An Overview of the IEP

A Beginner’s Guide to the IEP #1: Overview of the IEP

This is a summary of the first edition of CSNLG’s podcast Special Education Matters. In this podcast, our host Michael Boll and CSNLG lawyer Linaja Murray provide an overview of the Individualized Educational Program. The podcast can be found here.

What is an IEP?

• IEP: Individualized Education Program. It’s an educational program that is specifically tailored for your child.
• Under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), only students who are entitled to special education will receive an IEP.
• There are two types of IEPs.

1. An initial IEP. The first request for special education
2. An ongoing IEP. This is where the student already is receiving some form of special education.

How do I request an IEP for my child?

• • A request for an IEP can start with a parent, a school administrator, or a teacher. Really, anyone involved with the child or his/her education will often request an IEP.
• An IEP starts with a referral for assessment. Each school district has a different system set in place on how to make this referral for assessment. Check with your child’s teacher for more information.
• Parents can write a letter to the school district that describes the situation of their child and request an assessment.

What is an assessment?

An assessment, or educational evaluation, is how schools determine how your child is functioning.

There are various areas in which a student can be assessed, ex. psychoeducation evaluations, speech and language evaluations, social-emotional, Educationally Related Mental Health Services

Receiving an assessment for your child

• At that point, the law requires the school district to provide this assessment once it has been requested.
• The district has 15 days to give you an assessment plan after the request.
• The parent then reviews that assessment plan, talks with the school if they think changes need to be made, and then provides consent to the plan.
• The district has 60 days to complete the assessments and hold an IEP team meeting to discuss whether or not the child is eligible for special education related services.
• Typically, if the issue includes the student’s slow progress academically, a psychoeducational evaluation should be included in their assessment. Unless it is a behavioral or emotional/mental health issue.

Using your school psychologist for an evaluation

A good school psychologist who does a psychoeducational evaluation will point out areas of deficit that weren’t included for further assessment.

• They are a good resource in adding to a student’s evaluation.
• Oftentimes for school psychologists, this is their first job, so they typically don’t go as deep as parents would like to benefit their student.
• If don’t have a good school psychologist, there’s a lot of resources available online from evaluators, and that can give you a good place to start.

This summary is part of our complete Beginner’s Guide to the IEP