IEP Season Is Upon Us Yet Again!

Yes, there truly is an IEP season. This is the couple of months when the majority of IEP’s take place. It runs from April until the end of the school year. This occurs naturally as students transition, usually due to promotion, and thus a new school. “Transition IEP’s” traditionally occur around May, so many times this becomes the annual IEP for the student.

So, pull out your child’s current IEP, dust it off, and read through it. Have you received the necessary information from the school regarding your child’s progress through the year? Do you have any idea if goals have already been achieved?

Now comes the most important part of this review process – pull out the IEP’s for the past 3 years (at least!). Yes, I did say the past 3 years. Again, review the goals – look carefully for repetitions, or goals that were not met and never again attempted. Has there been regression (the student actually gets worse)? Were goals written for all the areas of concern, or only  for academics? And, finally, ask yourself if these are really the goals your child needs at this time (for example, perhaps it is time to move away from academics and focus on life skills).

Taking time to do this can reap major benefits for the entire IEP team as well as your child. Don’t ever assume that the teachers are doing this job – they have enough on their plates just keeping up with the current IEP’s.

Any questions, contact me!