Who
needs an IEP?
Any
child who receives special education or services in the public
school system must have an IEP. There are several ways children
are identified for special education. Parents or teachers
may request an evaluation of any child that is suspected of
having a disability; however, any evaluation must be done
with parental consent. An evaluation must be completed within
a reasonable amount of time after consent is given. Children
are also identified through the “Child Find” system.
The state is responsible for identifying children with special
needs and conducts “Child Find” activities to
find children who need evaluation for a possible IEP. Any
time a child is evaluated by an IEP team there must be parental
consent.
IEP
Basics
Evaluation:
The first step of the IEP is the evaluation. All children
will first have an evaluation to assess their current levels
and determine goals and services necessary for them. The evaluation
results will serve as a guide for writing the IEP and determining
what services the child needs. After the evaluation, the IEP
team will review the evaluation and determine whether or not
the child qualifies as a “child with a disability”.
If the parents disagree with the decision they have the right
to receive an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE). Furthermore,
parents may request that this is paid for by the school system.
Once it is determined that the child qualifies as having a
disability, the IEP will be written. The IEP team must meet
to write the IEP within thirty calendar days of establishing
disability.
IEP
Meeting: Who is involved in the IEP meeting? The
IDEA requires that certain people are involved in the IEP
meeting. These people include parent/s, at least one of the
student’s special education teachers, at least one of
the student’s regular education teachers, an individual
representing the school system or educational agency, a member
who can interpret the evaluation results, and any other personnel
who have expertise related to the child’s needs.
When
the IEP meeting is schedule the school system must provide
notice to the parents and other participants. The parents
must be given early enough notice to be able to attend the
meeting or make other arrangements. The meeting must be scheduled
at a time and place that is agreed upon with the parents and
the school. Moreover, the parents should be informed of who
will be attending the IEP meeting.
Writing
the IEP: The IEP will serve as a plan for the child’s
educational goals and include certain details including how
the child is currently performing at school, specific goals
for the child that can be measured, any special education
or services, any modifications that will be made for state
or district wide tests, the dates and locations of services
to be provided, as well as a statement explaining how progress
will be determined. The IEP will also include any other specific
details that apply to the child and his or her particular
needs. Once the child turns 14, a transition statement must
be included in the IEP stating how the student will transition
to reach goals after he is through with school. At 16, a statement
of transition services must be written to describe how the
school will prepare the child to move from school into adult
life.
What
happens after the IEP is written: Parents will receive a copy
of the IEP for them to review. Any teachers or providers that
will be working with your child will have access to his or
her IEP. Services will begin after the IEP is written. Parents
will be informed regularly (at least as frequently as non-disabled
children) of their child’s progress. Parents will receive
reports of how their child is doing and if he/she will be
able to reach their IEP goals by the end of the school year.
The child’s IEP will be reviewed at least once a year.
If changes need to be made the IEP will be revised.
(sources:
http://www.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html
http://www.ericdigests.org/2001-4/useful.html)
