What Is an Individualized Education Program (IEP) in School?

In the 2022-23 school year, about 7.5 million students between the ages of 3 and 21 — or 15 percent of all those attending public schools — received services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), according to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES).

IDEA and its provisions support students who have a disability that negatively affects their performance in school. NCES figures show that the number of students that IDEA serves more than doubled between the 1976-77 school year, shortly after the law’s enactment, and the 2022-23 school year.

Among the requirements of this federal law is that each qualifying student must have an individualized education program, or IEP, that defines how their disability will be accommodated.

Teachers at all grade levels need to understand what these IDEA-mandated individualized plans are, who may have them and how to meet their requirements. Education degree programs, including master’s programs focused on instruction, help teachers build their knowledge and skills in supporting these increasingly in-demand individualized plans.

What Is an IEP?

So, what is an IEP in school? Broadly, an IEP is a written plan that describes how instruction will be tailored to address the abilities and needs of a student who qualifies for special education and related services under IDEA.

What Is Included in an IEP?

An IEP sets measurable learning goals for a student who learns differently or has a disability. It also outlines the processes and services that will support those goals.

Focus Areas of an IEP

An IEP focuses on three areas related to a student’s education:

• General education curriculum: Basic subject material in areas such as math and science
• Nonacademic school activities: Events that aren’t directly tied to classroom lessons, such as recess or after-school programs
• Extracurricular activities: Sports, clubs and other voluntary programs available at the school

Components of an IEP

To address these focus areas, IDEA mandates that the IEP contain certain information and materials. These items provide details about a student such as:

• Projections for when, where, how often and for how long the IEP-designated services and accommodations will occur
• The student’s current academic progress and how their disability affects it
• Annual goals for the student’s academic and functional progress
• The method for measuring the student’s progress toward those goals
• A description of the services that will assist the student in learning
• The adaptations in assessment required to measure the student’s progress toward school district and statewide goals, or reasons for exemptions from these assessments
• The program modifications and school staff support that will facilitate the student’s success
• Instances in which the student will not participate in the curriculum and activities with other students who do not have disabilities

Accommodations That an IEP Mandates

An IEP calls for accommodations to help the student succeed in school based on their disability and its impact on their learning, An IEP typically outlines one or more of the following types of support:

• Presentation: Providing class material and tests to students in a format that facilitates their learning
• Setting: Changing the location where the student completes their work
• Timing: Providing additional time for finishing assignments or taking tests
• Response: Adjusting the way the student completes homework and assessments, such as written assignments instead of oral presentations

Who Is on an IEP Team?

A teacher, parent or doctor may suggest that a student who is struggling in school receive additional support. A school counselor or psychologist then may seek additional information through a conference with the parent or student or through classroom observation.

Based on the outcome of those discussions and assessments, the parent may ask for additional testing to determine whether an IEP in school is what the student needs to improve their learning outcomes. IDEA requires these eligibility assessments to include multiple types of testing.

When that evaluation reveals that this is a student who qualifies for an IEP, a group of education professionals, parents and others associated with a student’s care create the program. The members of this group, called the IEP team, bring a variety of perspectives and areas of expertise to the planning process. Depending on the needs of the student, the IEP team may include:

• The student, if they’re 16 or older
• Parents, other guardians or a legal advocate
• A general education teacher
• A school administrator
• A special education teacher
• A school counselor or psychologist
• A therapist or vision or behavior specialist
• An assistive technology professional

How Do IEPs Benefit Students?

IEPs can offer a variety of benefits to students who have exceptional learning needs. Students receive support that addresses their own individual goals, and that assistance can help them realize positive benefits such as:

• Personalized learning: Providing an educational environment that is conducive to the student’s own abilities and learning style
• Clear plan: Identifying next steps for facilitating the student’s success according to their customized goals
• Increased chance of success: Removing barriers to achievement that can result from a one-size-fits-all approach to instruction

Who Qualifies for an IEP?

