What is an IEP?

Special education services are part of public education. Students get these services and supports through a written plan called an Individualized Education Program (IEP). The purpose of an IEP is to help students with disabilities improve skills and learn alongside their peers.

IEPs are covered by the special education law, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). They’re available to eligible kids between the ages of 3 and 21. Schools create IEPs to fit a student’s specific needs. 

“The purpose of an IEP is basically to be a roadmap, showing how the school will help [students] catch up with their peers,” says Understood Expert Juliana Urtubey, 2021 National Teacher of the Year and host of the podcast Understood Explains IEPs.

Parents and teachers play a role in the IEP process, along with other professionals at school. As part of the IEP team, they help develop the program and make sure it’s being followed throughout the year.

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

A program of special education includes:

• Specialized instruction

• Related services, like speech or occupational therapy

• Accommodations, modifications, and other supports

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

IEPs come out of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). This 1975 special education lawopens in a new tab lays out the process for getting, developing, and following through on an IEP. It also gives legal rights to parents and students.

As part of IDEA, IEPs provide students with a free appropriate public education (FAPE). By law, that education must take place in the least restrictive environment (LRE). That means kids spend as much time as possible learning with their peers.

The Department of Education oversees and enforces IDEA.

IDEA gives parents rights and protections throughout the IEP process. These are called procedural safeguards. For example, parents have the right to attend IEP meetings and be part of the process. The law also provides options for resolving IEP disputes with the school.

Schools must also give parents notice in writing before making any changes to services or supports. Notice must be available in the parent’s primary language or mode of communication (this includes Braille). 

Every state has a special education law in addition to IDEA. States may give extra protections under their individual laws. But they can’t take away any rights given under federal law. 

IEPs and 504 plans both help students with disabilities learn alongside their peers. But they serve different purposes.

An IEP is part of IDEA, the special education law. An IEP gives a student specialized instruction, services, and supports to help them learn in the general classroom. For example, a student with dyslexia may have an IEP that includes small group instruction for reading.

A 504 plan is part of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, a civil rights law. It helps remove barriers to learning. But it doesn’t include specialized instruction. For example, a student with ADHD may have a 504 plan that gives extra time on tests or a quiet place to work.

Some students move from an IEP to a 504 plan if they no longer need specialized instruction.

Learn more about the differences between IEPS and 504s from Understood Expert Juliana Urtubey. 

Get the transcript here

The process of getting and following through on an IEP is clearly laid out in IDEA. Here are the major steps.

There are a few ways that kids are identified as possibly needing special education. One way is through Child Find, which is part of IDEA. The law requires states and local districts to look for, find, and evaluate kids who need services and supports. 

Teachers and other school professionals may also refer kids for an evaluation. And parents and guardians can ask the school to evaluate their child. In any case, the school needs consent from parents or guardians to do an evaluation.

To qualify for an IEP, kids must be evaluated for special education services. Schools do these evaluations for free. (Parents may also pay for a private evaluation.) The process involves testing by a trained professional to see how the child thinks and solves problems. 

The evaluation team also looks at standardized test scores, grades, and other school records to understand the student’s level of performance.

School professionals and parents meet to talk over the results. The school decides whether the child is eligible for services under IDEA. The law states that students must have a disability in one of 13 categories to qualify.

If the child is eligible, the school has 30 days to hold a meeting of the IEP team to develop the child’s plan. This team includes parents, teachers, and school professionals. Some schools combine the eligibility meeting and an IEP meeting.

But what if the school decides your child isn’t eligible for an IEP? IDEA provides a few ways for parents to resolve disputes with the school. 

“Schools have to explain in writing how they made their decision,” says Urtubey. “If you disagree, you can get something called an independent educational evaluation. And in some cases, the school may even be required to pay for this private evaluation.”

You can also request a due process hearing, which is like a mini trial. It involves witnesses, testimony, and evidence.

The purpose of the IEP meeting is to develop the child’s special education program. Professionals at school go over the results of the evaluation, looking at academic and social and emotional skills. 

