Developing and Approving the IEP

Within 30 days of determining whether your child is eligible, the IEP team must meet to begin drafting an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Sometimes this happens at the same meeting the IEP Team determines eligibility and sometimes it happens in a separate meeting. Below is a list of the required components of an IEP.

• Child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance in the general education curriculum

• How your child’s disability affects his/her involvement and progress in the general curriculum, or in appropriate preschool activities

• Measurable Annual Goals

• Benchmarks or short-term objectives (unless the parent determines they are not needed for one or more of the goals)

• A statement of how progress towards annual goals will be measured, how and when parents will be provided periodic reports of progress, including whether the progress is sufficient to meet the annual goal by the end of the school year

• An explanation of the extent, if any, child will not participate with children who do not have disabilities in the regular class and activities, including extracurricular and nonacademic activities

• The special education, related services and other supports (including supports for school personnel) that will provided to your child, or on behalf of your child, to enable him/her to advance towards his/her annual goals, progress in the general curriculum, participate in extracurricular and nonacademic activities, and be educated and participate with children who do not have disabilities

• Modifications and/or accommodations

• Date for services to begin

• Frequency, location & duration of the services

• The length of the school year and school day required to implement the IEP

• Appropriate accommodations to state or district-wide assessments. (If the Team determines that your child cannot participate in the state or district-wide assessments, and needs to take an alternative assessment, a statement of why the child cannot participate and why the alternate assessment selected is appropriate for the child must be included in the IEP)

• Individuals or service providers responsible for implementing the IEP

Frequently Asked Questions

If a parent disagrees with the IEP they have some choices in how to respond. Parents can always request another IEP meeting to discuss the IEP and concerns with the team. Parents can also provide partial consent. This means that you agree with specific parts of the IEP and agree for those to be implemented. When providing partial consent, you must be clear in writing which parts you give and do not give consent for. The school district must bring together the IEP Team to find a way to resolve the remaining concerns. Please contact PIC to talk more about partial consent.

In NH your written parental consent for the IEP is required on every IEP. Not providing consent (signing) is different from not responding at all. You have options such as requesting another meeting, providing partial consent or refusing consent (rejecting the IEP). It is imperative that you respond in some way to the request for consent. If it is the first (initial IEP) and you fail to respond, the school district is prohibited from providing special education. If it’s an annual review and revision of the IEP and you don’t respond at all, you have given what is called implied consent. Therefore, it is important that you respond in some way. Visit here to view information on consent.

Before looking at your child’s IEP, you should read the evaluations and evaluation reports because they form the foundation of the IEP. Click here to view strategies and a list of questions to address your child’s needs.

Behavior that impacts your child learning or that of others is a special factor that the IEP Team must consider as part of developing the IEP. The IEP Team must consider whether your child needs to have a Behavior Intervention Plan developed and included in the IEP. Click here for more information.

Yes, if you agree.  You can request that the IEP Team meet.  If you agree to make a change to the IEP without meeting, PIC suggests you request a copy of the IEP with the changes incorporated so that you will have the most version of the IEP for your records.

Additional Components

The IEP team must consider your child’s strengths, the parents’ concerns for their child’s education, and the following “special factors” when developing the IEP.

o If a child has limited English proficiency, the language needs of the child, as they relate to the IEP.

o If a child is blind or visually impaired, instruction in Braille must be provided, unless the team determines that it would be inappropriate.

o The communication needs of the child must be considered. For a child who is deaf or hearing impaired, that includes the opportunity for direct communication with peers and staff and for instruction in the child’s mode of communication and at the child’s academic level.

o The child’s need for assistive technology devices and services are to be considered.

o If a child’s behavior impedes his/her learning, or that of others, appropriate strategies, including positive behavioral interventions, strategies, and supports to address the behavior need to be implemented.

When your child reaches 14, there are transition planning components that are required to be part of the IEP.

• Beginning at age 14 (or younger, if determined appropriate by the IEP team), the IEP must include a statement of transition service needs, which focus on the student’s course of study

Beginning at age 16 (or younger, if determined appropriate by the IEP team), the IEP must include:

o Measurable post-secondary goals in the areas of education, employment and post-school living objectives

o Statement of needed transition services, including, if appropriate, a statement of the interagency responsibilities or any needed linkages

o At least one year before the student reaches the age of majority (18 in New Hampshire), a statement that he/she has been informed of the rights that will transfer to him/her at age 18.

Visit here for more detailed information on transition.

The IEP also needs to include the signatures of the parent and of LEA Representative approving the IEP.

The IEP Team must provide you with WPN and will request your consent for the IEP. Parents always have 14 calendar days to respond to the request for consent. Parents can provide consent (agree), provide partial consent (agree to specific parts but not all of the IEP) or refuse consent (reject). Services cannot begin until parents provide consent or partial consent. For more information on what consent options are, see the FAQs or PIC’s WPN online module.

IEP’s must be reviewed and revised at least annually and must be in place by the beginning of each school year.

Next Step – Placement