IEP Process

An IEP that promotes challenging expectations and ensures participation and progress in the general education curriculum is one that focuses on local and state curricular content standards and related assessments. Thus, statements of present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, measurable annual goals, special education and related services, and the ongoing monitoring and evaluation of IEPs, should relate to state and local standards. It is also important that the IEP address each of the child’s other educational needs identified in the present levels of performance that result directly from the child’s disability.

Initial IEP Development

An IEP must be developed within 30 calendar days of a determination that the child needs special education and related services and must be implemented as soon as possible after written parent consent is granted for the services in the IEP. In addition the LEA is required to ensure that an IEP is in effect at the beginning of each school year for each child with a disability. (34 CFR § 300.323(a) and (c)).

As the Case Manager begins to draft an IEP for a student, several important key points must be held in the forefront throughout the development process. Because of the legal and educational importance of the IEP, it is imperative that the IEP team develop IEPs that are both legally correct and educationally meaningful. More specifically, as the IEP is drafted, teachers must remember:

• The IEP sets forth in writing a commitment of resources necessary to enable the student with a disability to receive needed special education and related services;


• The IEP is a management tool that is used to ensure that the student with a disability is provided the special education and related services appropriate to the student’s special learning needs;


• The IEP is a document for verifying the delivery of services which is used by staff to determine whether the student with a disability is actually receiving the free appropriate public education (FAPE) agreed to by the members of the IEP team; and


• The IEP serves as an evaluation device for use in determining the extent of the student’s progress toward meeting the projected outcomes.
  

  (Appendix C, US Department of Education)

In order to begin the IEP process for a student, users will select the student from their caseload. Once you have selected a student, navigate to the student’s Programs tab. Click “Add IEP” to begin drafting an IEP. Select the appropriate IEP type based on the student’s age, and click “Next.”

Note: The Begin Date of the IEP, or date of implementation, MUST be AFTER the parent’s receipt of Prior Written Notice following the IEP meeting. The End Date can be no more than 364 days after the date of the Annual Review Meeting. There cannot be any lapse between the ending date of one IEP to the start date of the next. In determining the begin date and the end date of the IEP, there must not be a break in services. For example if the IEP end date on an IEP is 9/29/2016, then the IEP begin date on the next IEP can be no later than 9/30/2016. In order to ensure that there is not a break in services, the IEP meeting should be scheduled well in advance of the required Annual Review Date.