Reviewing your Child's IEP's


Page Index:  Administration page (ADM 1),
Parent Page (IEP 1); Parent Concerns;
Students Strengths; Key evaluation Results Summary; Vision Statement,
Present Levels of Educational Performance (PLEP A);(IEP 2), Present Levels of Educational Performance (PLEP B);(IEP 3),
Goals (IEP 4),
Service Delivery Grid (IEP 5),
Nonparticipation Justifications; Schedule Modification ; Summer services; ESY; Transportation Services (IEP 6),
State or District Wide Assessment; MCAS (IEP 7), Additional Information; Signatures, (IEP 8),  Placement (PL 1).
References, articles.

When you receive your copy of your child's IEP, here some items to review:

Once you have received you child's IEP in the mail, write down the date you received it (keep the envelope, that has the date stamped on it).

Page ADM 1:

Page IEP 1:

(Has three sections: Parent and/or Student Concerns, Students Strengths and Key evaluation Results Summary, and Vision Statement.)

First section:
Parents and/or Student Concerns:

What concern(s) does the parent and/or student want to see addressed in this IEP to enhance the student's education?
Second section:
Students Strengths  and  Key evaluation Results Summary

First part of the Questions:
1. Educational Strengths?
2. Interest areas?
3. Significant personal attributes and personal accomplishments?

Second part of the Questions:
4. What is the student's type of disability (ies)?
5. General education performance, including MCAS/district test results?
6. Achievements towards goals and lack of expected  progress?
Third section
Vision Statement:

What is the vision for this student?
Consider the next 1 to 5 year period when developing this statement. Beginning no later than age 14,
the statement should be based on the student’s preferences and interest, and should include desired outcomes in adult living, post-secondary and working environments. 

Page IEP 2 (PLEP A):

(IEP 2 is for all the academic subjects) 'Present Levels of Educational Performance (PLEP)'
'A: General Curriculum' First section:
Review each of the 5 boxes, and make sure all the boxes that apply are checked.
English Language Arts
Consider the language, composition, literature (including reading) and media strands
History and Social Sciences
Consider the history, geography, economic and civics and government stands
Science and Technology
Consider the inquiry, domains of science, technology and science, technology and human affairs strands
Mathematics
Consider the number sense, patterns, relations, and functions, geometry and measurement  and statistics and probability stands.
Other Curriculum Areas
Specify:

Second section:
Did the following questions get answered?
How does the disability affect progress in the curriculum area(s)?
Third section:
What type(s) of accommodation is necessary for the student to make effective progress?
Last section:
At the bottom of the page:

Page IEP 3 (PLEP B):

IEP page 2 and 3 format are very similar, IEP 3 covers all the other areas of education.

(IEP 3 is for all related services) 'Present Levels of Educational Performance (PLEP)'
'B: Other educational needs'
First section:
Review each of the 13 boxes, and make sure all the boxes that apply are checked.

Consider: "Social/emotional needs", "Assistive Tech devices/services", "communication (all students)",
  "Travel training",
"Nonacademic activities" and "Vocational education".
Adapted physical education Assistive Tech devices/services Behavior
Braille needs (blind/visually impaired)
Communication (all students)
Communication
 (deaf/hard of hearing students)
Extra curricular activities
Language needs (* LEP student)
Nonacademic activities
Social/emotional needs Travel training Vocational education
Other______________________


* LEP = Limited English proficiency

The "IEP Guide" manual refers to the boxes above, page 16, for IEP 3 (PLEP B), :

"The Team must also take a broader look at the student's overall involvement with the school including participation in extracurricular and other nonacademic activities ...."

"The Team may consider how the student communicates with others, how the behavior affects their learning or the learning of others, how assistive technology could support effective progress or how the disabilities affect transition to post-secondary activities."

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For students age 14 - 22, what would be needed for transition after high school?

Under "Age-Specific Considerations" a transition statement for preschool age children, student age 14 - 16, and students age 17- 22 should be included.
To view some examples, visit the Wrightslaw website.
Did the following questions get answered?
Second Section:
How does the disability affect progress in the indicated area (s) of other educational needs?

Third Section:
 What type of accommodation, if any is necessary for the student to make effective progress?

Last Section:
At the bottom of the page:
Are there any exception or ways of measuring the students knowledge of a subject that would not be limited by their disability?

Page IEP 4:

(There will be several of these pages, we like the format of 1 goal per page.)
The goals are the most important part of your student's IEP.
Title of the goal page: 'Current Performance Levels/Measurable Annual Goals'

Goal # n: type
  1. Current Performance Level: what can the student currently do?
  2. Measurable Annual Goal: What challenging, yet attainable, goal can we expect the students to meet by the end of this IEP period?
  3. Benchmark/Objective: What will the student need to do to complete this goal?

