By Theresa Rebhorn

II. The IEP Document (16)

What is in the IEP?

In each state or school district the IEP form can look different. Under the IDEA, the items below must be in every IEP. Each of these is discussed in detail below.

1. Your child’s present levels of educational performance;

2. Annual goals and short-term objectives;

3. How your child’s progress will be measured;

4. The specific special education, related services, and supplementary aids and services to be provided to or on behalf of your child, including program modifications or supports for school staff;

5. An explanation of the extent (if any) to which your child will not participate with nondisabled children;

6. Any modifications your child will need when taking state or district-wide assessments;

7. The dates when services will begin and end, the amount of services, as well as how often and where they will take place;

8. How you will be informed of your child’s progress;

9. By age 14, a statement of your child’s transition services needs, focusing on courses to be taken, and by age 16, a statement of your child’s transition services needs, including the roles of other agencies;

10. Beginning at least one year before your child reaches the age of adulthood (18-21, depending on your state law), the IEP must include a statement that your child has been informed of any rights that will transfer to him or her upon reaching this age. Reaching the age of adulthood is called the “age of majority” in the IDEA. (17) Not all states transfer rights upon reaching adulthood. Refer to your state’s special education regulations to find out how this issue is handled.

Each one of the items above is discussed in detail during the meeting and is filled in on the IEP form. Let’s take a closer look at each of these.

1. Present Levels of Educational Performance

This section of the IEP describes how your child is doing in school, based on current information. “Current” information usually means information no more than a year old. The present levels of educational performance statement (commonly called the “present level”) should cover all areas of development where your child may need support. Some examples are:

• Academic skills—math, reading, writing
• Daily living or self-help skills—dressing, eating, using the bathroom
• Social skills—making friends
• Behavior
• Sensory skills—hearing, seeing
• Communication skills—talking
• Mobility—getting around in school and the community
• Vocational skills—working

Also included in the present level is information about how your child’s disability affects his or her involvement in the general curriculum. (If your child is preschool age, the team will want to know how the disability affects his or her involvement in typical preschool activities and development.) In other words, you and the rest of the team will talk about the impact your child’s disability has on his or her ability to learn and do the kinds of things that typical, nondisabled children learn and do. This information is then included in the IEP.

Where does the information for your child’s present levels of performance come from? If your child is new to special education, this information will come from the tests and observations done during your child’s evaluation for eligibility. If your child’s IEP is being revised, the information may come from evaluations done during the year (by the school or from an Independent Educational Evaluation or IEE (18)). Teachers and others who work with your child may offer information gained during your child’s day-to-day school routine. Information that you as a parent share can also be included in your child’s present level.

A well-written present level will describe:

• your child’s strengths and weaknesses,

• what helps your child learn,

• what limits or interferes with your child’s learning,

• objective data from current evaluations of your child, and

• how your child’s disability affects his or her ability to be involved and progress in the general curriculum.

Often, present level statements include teacher observations as well as information from evaluations. This information can give a more complete picture of what helps your child learn and what limits your child’s learning. For example:

• He needs a quiet, separate place to do individual work.

• She learns quickly when working in a small group.

• He understands and remembers what he hears about a subject. Learning by reading or looking at pictures is difficult and doesn’t work as well for him.

• She imitates other children and learns from them. (20)

In short, the present levels of educational performance statement tells how your child is doing in school and names those areas where he or she is having difficulty. A clearly written and thorough present level is really important, because it is the foundation for all of the IEP. Goals and objectives are written based upon your child’s present level. Special education and related services are provided based upon your child’s present level and the goals and objectives that result from that present level. So take your time in writing the present level; be thorough. The information you include there will be the stepping stone to writing the rest of the IEP.

2. Annual Goals and Short-term Objectives

Once your child’s needs are identified, the IEP team works to develop appropriate goals and objectives to address those needs. An annual goal describes what your child can be expected to do within a 12-month period. A short-term objective is a step that will help your child reach that goal. Put another way, an annual goal is similar to your destination on a trip, and the short-term objective is the road you will take to get there. The annual goals and short-term objectives section of the IEP builds upon the present levels of educational performance. The present level identifies what your child needs. The goals and objectives should be written to address those needs.

Writing goals and objectives can be one of the hardest parts of the IEP. One reason for this is because goals and objectives can cover so many different areas. Depending upon your child’s needs, some goals and objectives may target areas of the general curriculum. Other goals and objectives may target learning that comes from a special education or individualized curriculum. Examples of these could include teaching your child how to eat independently, to use public transportation, or to read Braille. Another area for goals and objectives may be your child’s social or emotional needs. These don’t come under a typical “academic” curriculum. But if your child has social or emotional needs, then goals and objectives to meet these needs would be written into the IEP.

