IEPs
Learn the basics about Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), which tailor special education for kids with disabilities. Get tips on how to prepare for IEP meetings, how to set annual goals, and what to look for in an IEP for teens.
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Introducing: Understood Explains IEPs
Listen to the trailer for “Understood Explains IEPs,” hosted by special educator and 2021 National Teacher of the Year Juliana Urtubey.
IEP meetings
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- Mom’s emotional video about IEP frustration goes viral
- What happens to my child’s IEP if the U.S. Department of Education closes?
- Understanding evaluation results and next steps
- What the special education layoffs mean for your child’s IEP and school services
- Family engagement and student success: What the research says
- How to read an IEP: 5 things teachers should look for
- What to expect at an IEP eligibility determination meeting
- Transferring school districts: 8 steps to take if your child has an IEP
- What does the Department of Education do for special education?
- The teacher isn’t following my child’s IEP. What can I do?
- Accommodations vs. modifications: What’s the difference?
- What is the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)?
- The 13 disability categories under IDEA
- Navigating IEP meetings
- What happens to your child’s IEP if you switch schools
- Special education services in military DoDEA schools
- Video: Gavin Newsom opens up about his dyslexia
- What is a behavior intervention plan?
- Can my child get an IEP for slow processing speed?
- The classroom teacher acts like she’s not responsible for my child. What can I do?
- Are evaluations for IEPs and 504 plans different?
- Should my child study for a special education evaluation?
- Are my child’s struggles serious enough for an evaluation?
- Can a student have both an IEP and a 504 plan?
- Can an IEP or 504 plan include something about getting emotional support at school?
- I can’t take off work to go to the IEP meeting. What should I do?
- The school wants to move my child from an IEP to a 504 plan. How will that affect my child?
- How will I know if the accommodations in my child’s IEP are working?
- How do I get my child’s IEP going at the beginning of the school year?
- Do IEPs cover extracurricular activities?
- Will the school provide a translator at an IEP meeting if I need one?
- Can the school give my child with an IEP “unofficial” suspensions?
- Are kids with ADHD covered under IDEA?
- Do private schools have to evaluate kids for special education?
- Are there IEPs and 504 plans in college?
- Do colleges view 504 plans as better than IEPs when students apply to college?
- Can I ask for self-advocacy IEP goals for my child?
- Your child’s rights: Important terms to know
- What’s the difference between “specific learning disability” and “learning disability”?
- Dyslexia testing results: What they mean for instruction and supports
- How to tell if your child’s IEP goals are SMART
- Strengths-based IEPs: What you need to know
- Video: Navigating life’s changes with dyslexia
- What is special education?
- Understanding IEPs
- Video: 8 insider tips on navigating IEP meetings
- Download: FAPE at a glance
- What is least restrictive environment (LRE)?
- The school wants to change my child’s accommodations. What can I do?
- Extended school year services: What you need to know
- Video: New England Patriot Lawrence Guy on overcoming stigma and being your best
- Video: Inside a dyslexia evaluation
- Video: The journey from student with dyslexia and ADHD to special education teacher
- The difference between supports and services in school
- 3 common reasons schools change accommodations
- Surprising IEP and 504 accommodations for note-taking, assignments, and tests
- Related services for kids who learn and think differently
- What is a neuropsychological evaluation?
- What evaluation testing results mean
- Are IEPs different for English language learners?
- What are your rights in the IEP process?
- What is and isn’t covered under FAPE
- 10 smart responses for when the school cuts or denies services
- The long, winding road to identifying my son’s learning issues
- 3 questions to ask yourself before your next IEP meeting
- 5 reasons parents play a key role in the IEP process
- 5 things to do during an IEP meeting
- 5 things to do after an IEP meeting
- Evaluation rights: What you need to know
- What to do if your child is losing IEP services
- Private evaluations: What you need to know
- What to bring to an IEP meeting
- What is a reevaluation for special education?
- My kids’ experience with special education at Catholic school
- “Dear teacher, I have dyslexia,” explains fifth grader in self-advocacy video
- The day I rejected my son’s IEP
- Why I feel invisible at IEP meetings (a dad’s view)
- The school holiday party that helped me see beyond my son’s reading progress
- Out-of-district placement: How it works
- Unilateral placement: Moving from public to private school
- Alternate assessments: What you need to know
- Printable tools to help manage your child’s IEP
- Informed consent in the special education process: What you need to know
- The most important thing to remember before your next IEP meeting
- What are academic modifications?
- What happens when you switch schools during the evaluation process
- Charter schools and learning and thinking differences
- IEP and special education terms
- 5 things to do before an IEP meeting
- Foster care, special education, and learning and thinking differences: What you need to know
- Independent educational evaluations (IEEs): What you need to know
- What is Child Find?