A student may qualify for an IEP if they have any of a number of disabilities. However, to be a student who qualifies for an IEP, the disability must have a negative effect on their academic performance. Following are 13 disabilities that may lead to considering providing an IEP for a student:

1. Specific learning disability (SLD): Any of a variety of challenges — such as dyslexia, which can affect the ability to read, or dyscalculia, which affects math learning — that can hinder a student’s ability to speak, listen, read, write and reason
2. Speech or language impairment: Any issues — such as stuttering, lisping or issues with expressing thoughts and understanding meaning — that make it difficult for students to communicate
3. Other health concerns: Any challenges, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), that can affect a student’s energy level and ability to focus
4. Emotional disturbance: Any of a range of mental health concerns, such as anxiety disorder or bipolar disorder
5. Intellectual disability: Having an intellectual ability that is below average for the student’s age, often caused by issues such as Down syndrome
6. Developmental delay: Being late in meeting milestones such as walking and talking, applicable through age 9
7. Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A developmental disability that can cause social and communication challenges
8. Hearing impairment: Any issues, including deafness, that can cause permanent or changing levels of hearing loss
9. Visual impairment: Any problems with seeing that glasses cannot correct
10. Traumatic brain injury: Harm to the brain, from incidents such as being shaken or hitting their head, that occurs after a child is born
11. Orthopedic issues: Any impairments, such as cerebral palsy, that affect a student’s muscles, bones and joints
12. Deafness and blindness: Severe hearing and vision problems that require services to address both concerns
13. Multiple disabilities: Facing more than one challenge that can affect learning, such as having both ADHD and autism

Types of IEPs

When exploring what an IEP in school is, it’s important to understand that there are different types of IEPs. IEPs can vary according to factors such as how long the student has been a candidate for an individualized program and the goal that the program intends to achieve.

Following are some key types of IEPs and the work that those on the planning team must complete for each:

Initial IEP

The IEP team has 30 days from the identification of a student who qualifies for an IEP to create the plan. The plan must contain the IDEA-required components related to the student’s progress, and goals and actions for improving it.

The plan also must note whether there are special factors that might require the student to receive additional support. These factors include situations in which the student:

• Has limited proficiency in English
• Exhibits behavior that disrupts their own learning or that of others
• Has visual or hearing impairments
• Has difficulty communicating
• Needs assistive technology equipment or services

As part of the initial IEP process, members of the team typically compile an IEP binder that contains information about the components of the individualized plan.

Annual IEP Review

The IEP team must meet each year to evaluate the student’s academic and functional progress under the IEP. Based on that review, the team may develop new IEP goals that better reflect the student’s performance and needs.

30-Day IEP

When a student with an IEP transfers to a different school, they get a new team to manage their instructional plan. That team must develop a 30-day IEP, also called a transfer or interim IEP, that includes services and accommodations that are similar to those in the IEP from the student’s previous school.

Triennial IEP

Every three years, the IEP team typically meets to determine whether a student with an individualized learning plan should maintain their eligibility.

The group collaborates to determine how to conduct this triennial assessment — or whether such an assessment is necessary. The IEP team may opt to review the student’s past records to reevaluate whether an IEP in school is what the student needs for educational success.

IEP Reassessment

In some cases, the parents or another member of the IEP team may suggest that the student undergo reassessment prior to the triennial evaluation. This reassessment may include a full review of the student’s plan or a consideration of one portion of it.

While an IEP team member may request this reevaluation at any time, some school districts require a 12-month period from the initial IEP before allowing this periodic reassessment.

Individualized Transition Plan

To help students with IEPs transition to life after high school, an IEP might include an individualized transition plan (ITP). While the school must begin the ITP by a student’s 16th birthday, preparations may begin earlier to encourage progress toward the goals outlined in the ITP.

The transition plan outlines a path to desired short- and long-term outcomes for the student in adulthood. Those outcomes inform annual goals for the student to achieve as they complete their education.

IEP Amendment

The IEP team may agree to make a change to the student’s plan, called an IEP amendment. This update, in writing, doesn’t replace the annual IEP review. IEP amendments commonly include one or more of the following updates:

• Changing the student’s goals to more accurately reflect their progress
• Providing the student with additional accommodations to assist with testing
• Adjusting the student’s method of instruction to better fit their abilities

Suspension IEP

If a student with an IEP receives a school suspension of more than 10 days, the IEP team must determine whether the behavior that led to that discipline is linked to their disability.

If the group determines that there is a link, called manifestation of disability, then they must consider adjustments to the student’s plan that could more effectively provide the student with support. This type of IEP is called a suspension IEP.

