The Individualized Education Plan (IEP) is perhaps the most essential document within special education because it formalizes the concept of a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) for a student with disabilities by guiding and regulating all aspects of a student's special education plan. According to Bateman and Linden (1998), there is no document more important from which to monitor and enforce the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as it applies to special education services. A written instrument, the IEP describes (a) a student's educational needs and the resources that will be used to meet those needs; (b) the goals and objectives that direct the educational program and placement; and (c) the evaluation criteria to be used.

Eight factors must be included in the IEP (Drasgow ...