Connecting for Kids - How To: Individualized Education Programs

Your child's individualized education program (IEP) is a legal document that describes

Your child's strengths and needs
Your concerns and priorities
Your child's current skills and abilities
Annual goal(s)
Ways that annual goal(s) are measured
Modifications, accommodations, and services
Where your child will be educated

In addition to this information, the IEP can also describe transportation, extended school year, and transition goals (children 14 and over).

There are four major steps in writing an IEP:

Step 1: Invitation

You are an important member of the IEP team and will receive an invitation to join. Learn more.

Step 2: Draft

Different members of the IEP team begin writing goals. Learn more.

Step 3: Meeting

The entire IEP team meets to discuss the draft and make changes. Learn more.

Step 4: Sign-off

Each member of the IEP team signs off on the finished document. Learn more.

Step 1: Invitation to Meet

Within 30 days of completing your child's evaluation or about a month before your child's current IEP expires, you will receive an invitation to attend your child's IEP meeting.

The invitation form (PR-02) gives you spaces to ask for a different date/time, list other people you plan to invite, and request an interpreter.

IEP Timing

Schools have 30 calendar days from the day the ETR is signed to develop an IEP for eligible students.

Step 2: Draft

Different IEP teams use different strategies to write IEP drafts. Some teams involve parents/guardians from the beginning. In other teams, teachers and related service providers write draft goals and then share them with parents/guardians.

Either option can work well as long as parents/guardians have chances to share concerns and make suggestions.

Reviewing the IEP Draft

Families should review IEP drafts prior to the IEP meeting, although the timing can be different depending on your school district and whether your child's team recently completed an ETR. It's a good idea to communicate with the school team and request extra time to review the draft if you need it.

Step 3: IEP Review Meeting

In the IEP review meeting, the entire IEP team (see IEP Team Members, on the right) discusses the draft document.

The team works together to make sure the IEP includes all required parts. They also make sure supports and modifications are appropriate for your child.

Parents/guardians play an important role in this meeting by giving feedback and sharing information about the child.

Having a successful IEP meeting means being prepared. For tips on how to prepare, see How to Prepare for Your Child's IEP Meeting.

IEP Team Members

Your child's IEP team (also called a planning team) must include the following members:

Parents/guardians

Your child (if appropriate)

Special education teacher(s)

General education teacher(s)

School representative

Person(s) who can interpret assessment results

Other people with knowledge about your child

IEP teams can also include people you invite to the meeting, including other family members and supportive friends, legal experts and private service providers who know your child.

Step 4: Sign-off and Implementation

Once the IEP team agrees on all parts of the IEP document, each member of the team signs it. Parents/guardians often sign off on the IEP during the review meeting, but some families prefer to take the draft document home to review before signing.

Once the IEP is signed, it becomes official. You will receive a copy of the IEP for your records. It's a good idea to keep this document in your child's communication binder.

You will also receive regular progress reports that tell you how your child is doing with the goals and objectives included in the IEP.

The IEP: A Working Document

When the parents/guardians sign off on an IEP, the IEP becomes "official." This means that the school will no longer use your child's old IEP.

While this sounds permanent, IEPs can be changed at any time during the school year. Examples of changes include updating a goal that your child completed quickly or adding a new accommodation.

You can request an IEP meeting at any time by contacting your child's teacher.

Back to the Family Guide to Special Education

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