IEP Checklist for Teachers

As key participants on a student’s IEP team — and in implementing the provisions that the individualized plan outlines — teachers are involved in activities that range from scheduling meetings to securing accommodations.

Educators need to be prepared to provide information about the student’s progress at IEP meetings and to discuss the student’s abilities and issues. During the meetings, teachers may ask questions, note any concerns and offer ideas for addressing the student’s learning challenges.

The following IEP checklist for teachers can help equip them to effectively serve on the IEP team and assist in providing the accommodations and services that the plan requires.

General Considerations

Any IEP checklist for teachers should start with the steps they need to complete before their IEP meeting preparation begins. Following are some tasks they should complete:

• Conduct evaluations of the student.
• Create an IEP binder.
• Confirm that the meeting’s participants know its time and location.
• Assemble information about the student’s current progress.

Preparations Before the Meeting

Next on the IEP checklist for teachers are items related to planning for the IEP meeting discussion. These steps are among those that educators should complete as they prepare:

• Compile a list of suggestions and comments for students and parents.
• Speak with faculty and staff members on the IEP team about the meeting’s purpose.
• Assemble records of any prior IEP meetings concerning the student.
• Note strategies that may require adjustment.
• Prepare to make updates to the IEP, as necessary, during the meeting.

Actions After the Meeting

After the meeting, the teacher IEP checklist calls for confirming and starting to follow the discussed plan. Educators need to ensure the team completes the following steps:

• Finalize any changes to the student’s IEP.
• Secure signatures of agreement from the student’s parents or guardians.
• Provide a copy of the IEP to the parents or guardians.
• Begin implementation of the plan’s provisions.

IEP Checklist for Parents

While educators have the final decisions on behalf of the school related to an individualized learning plan, parents and guardians can inform those decisions by offering valuable insight into the day-to-day activities and behaviors of the student. In fact, the requirements laid out in IDEA for IEPs in school mean that parents have the right to play a vital role.

But participating in IEP meetings can be a challenge for parents if they’re not prepared for the process. Following is an IEP checklist for parents and other guardians that can help them feel confident.

General Considerations

As part of their role in IEP planning, parents and other guardians should take certain actions to put their students — and themselves — on a path to success. Following are some general tasks to complete at they approach an IEP meeting:

• Confirm that the IEP binder is ready.
• Note the meeting’s location and time.
• Ensure that the student is able to attend the meeting, if they are 16 or older.

Preparations Before the Meeting

Parents and guardians also have some important responsibilities to fulfill as the IEP meeting approaches. The IEP checklist for parents includes the following steps to take as part of their preparation:

• Request reports about the student’s progress and concerns about it.
• Read the reports about the student and note any questions they want to ask about them at the meeting.
• Finalize any private evaluations of the student for sharing at the meeting.
• Gather any additional materials that can provide helpful background about the student.

Actions After the Meeting

Once the IEP meeting is over, the parents’ role shifts to helping the student stay on track toward meeting the plan’s goals. This effort requires that they collaborate with educators and others on the IEP team. Some key actions they should take as part of this process are:

• Review the student’s IEP as compiled from the meeting and promptly alert the school about any concerns they have.
• Use the IEP as a guide in supporting the student’s learning.
• Maintain regular contact with the student’s teachers to stay abreast of the student’s educational progress and challenges.
• Note any concerns that arise for the student and approaches that help to resolve them.

Be a Leader in IEP Planning and Implementation

If you’re seeking the advanced knowledge and skills needed to support success for all students — and grow your career — earning a Master of Education can be a smart choice. Explore the Master of Education in Instruction at Augusta University Online to discover how the degree program can help you build confidence as an educator and strengthen your student-focused strategies.

Choose from concentrations in different grade levels, academic subjects and special education to focus what you learn about managing an inclusive classroom environment. The program’s online format provides flexibility to allow you to build your knowledge and career potential while managing your work and other commitments.

Discover how the AU Online Master of Education in Instruction program can help you pursue your professional goals.

Recommended Readings
4 Leadership Styles in Education
How to Become a Special Education Director
Self-Care Tips for Teachers

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Education Alternatives, “What Are the Different Types of IEP?”
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