Reviewed by Dr. Elizabeth Long, Ph.D. — Director of Special Education, 32 years in public education.
An IEP is only as strong as its details. A vague IEP is hard to enforce; a specific one tells everyone exactly what your child will get and how you'll know it's working. Here's what IDEA requires an IEP to include — and what to look for in each part.
This is the foundation: a clear, current picture of how your child is doing academically and functionally, and how the disability affects their involvement in the general curriculum. Strong present levels use data and specifics, not generalities. Every goal should trace back to a need described here.
Goals should be measurable, not aspirational. "Will improve reading" is not measurable; "will read a grade-3 passage at 90 words per minute with 95% accuracy" is. Each goal needs a baseline, a target, and a way to measure progress. Ask: how will we know if this goal is met?
Watch for specifics: "speech therapy, 30 minutes, twice weekly, small group" tells you far more than "speech services as needed."
The IEP must say how progress toward each goal will be measured and how often you'll be told. You're entitled to regular progress reports — commonly each grading period — not just an annual update.
The IEP describes where services happen and explains the extent, if any, to which your child will not participate with non-disabled peers. Removal from the general classroom must be justified.
Depending on your child, the IEP may also address behavior (with an FBA/BIP), extended school year services, transition planning (by age 16, or earlier in some states), and how the child will participate in state testing.
You are a full member of the IEP team. Bring your own input in writing, ask that your concerns be documented, and don't sign anything you don't understand or agree with — you can consent to parts, ask for changes, or request Prior Written Notice for anything the team declines.
The free IEP Review checks each service in the IEP for frequency, location, duration, and start date, and gives you the question to ask about anything missing. Your file never leaves your computer.
Open the IEP Review →This comes from guidance by the U.S. Department of Education's Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS), not from the text of a law. Guidance shows how the Department reads the rules.
“For older students with disabilities, beginning not later than the first IEP in effect when the student turns 16, or younger if determined appropriate by the IEP Team, the IEP must address transition services requirements. Specifically, the IEP must include:
1) appropriate measurable postsecondary goals based upon age-appropriate transition assessments related to training, education, employment, and, where appropriate, independent living skills; and
2) the transition services (including courses of study) needed to assist the student in reaching those goals.”
This section is educational support, not legal advice. Special education rules can depend on your state and your child's facts. Talk with your IEP or 504 team, and with counsel when you need legal advice.
Dr. Long's Assistant answers your specific questions in plain language — built from Dr. Long's expertise, plus state and federal law read at the source — never the open internet.
Get started →This is educational information, not legal advice. IDEA, Section 504, FERPA, and state rules may differ by situation.
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