How to determine if an IEP will benefit your child

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As a former teacher, I can wholeheartedly say IEPs are meant to act as accommodations but do not assume they will automatically help your child improve. The IEP world can be confusing, and as a parent, you want to make the best decision for your child. Here are some of our parents’ most popular questions and my honest answers as a former tenured educator with internal insights into IEPs.

What is an IEP?

An IEP stands for Individualized Education Program. It is a written document that outlines the special education and related services that a child with a disability will receive to meet their unique needs. IEPs are developed by a team, including the child’s parents, teachers, and other service providers. Your child will be given a series of goals and objectives to accomplish periodically, with help from the instructional supports and accommodations decided after the review process.

Should I get an IEP for my child?

From an educator’s perspective, and given the state of the current education system, it depends. (I know, not a straight answer.) It depends on the intent behind getting the IEP. Meaning it depends on what your expectations are.

If your child is reading below grade level, can’t sit still, and has been failing all year, don’t expect an IEP to increase their reading level. It will not. You are not going to be assigned magic tutors who come in and help your child daily. There aren’t enough bodies in the classroom for that.

Every school has between one to three staff members who handle IEPs exclusively. This means there isn’t enough staff for someone to get explicitly assigned to your child to help them improve daily. Your child will likely be placed in a class where over 50% of the class population has an IEP. That teacher could or could not be SPED certified (meaning they have a special education certification), it depends on the type of school your child attends, and that class may or may not have an additional teacher in the room. You will receive updates ( frequency depends on school size) in meetings around your child’s IEP goals.

So imagine a teacher with 25-30 kids in a class where 75-100% of the class has an IEP. They are attempting to cater to each child’s accommodation needs while also handling the already hectic workload as a teacher. If you picture a chaotic classroom, that is the reality of 75% of teachers. (Which is why so many are leaving the classroom in droves)

If your child has a particular need outside of an academic accommodation, it still depends on the intent. This goes back to my point about the insufficiency of qualified individuals in the school system. I’ve seen kids go months without access to speech therapy because there are not enough people to hire in the education field.

Mistakes Most Parents Make with IEPs

“The goal of an IEP is to graduate from it.”

Think of an IEP like training wheels on a bike. They are there to support you in getting to the finish line or the overall goal. But the goal of learning to ride a bike is to eventually take those training wheels off. You still have to pedal even if you don’t take the wheels off.

Many parents get an IEP and expect their child to magically improve by putting all the weight on the schools. That is a huge mistake. That’s like putting a kid on a bike with training wheels, but the kid never pedals.

“Your IEP won’t work unless you do.”

An IEP is an accommodation. Not a solution. There still needs to be some form of outside help, extra practice, or extra tutoring that happens outside of school to ensure your child can meet their goals. Remember, the goal is to be able to accomplish tasks without an IEP. There are no IEP’s in the real world. Suppose your child graduates from high school on a 4th-grade reading level. That lowers their ability to earn a significant income to care for themselves and their family. There must be additional support outside of the student IEP classification to ensure academic success.

The IEP Process

Step One: Referral and Evaluation

The process begins with a referral, which can come from various sources, including parents, teachers, or medical professionals. The student is then evaluated to determine eligibility for special education services.

Step Two: IEP Team Meeting

Once the student is determined to be eligible, an IEP team meeting is scheduled. The team includes the student’s parents or guardians, teachers, special education staff, and other professionals who know the student’s needs. The purpose of the meeting is to review evaluation results, discuss the student’s strengths and needs, and develop an appropriate plan for meeting the student’s educational needs.

Step Three: Developing the IEP

The team develops an individualized education program (IEP) that outlines the student’s current levels of performance, annual goals, and specific services and accommodations that will be provided to help the student achieve those goals. The IEP must also describe how progress will be measured and reported to the parents.

Step Four: Implementation and Review

Once the IEP is developed and agreed upon, it is put into action. The student’s progress is supposed to be monitored regularly, and the IEP is reviewed at least annually to determine if the goals are being met and if any changes need to be made to the plan.

Step Five: Transition Planning

This is the part parents tend to forget about. Remember, the goal is to transition out of an IEP. When the student nears the end of high school, the IEP team must begin planning for the student’s transition to postsecondary education or employment. The team develops a transition plan that outlines the student’s goals, strengths, and needs, as well as the services and accommodations that will be provided to help the student achieve their postsecondary goals. If there haven’t been any strategies practiced at home or outside of school, the transition process is much more difficult. 

As you see, this is a long process with many steps. Steps 1-3 could take months. If your child is reading below grade level, you don’t have the time to wait before you take action. Start helping or getting them the help they need now. Do not wait for a school to provide your child with what they need. Schools are underfunded and understaffed, meaning processes that used to run efficiently are a lot slower. That delay could, unfortunately, potentially fall back on your child.