The team talks about the student’s needs and the services the school will provide. Once the team agrees on a program of services, the school finalizes the program and parents sign it.

The child starts getting the services and supports outlined in the IEP. Parents get copies of the written plan. Teachers providing services to the student receive copies or have electronic access to the document. 

The school monitors the child’s progress toward IEP goals throughout the year. Schools are required to give progress reports on IEPs at least as often as they give progress reports to students in general education. The goals section of the IEP lists the timeline for progress reports.

States and schools are responsible for making sure the IEP is followed. IDEA provides ways for parents to resolve disputes if the school is not following the plan.

When a child has an IEP, the team meets once a year to review the plan and make any adjustments for the next year, based on the child’s progress. 

But parents don’t have to wait a full year to meet with the team. Any IEP team member can request a meeting at any point to talk about the child’s progress.

Students with IEPs typically must be reevaluated at least every three years to see if they still qualify for special education services and if their needs have changed. This step may be called a “triennial.” 

At some point, the IEP team may decide that the student no longer needs services. The team may recommend moving a student from an IEP to a 504 plan. IEPs and 504 plans are part of Pre-K–12 education, so they don’t exist beyond high school. But students with disabilities may still get supports in college or in vocational training under the civil rights law. 

If the school decides to cut services, it must give prior notice to parents and guardians before actually making any changes. IDEA also requires schools to hold a meeting of the IEP team, which includes parents and guardians, to discuss the proposed changes.

If parents disagree with the school’s decision, they have the right to dispute it. The law provides something called “stay put” rights, which keep the school from ending services during the dispute.

IDEA requires schools to give parents and guardians advance notice of when and where the meeting will take place. Schools must schedule meetings so parents are able to attend, whether it’s in person, by phone, or by videoconference. The notice must also include what the meeting is for and who will be there. 

“The IEP team has to include at least one special education teacher and one general education teacher,” explains Urtubey. “There will also be a school psychologist or some other type of expert who could interpret evaluation reports and progress data.”

The meeting must also include an administrator who can approve the use of school resources for the student. 

At the first IEP meeting, the school will go over the evaluation results. The team will discuss the student’s needs and agree on the services and supports that the school will provide. Some schools come to the meeting with a first draft of an IEP, while others create the document after the meeting.

Under IDEA, schools must include parents in IEP meetings and the entire process. If parents need an interpreter, schools are required to provide one. Schools must also explain all documents in the language parents prefer. 

Parents should let the school know as early as possible if they need an interpreter or would like documents translated.

IEPs are blueprints for helping a child make progress and catch up to their peers. The plans can be complicated and varied. But they all include these same key elementsopens in a new tab:

• The child’s present level of performance (PLOP)

• Measurable annual goals for improvement

• The specific services and supports the school will provide

• How and when the school will report on progress

• How much time the child will spend in the general education classroom learning alongside their peers

The IEP spells out the special instruction a student will get, the setting it will take place in, and how much time it will take. Some students may get related services like occupational therapy or speech-language therapy. If a student gets assistive technology, that will also be in the IEP.

By the time kids turn 16 (with some states requiring as young as 14), the IEP must also include transition planning for life after high school. Transition planning covers job skills and daily life skills, as well as skills for college or vocational training.

The point of an IEP is to help a student make progress and meet grade-level standards. Annual goals are a key part of the plan. Every year, the IEP team sets specific, measurable goals for the student to work toward, based on the student’s level of performance. 

The best IEP goals are SMART goals — Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Results-oriented, and Time-bound. Here’s an example:

“With the aid of a calculator, Emma will be able to solve math problems that involve the computation of fractions and decimals, with 75 percent accuracy.”

Students can also receive behavioral support through an IEP. For example, they might need help with organization, impulsivity, or self-control. That support might happen through strategies, accommodations, or a combination of supports. 

An IEP lays out the program for helping a student improve. But just having the document isn’t enough. Teachers, parents, and schools need to work together throughout the school year to make sure the child is getting the services and supports in the program and is making progress. 

Want to learn more about IEPs? In this video, special education teacher Stephanie DeLussey breaks down the most common questions about IEPs and school accommodations.