- A unique IEP solution for our twice-exceptional son
- What to expect at a mediation session
- How to keep your child’s services in place during a dispute
- Beyond IEP meetings: How I connect with my son’s general education teachers
- 6 steps to request an IEP meeting
- 8 steps to kicking off your child’s IEP the right way
- 10 steps to take if your child is denied services
- How I got over my fear of AP statistics (and passed!)
- The discrepancy model: What you need to know
- 3 things to say when your child worries about getting help at school
- IEP personal stories
- School discipline rights for kids with IEPs and 504 plans
- 5 conversation starters for discussing an evaluation report with teachers
- Terms teachers use when kids struggle in school
- 9 tips to help military families navigate the system
- How to find a special education advocate
- 5 myths about English language learners (ELLs) and special education
- Toolkit for teachers: Navigating IEPs
- Prior written notice: Your right to hear about changes to your child’s IEP
- Why second evaluation results may differ from first ones
- I disagree with the school’s evaluation results. Now what?
- Why your child’s school may deny your evaluation request
- 6 benefits of having your child evaluated
- Learning about evaluations
- Requesting an evaluation
- 9 reasons kids might refuse to use accommodations
- What is an evaluation for special education?
- Not too late: A high school IEP for my daughter
- 7 things I wish people knew about parenting kids with dyslexia
- Someone on my side of the IEP table
- 5 things I want teachers to know about my (special education inclusion) child
- 4 worries I had when my son’s IEP ended
- What to expect at a resolution session
- What to expect at a due process hearing
- What to double-check on your child’s IEP
- What is occupational therapy?
- What to include in a state complaint for IEP dispute resolution
- 4 challenges of English language learners who learn and think differently
- Special education teachers: A guide for families
- Finding out if your child is eligible for special education
- The school evaluation process: What to expect
- Who ensures schools follow special education law?
- “Stay put” rights: What they are and how they work
- Dyslexia laws: What they are and how they work
- Deciding on an evaluation: 5 common questions
- Teacher to teacher: How I help students see support staff as teachers
- Download: Sample letters for dispute resolution
- 8 steps to take if your child is facing disciplinary action
- 11 tips on informal negotiation strategies
- Amanda Morin wants to “level the playing field” for parents
- 9 steps to take if the IEP eligibility meeting doesn’t work out
- Why certain school records are important to keep
- How I’m making peace with my son’s IEP
- How my career ambition got in the way of helping my daughter with dyslexia
- Teacher to teacher: How we can break down barriers between general and special education
- Video: Teen with dyscalculia shares why she tells friends about her learning issues
- 6 options for resolving an IEP dispute
- Treatment for kids with dyscalculia
- For teachers: What to expect in an IEP meeting
- English language learners in special education: 4 things to know about partnering with families
- How my IEP transition plan helped me start college with confidence
- What is IEP transition planning?
- How to work on your child’s IEP goals over the summer
- My child’s IEP doesn’t seem to be working. Now what?
- Questions to ask about your child’s IEP goals
- IEP goals for reading: What they look like
- FAQs about standards-based IEPs
- Setting an IEP baseline: PLOP, PLAAFP, and PLP
- Setting annual IEP goals: What you need to know
- Questions to ask before and during your child’s IEP meeting
- IEP case managers: A guide for parents
- Legal FAQs about IEP meetings
- Should I encourage my child to go to IEP meetings?
- How to consent to some parts of an IEP and not others
- The IEP meeting: An overview
- Download: IEP binder checklist
- Download: IEP goal tracker
- Download: Anatomy of an IEP
- 6 tips to make sure your child’s IEP is implemented properly
- 10 key procedural safeguards in IDEA
- 5 common misconceptions about IEPs
- 10 special education myths you may hear
- 10 tips for a better IEP meeting
- Download: Sample scripts for dispute resolution
- Staying on top of your child’s IEP
- How to get an IEP
- After one IEP meeting, my husband and I were finally on the same page
- Surprising IEP and 504 plan accommodations to help kids self-regulate and manage emotions
- What’s in an IEP
- 4 benefits of inclusive classrooms
- The difference between special education advocates and attorneys
- The difference between push-in and pull-out services
- Private vs. school evaluations: Pros and cons
- How to organize your child’s IEP binder
- The difference between IEPs and 504 plans
- Who’s on the IEP team
- The difference between a high school diploma and a high school certificate
- The difference between IEP meetings and parent-teacher conferences
- The difference between learning disorder and learning disability
- IDEA, Section 504, and the ADA: Which laws do what