What is an IEP?

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• The purpose of an IEP

  IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. It's a formal plan that details the special education instruction, supports, and services that are designed to help a student with a disability make progress in school.

  The purpose of an IEP is to be a road map, showing how the school will help your child catch up with their peers.

  It might surprise you to know that IEPs are very common. Nearly 1 in 6 public school students has an IEP. That means millions and millions of kids have Individualized Education Programs. And each IEP is customized to a student's needs.

  For example, if your child has dyslexia, the IEP might specify an hour of special reading instruction a few times a week. These are the kinds of details that get spelled out in an IEP.

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• What IEPs provide

  IEPs provide special education services and supports. But what is special education, exactly?

  Special education includes:

  • Specially designed instruction, like one-on-one or small-group math instruction

  • Related services, like speech or occupational therapy

  • Accommodations, like taking more time to complete a project

  • Modifications, like completing an alternate project

  IEPs are tailored to meet a student’s individual needs. They may look very different from one student to the next.

• IEPs vs 504 plans

  IEPs provide special education services. Students with IEPs may spend a lot of time in general education classrooms, but the heart of an IEP is the specially designed instruction to help a student catch up with their peers.

  504 plans, on the other hand, do not provide special education. There are no annual goals or progress monitoring with 504s. What 504s do is remove barriers to the general education curriculum.

  504s can be good options for, say, a student with ADHD or written expression disorder who doesn't need specialized instruction but does need accommodations, like sitting in a less distracting part of the classroom, or showing what you know in a different way, like giving an oral report instead of taking a written test.

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• What is IDEA?

  IEPs are covered by a federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act, or IDEA. This law applies to all public schools in the U.S., including charter schools.

  If your child qualifies for an IEP, you'll work with the school to develop annual goals and monitor your child's progress throughout the year.

  It's also important to know that most kids who have IEPs spend most of their day in general education classrooms. By law, IEPs need to keep kids with their peers as much as possible.

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