The Process of an Individual Education Program
Being a parent or caregiver to a child is an amazing job, but it also can come with some challenges, including watching your child struggle in school.
So, how can you help your child be successful in school?
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) is a very important federal law requiring schools to provide a free and appropriate education, often called a FAPE, for children with disabilities.
The curriculum or instruction may need to be specially designed for your child. This is known as special education. IDEA provides guidance, protections, and regulations to help states provide special education to children with disabilities. Getting to know IDEA is important if your child needs these services. More information can be found at Sites.Ed.gov/IDEA.
An Individual Education Program (IEP) is a written document for students with disabilities who have been evaluated and are eligible for special services. It describes how a student with special needs will receive their special education services.
Here are the steps to begin that process:
1. Referral
The process begins with a referral from the school district or a parent or guardian. Once referred, a parent or guardian must consent to an evaluation. In West Virginia, once a school receives a written parental request for an initial IEP evaluation, they have 80 calendar days to complete the full evaluation and hold the eligibility meeting.
A school can refuse a parent’s request for an IEP evaluation, but they must provide a formal, written explanation detailing why, citing evidence that a disability is not suspected or that existing data does not warrant one. The school may first try to provide extra support in the classroom or interventions. If concerns continue, the school moves forward with testing.
2. Evaluation
The team conducting the evaluation typically includes a special education teacher and others relevant to the child’s needs, such as a physical therapist, speech language pathologist, or hearing specialist. Based on the results, the team determines if the child is eligible for special education services.
To be eligible for an IEP, a child must qualify under one of the 13 exceptionalities:
· Hearing impairment, including deafness
· Visual impairment, including blindness
· Speech or language impairment
· Orthopedic impairment
· Other health impairments
· Intellectual disability
· Specific learning disability (SLD)
· Serious emotional disturbance
· Autism/autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
· Traumatic brain injury
· Deaf-blindness
· Multiple disabilities
· Developmental delay
If parents or guardians disagree with the evaluation outcomes, they can challenge the decision. Parental rights dictate an option to request an Independent Education Evaluation, which is an evaluation by a professional who is not a part of the school.
3. Schedule the IEP Meeting
If a child is eligible, the IEP team must schedule a meeting to develop an IEP for the child within 30 calendar days. The team includes an IEP coordinator who will schedule and facilitate the meeting. They will also make sure the IEP team includes appropriate school personnel.
The parent or guardian is an important member of the IEP team!
4. Develop the Initial IEP
By law, the IEP should contain:
· The child’s present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, describing how the child is currently doing in school and how the child’s disability affects their involvement and progress in the general curriculum.
· Annual goals for the child, including what parents and the school team think they can reasonably accomplish in a year.
· The special education and related services to be provided to the child, including supplementary aids and services (such as a communication device) and changes to the program or supports for school personnel.
· How much of the school day the child will be educated separately from nondisabled children or not participate in extracurricular or other non-academic activities, such as lunch or clubs.
· How (and if) the child is to participate in state and district-wide assessments, including what modifications to tests the child needs.
· When services and modifications will begin, how often they will be provided, where they will be provided, and how long they will last.
· How school personnel will measure the child’s progress toward the annual goals.
When the IEP has been written, parents must receive a copy. The IDEA also stresses that everyone who will be involved in implementing the IEP must have access to the document.
Before the school can provide a child with special education and related services for the first time, the child’s parents must give their written consent.
5. Starting Services
Once the IEP meeting is complete and the parents or guardians agree, the school puts the IEP into action. This includes all supplementary aids and services and program modifications that the IEP team has identified as necessary for your child.
Communication is essential. Parents can share information about what is happening at home and build upon what the child is learning at school. If the child is having difficulty at school, parents may be able to offer insight or help the school explore reasons and possible solutions. As mentioned before, parents are a vital part of the IEP team!
6. Monitor
This is a crucial step in the IEP process. Your child’s goal progress must be measured and reported to parents or guardians. This is usually done around the same time as report cards, although additional progress updates may be provided throughout the year.
7. Review
The IEP must be reviewed at least once a year through a meeting with the IEP team. Parents or school personnel can always request more meetings, if necessary. Every three years, a re-evaluation is mandated to determine whether your child continues to need special education services.
If you have any questions regarding an IEP or other school plans, contact the WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s School Intervention Specialist at 304-554-8559. More information can be found at WVDE.US/Academics/Special-Education.