How to Prepare for
an IEP Meeting
A BY FRANCES SHEFTER, ESQ.

re you overwhelmed by the special
education process? Do you feel like
you are a part of your child’s
Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meet-
ing? Teachers, service providers and other
school personnel go through years of
school and training.

As a parent, how can you be an equal part
of the IEP team? Educating yourself is the
first step. Understanding basic timelines, parts
of an IEP and being fully prepared for your
child’s annual IEP review meeting empowers
you to be the best advocate for your child.

Timelines known as the PLOP section
This section explains how your child is
doing with specifics in each identified area.

The material should summarize your child’s
strengths and weaknesses to help the team
identify areas for goals.

2. Annual goals
These goals should be individualized, not a
reworded Common Core standard. Goals
should use your child’s strengths and build
upon weaknesses. They should be specific,
measurable, attainable, realistic and time-spe-
cific (SMART). Goals focus on your child’s
needs and aren’t limited to those related to
your child’s disability category.

4. Related services, supplementary
aids and services
What does your child need to receive an
education with neurotypical peers to the max-
imum extent appropriate? This part includes
instructional accommodations, modifica-
tions, assessment accommodations and other
types of direct services.

5. How will your child not be able to
participate with neurotypical peers?
This section refers to the least restrictive
environment. Where and when will your
child participate with neurotypical peers?
This participation could be during electives,
some core classes, lunch, and recess or not
at all if your child is fully in a self-contained
3. How and when the school will
classroom. If your child is in a self-contained
measure your child’s goals
classroom, will the class have some activities
If you want updates more than four times with neurotypical peers, such as field trips or
IEP Parts
a year, pay attention to this section. IDEA assemblies?
The draft IEP should be one of the documents requires updates four times a year, but you
parents receive before the IEP meeting. This can ask for progress reports more often. How 6. Accommodations for state and
draft can be between 15 to 30 or more pages refers to the way the service provider will col- district assessments
and quite overwhelming. Thinking of the IEP lect the data on how your child progresses Some limitations exist, but some com-
as eight parts that build on each other can toward the goal. Will the teacher use informal mon accommodations include extended
help parents understand its contents:
procedures, formal procedures, checklists, time, preferential seating or small group
observations or other methods? Make sure or individual testing. What does your child
1. Present Levels of Academic
you are comfortable with and understand the need to even the playing field when taking
Achievement and Functional
standardized assessments?
Performance (PLAAFP), formerly how and when.

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Timelines are part of the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and are
important so that you, the parents, can
meaningfully participate in your child’s IEP
meeting. Parents should receive written
notice of the date and purpose of the IEP
meeting 10 calendar days before the event.

This notice gives you enough time to fully
prepare for the meeting. Knowing the pur-
pose of the meeting is also important so that
you understand the documents that need to
be reviewed and discussed.

You should receive your documents before
the IEP meeting within “a reasonable time,”
meaning enough time to review the docu-
ments and prepare for the meeting.

Five days after the meeting, parents should
expect to receive finalized documents and
a Prior Written Notice (PWN). The PWN
explains what happened at the meeting. If
the school refuses any parental request, this
denial needs to appear in the PWN along with
reasons for the denial. Be sure to read the
PWN carefully to make sure your disagree-
ments appear. If they do not, contact the
school and ask for corrections.




7. Date for the beginning of
services and the frequen-
cy, location and duration of
the services
The start date usually refers to
the date of the meeting, and the
duration is a year. Frequency and
location include how many hours
per month or minutes per week
the services occur and whether
they occur in general education
or outside of general education.

whether to college or vocational
at the meeting. Understand
programs. Pay attention to this
the acronyms and terms the
section. Often, schools outline
school uses.

general goals; however, goals here • Review former IEPs, progress
should be individualized and
reports, comments on report
SMART. cards and any evaluations.

Make sure the goals make sense
to you and meet your child’s
Tips to Prepare for
needs as the data indicates.

Your Meeting
When necessary, collect and
• Educate yourself. Research
provide data. If the school’s
your child’s disability code
data does not make sense,
and understand its educa-
ask questions. If accommoda-
8. Postsecondary goals
tional implications. Trust your
tions and goals do not match
This part starts with the first IEP
gut. If you know or think your
recommendations on the eval-
that is in effect when your child
child needs an accommoda-
uations, ask why.

turns 16 or sometimes younger
tion, ask for it.

Remember, you know your
depending on your state. Here’s
where the IEP presents goals and • Read all documents and make child best. Being on the other
sure you understand them. side of the table might intimidate
supports necessary for your child
Don’t be afraid to ask questions you, but it is called a team for a
to transition out of high school,
reason. You are an equal member
of that team. When necessary,
refocus discussions on your
child’s needs. No one at the table
is right or wrong, and the meeting
does not have to be adversarial.

If you are fully prepared, know
what to expect and have data to
support your requests. Then you
can be the strongest advocate for
your child. T
Frances Shefter, Esq., is an attorney
at Shefter Law, PA, based in
Maryland. Her firm’s focus is
special education law, and she
strives to assist families to have a
Stress-Free IEP experience. Contact
her at 301-605-7303 or frances@
shefterlaw.com. IEP RESOURCES
U.S. Department of Education: Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA):
https://sites.ed.gov/idea Free PDFs on procedural safeguard summary, acronyms and what to look for in
IEP goals, plus more information, is avaiable at shefterlaw.com
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