

Staff supports. The IEP team must determine the program modifications or supports needed by school personnel so that the student can make progress toward attaining the annual goals, be involved and progress in the general curriculum, participate in extra curricular and other nonacademic activities and be educated and participate with other students with disabilities and nondisabled students.

Transition services. The team must consider the need for transition services in the IEPs of students who are at least sixteen years old. These services should help students make the transition from school to post-school activities, including college education, vocational training, employment, continuing and adult education, adult services, independent living and community participation. The team should consider the student's needs, interests and preferences in order to decide if any of these services are needed. When the IEP team decides that such services are appropriate, they must include transition goals and objectives in the IEP. (More detailed information is available in the Transition Services page.)

Participation in general state and district-wide assessments. The IEP team must decide what accommodations a student will need in order to participate in general state and district-wide assessment programs. If the team determines that a student cannot participate in such programs, the student must be provided alternate assessments.

Extended school year. Extended School Year (ESY) is an individualized program, based upon the previous year's IEP goals and objectives, offered to special education students during summer vacation. ESY services are required primarily for students who lose important skills (such as those related to self-sufficiency, behavior, socialization, communication and academics) because of regular breaks in instruction and who require an excessive amount of time to regain those skills. The IEP team must decide the need for ESY services for each continuing special education student for the coming summer, and must develop the goals and objectives to be used as well as the extent and kind of service for students who qualify. (The Extended School Year page has additional information about ESY.)

Progress reports. The IEP must include a statement of how the student's progress toward meeting the annual goals will be measured and when the student's parents will be regularly informed of their child's progress. Such progress reports must be provided at least as often as those for non-disabled students.

Transfer of parental rights. The IEP must include, beginning at least one year before the student reaches the age of majority under State law, a statement that the student has been informed of his or her procedural rights that will transfer to the student upon reaching the age of majority.

A sample IEP (pdf document) is included on this Web site.

Previous page | Next page