How to make sure your child is successful with an IEP

If you don’t have the time or patience to tutor your child or help them, invest in a tutor. One who has taught in a classroom before and will be able to consistently help your child (even if the weather is nasty).

Our tutoring program is made up of experienced expert teachers who use our results-proven curriculum to increase reading levels by at least 30% in the first three months. Please don’t take my word for it; watch a few testimonials from our parents here.

I talk to many parents who tell me, “They are tutoring at school.” Make sure that the school is using actual teachers rather than an afterschool agency, where there is more babysitting than actual tutoring going on.

I’ve actually worked at a school that forbade homework to happen during the afterschool program. Often, these afterschool programs have their own programming, and they typically do not work with the teachers to identify which child needs help and what they are working on at that time.

The ugly truth behind IEPs

 Schools are starting to function more and more like a business. Some schools get more funding based on the number of IEP-classified students they have at their school, depending on the type of school your child attends and the state in which the school is located. So, if you feel pushed to get an IEP, keep this in mind. Your child may need additional support, not necessarily an IEP.

What is the difference between an IEP and a 504?

An IEP and a 504 Plan are legal documents that provide accommodations and support for students with disabilities in school. However, there are some essential differences between the two.

An IEP is a legally binding document developed by a team of professionals, including the student’s parents, teachers, and special education staff. It outlines the student’s specific learning needs and goals. It sets out a plan for how those needs will be met through specialized instruction and related services. IEPs are designed for students with disabilities that impact their academic progress and typically include goals and objectives related to academic, social, and emotional development.

A 504 Plan, on the other hand, is a plan that outlines accommodations that a student with a disability needs to access the same educational opportunities as their non-disabled peers. 504 Plans are less intensive than IEPs and are designed to provide support for students with disabilities that may not need specialized instruction but may need adjustments to the learning environment or modifications to assignments, tests, or other educational materials.

Which is better, an IEP or a 504 Plan?

While IEPs and 504 Plans support students with disabilities, IEPs provide specialized instruction and related services. In comparison to 504 Plans that provide accommodations and modifications to the learning environment.

One is not better than the other. In my experience, the overall difference is the requirements and legality behind each. There are more processes with an IEP classification than a 504 (regarding the number of required meetings, frequency of push-in or pull-out, and paperwork). However, as a parent, you must consider the larger picture. A legally binding document will not protect your child from the current state of the education system. There aren’t enough teachers in the field, so no matter how much paperwork is created, it will not ensure your child will get access to adequate resources. Especially certified, qualified, and experienced teachers (which is what a child with an IEP or 504 plan needs).

Questions to ask about your child’s IEP or your next IEP meeting

If you are in the process of getting an IEP for your child, here are some critical questions to ask the IEP coordinator. Make sure you leave the meeting understanding the specifics of your upcoming and future IEP meetings.

• What specific accommodations will my child receive daily and weekly?
  • What do they look like?
  • Who will be providing them?
  • Who will be responsible for providing them?
  • How often will my child receive each accommodation?
• What can I do at home to mimic these accommodations?
• What can I do at home to support my child with their goals and objectives?
• How is my child performing now, and what is their goal?
• How soon do they need to accomplish this goal?
• What happens if they don’t meet this goal?
• How can I access a calendar or schedule a time to periodically check with the IEP coordinator about their goals?
• Will I be notified about changes in the goals or accommodations?
• “I want to be notified if their provider changes or leaves the school temporarily or permanently.”

What are my rights as a parent?

As a parent, if you have a child with a disability, you have several rights under the law. These rights include:

• The right to be involved in the development of your child’s IEP
• The right to consent to or refuse your child’s special education services
• The right to review your child’s IEP and to request changes
• The right to appeal your child’s IEP

If you have a student with an IEP you can get more information from a variety of sources, including:

• Your child’s school district
• The US Department of Education IEP guide
• The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) website
• The National Center for Education Outcomes

What are some common challenges with IEPs?

If you have or are in the process of getting an IEP, keep in mind an IEP takes time. A lot of time. Keep in mind these are a few challenges you might have with the IEP process:

• Getting the IEP team to agree on the child’s needs
• Getting the school district to provide the services that are outlined in the IEP
• Monitoring the child’s progress and making sure that the IEP is being implemented as planned
• Dealing with changes in the child’s needs over time
• Switching schools and getting the correct information over to your child’s new school

This isn’t an optimistic post. However, I hope it provides insight and action around IEPs. If you haven’t gathered this already, my one message to you, whether your child has an IEP or not, is that there needs to be some assisted learning outside of school. No one is going to advocate for your child as much as you do. IEP or not, you still need to prioritize your child’s academic progress. Schools are filled with parents like you, who also need help for their kids. However, schools are slow to provide those resources, given the state of the education system.

It is up to parents to pour into their children academically, and one of the best ways to do that is by investing in a tutor who will provide consistent, personalized instruction. Until the state of education improves, parents need to ensure their children have a solidified learning routine at home and school.