The IEP Process: Explained

Students are referred to special education through a referral. This is either a concern presented by a parent, or a data based concern presented by an educator. 

If you're concerned about a student:

Parents should:

• Share your observations that specifically relate to your academic, behavioral, or developmental concern. 
• Request support for your concerns
• Request an evaluation in writing (be sure to keep a copy)

Teachers should :

• document your concerns through a tracker or dated and graded assignments (with feedback). 
• speak with the student's guardian about these concerns. DO NOT MENTION SPECIAL EDUCATION. It is important to support the student's ability to learn, and not assume they are going to be eligible for special education until there is substantial data that confirms the concern.
• implement evidence-based interventions
• follow up with the family about the student's progress.
• initiate a referral with the special education department (in writing) if there has been NO PRGRESS

TIP: When making a referral be sure that there is either an email or a confirmed stamp identifying how and when it was sent. This date is important because it begins the timeline for completing the IEP process.

Once a referral is made, it is best practice that parents be contacted within 15 days regarding their referral. Although this is not the law in every state. Both parties should confirm the need of an interpreter as well as translation services for this process. 

After a referral is made, families should be contacted by the school team to schedule a meeting to review their concern, determine what next steps will be, and obtain consent to evaluate. 

This portion of the process can go a variety of ways:

1. The school team may suggest that they implement an intervention based on the concerns presented. This means that an evaluation will be considered once there is data that confirms this concern. The school team will implement tailored support for the student in the areas of concern and schedule a meeting to review that data. Once the data is presented next steps will be discussed further. 
2. The school team may mention that they would like the student to go through the SST (Student Success Team) or MTSS (Multi-Tiered System of Support) process in order to determine the needs of the student based on the raised concern.
3. The school team will honor the request for evaluation based on immediate data presented. They will schedule a meeting to review the proposed evaluations and ask for parent consent. 

TIP: If you have made a request and not recieved any follow up within 10 days, it is a good idea to send an email to remind the teacher or school team that you made your request. 

Once written consent is provided, the school team has 60 days to complete the evaluation and schedule a meeting to review the data. 

After the evaluation has been completed an eligibility determination meeting is held to review the results of the evaluation data. This meeting determines whether a student is eligible for special education services, or not, under any of the 13 disability categories in IDEA.  During this meeting

Parents should:

• Recieve a copy of the evaluations within a reasonable time before the meeting occurs in order to review the information and be active participants in the meeting.
• Ask lots of questions based on the documents given. If something is discussed that you do not understand, do not leave the meeting without understanding.
• Write things down or highlight on the copy you have been given.
• Ask for permission to record the meeting 48 hours in advance if they would like that sort of documentation.

Educators should prepare by:

• Reviewing all of the assessments prior to the meeting.
• Speaking with any of the related service providers for clarity about their assessment.
• Writing down any questions that came up as you review the information. 
• Be prepared to answer any questions about the student based on the presented concerns. It is most helpful when you are able to present examples.
• Check in with the family to determine if they need an interpreter to attend. 

If the student: 

1. Does not qualify for special education and the school team will monitor the presented concerns for a full calendar year. 
2. Does not qualify for special education, but they are placed in an intervention program.
3. Qualifies for special education and a drafted IEP is presented to the family. 
4. Qualifies for special education and another meeting is scheduled to review a drafted IEP. 

This meeting is usually 1-3 hours long and discusses the student in detail. Each person present should be able to support the student effectively after attending this meeting. However, the results of this meeting are not a diagnosis, they are a determination based on what the student's data revealed.

The IEP Meeting is where the program is laid out for the student if they are determined eligible for special education services. In an initial IEP meeting families will have already discussed the student's current abilities at the eligibility determination meeting. Therefore, a list of goals and services will be presented for the team to discuss. 

If the IEP meeting is separate from the Eligibility Determination meeting, the team will summarize the evaluation data as they discuss the students goals. During the IEP Meeting and development session,

Parents should:

• Collaborate with the school team.
• Ask lots of questions.
• Advocate for what the is best for the student, not just what you want for them.
• Sign for the portions of the IEP that you agree with. If there is no signature on the document, it cannot be implemented. 

Educators should:

• Advocate for the student by ensuring their input has been included in the development of the IEP.
• Collaborate with the entire team.
• Prioritize parent's questions and requests.

This meeting typically lasts for 1 hour and may go to 2 hours if there is a need for in depth discussion or interpretation. 

Once consent has been given by the parents and IEP gets implemented based on the goals, services, and frequency listed in the document. 

An IEP is a legally binding document and is updated annually. The signed IEP must be followed as written to assure that a student's rights are being achieved for a full calendar year. For example, if consent is signed on 12/31/04 it expires on 12/30/05. 

In order to follow up on the implementation of an IEP,

Parents Should:

• Contact their special education Case Manager if they have any questions regarding their child's IEP.
• Maintain communication with all of their child's teachers regarding their child's progress.
• Advocate for their child when they observe any changes.

Educators should:

• Consider a student's IEP when planning lessons and activities. 
• Collaborate with parent and the special education team for strategies to incorporate in the classroom.
• Ask any questions of the special education team regarding the student's IEP.
• Provide parents and the special education team with updates on the student's IEP goals that are supported in the classroom.

Monitoring an IEP takes place during implementation. Educators provide families with student progress updates on IEP goals as indicated on the IEP, typically at the same time as a grading cycle (ie. quarterly, semesterly, each 6 weeks, etc). 

Review includes when an IEP is updated annually and an annual IEP meeting is held to review the updates. In this meeting the IEP Team gathers to discuss how a student has progressed since the last meeting. At this meeting the team will update all parts of the IEP based on data collected throughout the year. 

However, every 3 years another evaluation is completed to determine if a student remains eligible for special education services. At the triennial IEP meeting the team reviews the evaluation data and presents it for the team to discuss.