A well-written goal should be (a) positive, and (b) describe a skill that can be seen and measured. It answers the questions:

“Who?. . . will achieve?

What?. . . skill or behavior?

How?. . . in what manner or at what level?

Where?. . . in what setting or under what conditions?

When?. . . by what time? an ending date?” (21)

3. Measuring Your Child’s Progress

Effective goals and objectives are critical parts of your child’s IEP. Keeping track of your child’s progress is just as important. How will you and the school know if your child is making enough progress to reach a goal by the end of the year? How will the IEP team know when your child has met an objective? This information must be included in the IEP. The IEP team must decide:

• how your child’s progress will be measured,
• when your child’s progress will be measured,
• how well your child needs to perform in order to achieve the objective, and
• how you will be regularly informed of your child’s progress.

Often, information on how well your child must perform and how his or her progress will be measured is included within the short-term objective statements.

4. Services and Supports (22)

Under the IDEA, there are a variety of services and supports available that your child may need as part of his or her free appropriate public education. These services and supports include:

1. Special education,
2. Related services,
3. Supplementary aids and services, and
4. Program modifications or supports for school staff.

All of these services and supports are designed to help your child:

• reach his or her annual goals,

• be involved and progress in the general curriculum,

• participate in extracurricular activities (like after school clubs or sports) or other nonacademic activities (23) (like recreation activities, athletics, or employment), and

• be educated and participate with nondisabled children in these kinds of activities.

Let’s take a look at what these services and supports involve.

A. Special Education

As we said earlier, special education is instruction that is specially designed to meet the unique needs of a child with a disability. In the case of your child, this means education that is individually developed to address your child’s needs that result from his or her disability. Since each child is unique, it is difficult to give an overall example of special education. It is individualized for each child. One way to understand special education is to compare it to a typical general education class.

In a typical general education class you may have 25 to 30 students, about the same age and performing at about the same level (usually within two years of each other). So, a typical 3rd grade class may have children as young as 7 and as old as 9. A few children may be performing below grade level, and a few may be performing above grade level, but most will be at the 3rd grade level. All of these students receive instruction based upon a typical 3rd grade curriculum.

In a special education class of 7 to 9 year-olds, there may be 8 to 10 students, each with an IEP tailored to meet his or her individual needs. Of these students, there may be a wide variety of levels and skills. Some students may be working at the pre-kindergarten grade level, others at the first, second, or third grade level. There may be students whose special education focuses primarily on speech and language development, cognitive development, or needs related to a physical or learning disability. Special education for any student can consist of:

• an individualized curriculum that is different from that of same-age, nondisabled peers (for example, teaching a blind student to read and write using Braille);

• the same (general) curriculum as that for nondisabled peers, with adaptations or modifications made for the student (for example, teaching 3rd grade math but including the use of counting tools and assistive technology for the student); and

• a combination of these elements.

It is also important to remember that the education, services, and supports outlined in your child’s IEP do not necessarily cover your child’s entire education. The IEP only addresses those educational needs resulting from your child’s disability. If your child needs special education support throughout the school day, for all activities, the IEP will cover all these needs. If your child doesn’t need special education support in one or more areas (for example, physical education, music, or science), then the IEP will not include these subjects. Your child will access them through the general curriculum/class, with no additional special education services.

B. Related Services (24)

To help your child benefit from special education, he or she may also need extra help in one area or another, such as speaking or moving. This additional help is called related services. Many of these services are listed below:

Related services can include, but are not limited to, any of the following:

Assistive Technology (25)
Audiology
Counseling Services
Early Identification
Medical Services
Occupational Therapy
Orientation and Mobility Services
Parent Counseling/Training
Physical Therapy
Psychological Services
Recreation
Rehabilitation Counseling
School Health Services
Social Work Services in Schools
Speech-Language Pathology
Transportation

It is the IEP team’s responsibility to review all of the evaluation information, to identify any related services your child needs, and to include them in the IEP. Typically, schools have staff who provide related services (such as speech therapists or occupational therapists) to meet the needs of their students. But if a related service is not available from the school, the school can contract with a private provider, a public agency, or even another school district to provide the service. Your school district is responsible for making sure all services listed in your child’s IEP are provided, even if the district does not directly provide these services.

C. Supplementary Aids and Services (26)

This part of the IEP focuses on the other kinds of supports or services (other than special education and related services) that your child needs to be educated with nondisabled children to the maximum extent appropriate. Some examples of these additional services and supports are:

• adapted equipment—such as a pencil grip, special seat, or cut-out cup for drinking;
• assistive technology—such as a word processor, special software or a communication system;
• training for staff, student, and/or parents;
• peer tutors;
• a one-on-one aide;
• adapted materials—such as books on tape, large print, or highlighted notes, and
• collaboration/consultation among staff, parents, and/or other professionals.

