Individualized Education Program

Mandated Components

According to federal law, an individualized education program outlines a service delivery plan for an individual with disabilities' educational program. The IEP is developed to address the unique learning needs of an individual with disabilities and to ensure access to the general education system through appropriate supports, adaptations, and related services. This service delivery plan must be collaboratively agreed upon by a team of professionals. At minimum, the collaborative IEP team includes parents, at least one special education teacher, one general educator, a representative for the local school district (local education agency or LEA), necessary related service personnel, and someone (can be another team member) who can readily explain assessment findings and instructional implications. Parents, school districts, and related agencies have the ability to invite other knowledgeable participants to join the team. The student may also participate in the development of the IEP.

An IEP must contain a student's present levels of academic and functional achievement. Both academic and functional achievement statements should include student strengths and challenges. In the development of the IEP, the team must consider the ecologically based needs of the child, the concerns of the parents, and the priority learning objectives established by the team through prior assessment.

Building from the recorded levels of functioning, all students with an IEP must be provided with academic and functional goals that are primarily focused on addressing their needs related to the disability. These goals should support the student's progress and participation in the general education curriculum. To the degree possible, services and adaptations provided are to be research-based practices, as defined by published peer-reviewed research. By law, the student's progress toward the attainment of these goals is to be measured periodically and reported to parents in the same timeframe as students in general education. This is generally recognized as on the same timeline as the school report card.

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