Page IEP 5:

"special education staff" or "Sped staff", is too vague, does not tell you who will be providing the service.
It must state if the service is to be provided by a special education teacher, "Sped Teacher", "Sped tutor", "Sped asst.", "OT", "OT asst.", etc.
It must be clearly be noted when a service is provided by an assistant rather than a fully certified provider, and the law of course requires that anyone not fully certified must be overseen and trained by a certified provider in that field (OT, SLP, etc.).
Examples would be: If your child receives 1/2 hour OT in class with an OT asst. or COTA and 1/2 hour OT out of class with a certified OT, those two must be listed as such, separately on the grid.
According to the Special Education Regulation:
28.06(2)(d)(1): The school district shall determine specific instructional personnel and shall work jointly with the Team
to arrange the specific classroom or school, . . . .
"On-Going" or "As Needed", is too vague, and there is no commitment to time. (See Federal Law 300.347(a)(6)).  

Page IEP 6:

Page IEP 7:

State or District Wide Assessment

Page IEP 8:

2. Document efforts to obtain participation if a parent and if student did not attend meeting or provide input.

3. Record other relevant IEP information not previously stated."

This section should not include goals, (there is a separate page for goals, IEP 4) If goals are listed in this section, it means no requirement for goal measurement, benchmarks or progress reports. 

Signature Page(IEP 8):
Reviewing your child's IEP:
Meeting with the Special Educational Director or Team chair, according to the Special Education Regulation:
28.05: The Team Process and Development of the IEP ...
28.05 (7)(a) No later than thirty (30) days after receipt of the proposed IEP and proposed placement, the parent shall:
 1. Accept or reject the IEP in whole or in part; request a meeting to discuss the rejected portions of the IEP or the overall adequacy of the IEP; or if mutually agreed upon, accept an amended proposal; and
2. Accept or reject the proposed placement.

(b) Upon parental response to the proposed IEP and proposed placement, the school district shall implement all accepted elements of the IEP without delay.

Unsigned IEP:

Have no legal significance, they mean nothing.  An IEP not signed can't be implemented (unless the school district implements them unilaterally).

You can either object in writing or will lose at due process.

Signing your child's IEP:

After you have gone through the 30 day review period, and you have put your changes in writing to the Team chair, if the Team is not willing to make any other changes to your child IEP, it is time to start the formal process, signing your child's the IEP.

Below are the possible chooses: 
Response Section , List 4 choices:
  1. 'I accept the IEP as developed'
  2. 'I reject the IEP as developed'
  3. 'I reject the following portions of the IEP, with the understanding that any portion (s) that I do not reject will be considered accepted and implemented immediately.
    Rejected portions are as follows: (add your statement or you write 'See attach letter, dated nn/nn/nn' *)'
  4. 'I request a meeting to discuss the rejected IEP or rejected portion (s)'.
    It is suggested that you write on the "see attach Parent Addendum page" and attach a "Parent Addendum page" with your issues stated *.

* From The Complete IEP Guide : How to Advocate for Your Special Ed. Child book by L. Siegel, M. Stewart (1999)), and also is suggested by Wrightslaw.

The next choice is no longer listed (taken off in 2000) but can still be added:
'I postpone a decision until the completion of an independent evaluation.' or 'until the completion of the school evaluations'.
This will be considered a rejected IEP by the school district, so also check off the rejected box as well.

For more information on independent evaluations, click here to visit our webpage on the subject.

Sign your child's IEP, before the 30 day review period ends.  You should not sign your IEP until you have reviewed every page of your child's IEP, communicated any differences with your Team chair to ensured that updates have been added to the IEP, as discussed and agreed to at your Team meeting.  

If you do not sign your child's proposed IEP, and you have a previous year IEP, then the last signed IEP is in effect (called StayPut).

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Mediation

Is a meeting where parent and the school special education personal meet with an mediator to discuss openly the areas where they disagree and try to reach agreement.  Mediation is lead by a third party impartial mediator who helps parents and school staff clarify the issues and underlying concerns, explore interests, discuss options and reach mutually satisfying agreements that address the needs of the student. The mediator does not decide how to resolve the dispute that is left in the hands of the parent(s) and the school personnel. When the parties resolve all or some of the issues,  the mediator will document what was agreed to.  Both parties need to agree to attend mediation, as it is a voluntary and informal process.    

Other steps are an Advisory Opinion and Hearing (including a resolution meeting with a hearing officer).  For more information on mediation, click here to visit our webpage on the subject .

Page PL 1:

Team Determination of Placement 

Placement Consent Form – PL1: 6-12 years old

Top section: one of the boxes should be checked off: Full Inclusion Program, Partial Inclusion Program, substanially Seperate Class, Separate Day School (Public or Private), Residential School, mixed of IEP services.

Bottom section: should have the name of your public school and the dates he will be in the building.

Placement Consent Form

There are three check-off boxes, check off the box that applies:

1 - ‘I consent to the placement’

2 - ‘I refuse the placement’

3 - ‘I request a meeting to discuss the refused placement.”

 

PL 1 and PL 2

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References:
Actual IEP Forms (IEP 1-8, PL1, PL2, etc. ) This is a link to DOE forms (available in two formats: 28 and 14).
Check if you have the lastest version of the forms.
Articles:
Your Child's IEP: Practical and Legal Guidance for Parents
by Pamela Darr Wright, M.A., M.S.W. , Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Peter W. D. Wright, Esq.
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One of our original webpages, created July, 2001, by Melody Orfei
Webpage last modified on February 26, 2019 - V27, by Melody Orfei
mel3sons@gmail.com