The IEP team must really work together to make sure your child gets the supplementary aids and services that he or she needs to be successful. Team members should talk about your child’s needs, the curriculum, and school routine, and openly explore all options to make sure the right supports for your child are included.

D. Program Modifications or Supports for School Staff

If the IEP team decides that your child needs a particular modification or accommodation, this information must be included in the IEP. (More is said about this in #6, see below.) Supports are also available for those who work with your child, to help them help your child be successful. Supports for school staff must also be written into the IEP. Some of these supports might include:

• attending a conference or training related to your child’s needs,
• getting help from another staff member or administrative person,
• having an aide in the classroom, or
• getting special equipment or teaching materials.

5. Participation with Nondisabled Children

The IDEA says that each IEP must include:

“...an explanation of the extent, if any, to which the child will not participate with nondisabled children in the regular class . . . ” (27)

As we said earlier in this publication, the IDEA strongly prefers that children with disabilities be educated in the general education class with nondisabled children. In order to support your child in this setting, the IEP team considers what your child needs in terms of:

• accommodations,
• modifications,
• supports, and
• supplementary aids and services.

Even a child with many needs should be involved with nondisabled peers to the maximum extent appropriate. Just because a child has severe disabilities or needs modifications to the general curriculum does not mean that he or she should be removed from the general education class. (28) If your child is removed from the general education class for any part of the school day, the IEP team must include an explanation in the IEP.

6. Modifications for Your Child

Sometimes a student may need to have changes made in class work or routines because of his or her disability. Modifications can be made to:

• what a child is taught, and/or
• how a child works at school.

Sometimes people get confused about what it means to have a modification and what it means to have an accommodation. Usually a modification means a change in what is being taught to or expected from the student. Making an assignment easier so the student is not doing the same level of work as other students is an example of a modification. An accommodation is a change that helps a student overcome or work around the disability. Allowing a student who has trouble writing to give his answers orally is an example of an accommodation. This student is still expected to know the same material and answer the same questions as fully as the other students, but he doesn’t have to write his answers to show that he knows the information. What is most important to know about modifications and accommodations is that both are meant to help a child to learn.

Modifications or accommodations are most often made in the following areas:

Scheduling. For example,

• giving the student extra time to complete assignments or tests
• breaking up testing over several days

Setting. For example,

• working in a small group
• working one-on-one with the teacher

Materials. For example,

• providing audiotaped lectures or books
• giving copies of teacher’s lecture notes
• using large print books, Braille, or books on CD (digital text)

Instruction. For example,

• reducing the difficulty of assignments
• reducing the reading level
• using a student/peer tutor

Student Response. For example,

• allowing answers to be given orally or dictated
• using a word processor for written work
• using sign language, a communication device, Braille, or native language if it is not English.

Modifications to State or District-Wide Assessments

The IDEA requires that students with disabilities take part in state or district-wide assessments. (29) These are tests that are periodically given to all students to measure achievement. It is one way that schools determine how well and how much students are learning. The IDEA now states that students with disabilities should have as much involvement in the general curriculum as possible. Therefore, more and more students with disabilities will be participating in these general assessments. This means that, if your child is receiving instruction in the general curriculum, he or she could take the same standardized test that the school district or state gives to nondisabled children. Your child’s IEP must include all modifications or accommodations that your child needs so that he or she can participate in state or district-wide assessments.

The IEP team can decide that a particular test is not appropriate for your child. In this case, the IEP must include:

• an explanation of why that test is not suitable for your child, and
• how your child will be assessed instead (often called alternate assessment). (30)

Ask your state and/or local school district for a copy of their guidelines on the types of accommodations, modifications, and alternate assessments available to students.

7. Location and Duration of Services

Each of the services your child needs is written down in the IEP. The IEP must also say:

• how often your child will receive the service(s) (number of times per day or week),

• how long each “session” will last (number of minutes),

• where services will be provided (in the general education classroom or another setting such as a special education resource room), and

• when services will begin and end (starting and ending dates). (31)

The IEP team should also consider whether or not your child needs to receive services beyond the typical school year. This is called Extended School Year or ESY services. (32) Some children receiving special education services may be eligible for ESY services. Ask your state and local school district for a copy of its guidelines for determining eligibility for ESY. If you or your child’s teachers feel your child needs ESY services, it should be discussed during the IEP meeting.

