What are the core components of my child’s IEP?

What are the core components of my child’s IEP?

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) establishes annual goals for a student identified with a disability in special education and defines the related services and supplemental aids a child will need to access the general education curriculum.

An IEP includes important components to ensure a child with a disability receives specially designed instruction to meet their unique needs. Let's explore these key components:

1. Current Skill Level (Present Level of Performance): The IEP must include a detailed description of the student’s current performance and skills across all relevant areas. This includes assessing your child's academic and behavioral performance, relationships with peers, language skills, and motor skills as appropriate to their needs. Your child’s strengths and needs will include input from you, your child’s teachers and service providers, as well as from your child.
2. Description of Disability: The IEP includes a description of your child’s disability and how your child is eligible for special education services based on the findings from the evaluation process.
3. Annual Goals: The IEP outlines what schools often call SMART goals, which are specific and measurable goals for the child, which should be updated at least once a year. These goals can relate to academic performance, behavior, physical mobility, and more. Each goal in the IEP must be something that can be assessed and regularly tracked for progress. An example of a SMART goal is “In 20 weeks, when provided direct instruction in mathematics, your child will apply formulas and computation skills to correctly solve multi-step math problems with at least 70% accuracy on classroom assessments (baseline was 63% accuracy).”
4. Progress Monitoring: The IEP specifies how progress toward the child's goals will be measured. This might be done through testing and assessments, monitoring the child’s progress on specific skills or benchmarks, or observations. This is an important aspect ensuring that progress is routinely monitored so the family can be informed of achievements and obstacles.
5. Special Education Services: The IEP includes clear details about the student's special education program. Specifically, it will describe what services and supports will be provided to your child, like customizing your child's classroom instruction or providing additional support from an aide (para instructor). Any accommodations or modifications recommended for your child, such as taking a test in a separate, quiet room, also will be described in the IEP. An example of special education services is “speech-language therapy from March 10, 2024 to March 6, 2025, for 30 min/week, for three weeks/month”.

Remember, an IEP is not just a document. It is a collaborative tool that empowers you and your child. It's a roadmap, guiding your child's educational journey and supporting their success in school. The IEP allows for the unique customization of services to meet your child's educational needs. It also fosters communication and collaboration among your child's teachers and other school support providers, along with you and your child. The IEP is a tool for accountability, ensuring that your child's services and support are being provided and are educationally beneficial. The IEP is also important in transition planning for older students as they prepare to enter the workforce or continue their education after high school graduation.

The IEP is designed to empower students and their families, encourage their active engagement and to safeguard the rights of students to free and appropriate special education services. It’s important to remember that the IEP team meets at least annually to review the current IEP and update it for the following year. In the coming lessons, we will discuss who attends the IEP meetings and how to prepare for them.

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