This section will help you understand the Individualized Education Program (IEP). The key sections of the IEP are:

• Student Information

• Present levels of performance, baseline data and annual goals

• Special Education Instruction and Related Services

• Classroom accommodations and Statewide or alternate assessment participation

• Transition plan

 

Present Levels of Performance and Annual Goals:

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When developing annual goals for your child, the IEP team will:

• Use baseline data to support present levels of performance.

  • Baseline data measures how your child is currently doing on a specific academic skill or standard.

  • Baseline data can come from a variety of places: standardized tests, observations, classroom-based assessments, student work samples, or statewide testing results.

• Ensure that the IEP has measurable goals for your child:

  • in the areas of mathematics, written expression, and reading;

  • for any related services in the IEP; and

  • for any functional skills addressed in the IEP.

• Goals are created using baseline data, evaluation and assessment information, teacher information, parent input, and student performance.

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In your child's Individualized Education Program (IEP), every goal has three important things:

• Where your child is now in that area.

• What they are expected to achieve in one school year.

• How the school will check if they're making progress and how often.

 

To see how well your child is doing, the school can use two ways:

• Informal Way: This means looking at their work, quizzes, tests, and how they perform and present in class.

• Formal Way: This means using tests that many kids take, rating scales, reports about their progress, and state tests. 

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Both ways help the school know how your child is doing and if they are making appropriate progress on their goals.

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Special Education and Related Services

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In your child's IEP, there's a part specifically for special education and related services. This section lists the services your child gets, where they get each service, and how often.

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Classroom Accommodations and Statewide or Alternate Assessment Participation:

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This section names accommodations and/or modifications required to support your child in the classroom. Types of accommodations and modifications may include:

• Preferential seating,

• Extended time,

• Frequent breaks,

• Clarification or repetition of directions,

• Enlarged print material, and

• Read aloud.

 

If your child is eligible to take part in alternate assessments (for example, instead of taking PARCC) it will be included in the IEP.

 

Transition Plan:

 

Transition plans are developed for students ages 14 and older to prepare them for life after high school. The transition plans the following:

 

• Age-appropriate assessment data,

• Your child's academic, functional, and employment interests,

• Your child's strengths and needs,

• Annual transition goals reflecting what your child will work on during the school year, and

• Long-term transition goals, including what your child would like to do after they graduate from high school.