8. Reporting Your Child’s Progress

Under the IDEA, you must be informed of your child’s progress on IEP goals at least as often as parents of nondisabled children are informed of their children’s progress. (33) So, if typical students get regularly scheduled report cards, you should get IEP progress reports for your child, at least as often. In these progress reports look to see whether or not your child is making enough progress to reach his or her goals by the end of the year. If not, then you will want to talk to the IEP team about why enough progress is not being made and what should be done about it.

9. Transition Services (34)

As your child gets older, you will start to plan for the future. You, your child, and the rest of the IEP team will consider many questions. What will your child do after high school? Will he or she go to college or vocational school? Will he or she work in supported employment or get a competitive job? Will he or she live independently or continue to live at home? Will you need help from other agencies to carry out these plans?

By the time your child is 14 years old, the IEP must include plans to help him or her move on from high school to life as an adult in the community. This is called transition planning or transition services. You can begin making plans for transition services earlier than age 14, if the IEP team thinks that it is appropriate. At this age, transition planning focuses on your child’s transition service needs such as his or her courses of study (for example, participation in advanced placement courses or in a vocational education program). At age 16 (or younger, if the IEP team feels it’s appropriate), your child’s IEP must include a statement of the services your child needs to prepare for life after high school, including any interagency responsibilities or needed linkages with outside agencies.

Transition planning is intended to help your child consider and prepare for post-secondary activities (35), including any of the following:

• postsecondary education (such as a 2 or 4-year college or business school),

• vocational training (to prepare for working in computers, auto mechanics, or hotels/restaurants, for example),

• integrated or supported employment (such as a sheltered workshop, a job coach, or Vocational Rehabilitation services),

• continuing and adult education (such as classes offered by your community Adult Education office or Department of Recreation),

• adult services (such as a day program, group home),

• independent living, and

• participating in the community. (36)

Planning for transition is a very important area for the IEP team to consider. When the team is going to talk about transition, your child must be invited to the meeting. Services must be based on your child’s needs, taking into account his or her preferences and interests.

For more information on transition, see the PartnersTx Transition Resources or call your PATH, PEN, or TEAM Regional Coordinator. Don't know who your Regional Coordinator is? Check the PartnersTX PTI Map.

10. Age of Majority (37)

When a student with a disability reaches the age where one is considered to be an adult, (called the age of majority), the state may transfer to the student all the educational rights that you, as parent, have had up to this point. Depending upon your state law, this usually happens between 18 and 21. Not all states transfer rights. But if your state does, then the rights and responsibilities that you have had for your child will belong to your child at the 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 will 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 (38) with regard to their education. Or your child may be fully capable of making these decisions, but still want your help in these matters. In all these cases, the state can establish a way for you to continue to represent your child’s educational interests. You will need to check your local and state IDEA regulations to find out how this issue is handled.

Endnotes

(16) 34 CFR §300.347—Content of IEP.

(17) 34 CFR §300.347(c) and §300.517—Content of IEP; and Transfer of parental rights at age of majority, respectively.

(18) Sometimes parents pay for evaluations done by outside professionals and share them with the school. For information on an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) that the school system pays for, see 34 CFR §300.502 or contact NICHCY.

(19) Decoding means breaking apart, sounding out, figuring out.

(20) Adapted from Anderson, W., Chitwood, S., & Hayden, D. (1997). Negotiating the special education maze: A guide for parents and teachers (p. 78). Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.

(21) Anderson, W., Chitwood, S., & Hayden, D. (1997). Negotiating the special education maze: A guide for parents and teachers (p. 79). Bethesda, MD: Woodbine House.

(22) 34 CFR §300.347(a)(3)(i) - (iii)—Content of IEP.

(23) 34 CFR §300.306—Nonacademic services.

(24) 34 CFR §300.24—Related services; and Appendix A to Part 300—Notice of Interpretation, Questions 30, 33, 34, and 35.

(25) 34 CFR §300.308—Assistive technology.

(26) 34 CFR §300.28—Supplementary aids and services.

(27) 34 CFR §300.347(a)(4)—Content of IEP.

(28) 34 CFR §300.552(e)—Placements.

(29) 34 CFR §300.138—Participation in assessments.

(30) 34 CFR §300.347(5)(ii)—Content of IEP.

(31) 34 CFR §300.347(6)—Content of IEP.

(32) 34 CFR §300.309—Extended school year services.

(33) 34 CFR §300.347(a)(7)(ii)—Content of IEP.

(34) 34 CFR §300.29—Transition services.

(35) Those activities that will take place when your child is done with high school.

(36) 34 CFR §300.29(1)—Transition services.

(37) 34 CFR §300.347(c) and §300.517 —Content of IEP; and Transfer of parental rights at age of majority, respectively.

(38) 34 CFR §300.500(b)(1)—Consent.

National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities (NICHCY)

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