Maya Brennan
Staff writer, editorial desk
Maya writes and updates the guides on IEP Made Clear. Her work is reading the federal rules and state education agency pages, rewriting them in everyday language, and re-checking each guide on a set schedule. She is not an attorney, educator, or clinician, and nothing here replaces advice from one.
How guides are researched and re-checked is described on how we review. To report a correction, use the contact page.
Guides by Maya Brennan
Accommodations vs. Modifications in an IEP, Explained
Accommodations change how your child learns. Modifications change what your child is expected to learn. Examples, why it matters, and questions to ask.
IEP meetingsBringing a Guest or Recording an IEP Meeting
Who you can invite to an IEP meeting, what the federal rule says about recording it, why district policy matters, and how to ask in writing ahead of time.
IEP meetingsChanging an IEP Without a Meeting: Your Options
When you and the school may agree to change an IEP in writing instead of holding a meeting, what to check before you agree, and how to ask for a meeting.
Moving and changesChanging Schools With an IEP: What Carries Over
Moving a child with an IEP to a new school, in your state or another? What the new school must provide at first, what happens to the IEP, and what to do.
Getting startedChild Find: Who Can Ask for a Special Education Evaluation
What child find means, which children it covers, who can start an evaluation request, and what to do if you suspect a disability but have no diagnosis.
Rights and noticesDiscipline and the IEP: What Parents Should Know
How suspensions work for a child with an IEP: the 10-day mark, services during removal, the manifestation review, and what to do if no IEP exists yet.
Goals and servicesExtended School Year (ESY) Services: A Parent's Guide
What extended school year services are, how the IEP team decides, what regression and recoupment mean, and what to bring to the meeting to make your case.
EvaluationsHow Long Does an IEP Evaluation Take?
The federal clock is 60 days from your written consent, then 30 days to the IEP meeting. A worked timeline, what pauses the clock, and how states differ.
Goals and servicesHow to Read the Present Levels Section of an IEP
What the present levels (PLAAFP) section of an IEP should say, its three parts, how to spot a vague one, and questions to ask before the goals are written.
EvaluationsHow to Read Your Child's IEP Evaluation Report
A section-by-section guide to a school evaluation report: what each part means, how scores and percentiles work, and what to check before the meeting.
Rights and noticesHow to Read Your Procedural Safeguards Notice
The procedural safeguards notice runs many pages. Here is what each section means, which deadlines to circle, and the moments you are handed a new copy.
EvaluationsHow to Request a Special Education Evaluation in Writing
Ask for an IEP evaluation in writing: who to send it to, what to put in the letter, what the school must do next, and when the 60-day clock starts.
Goals and servicesIEP Goals Too Vague? How to Tell and What to Ask
Is an IEP goal clear enough? Use a four-part test, compare vague and measurable versions side by side, and learn what to ask the team to change.
IEP meetingsIEP Meeting Checklist for Parents: Before, During, After
A three-part IEP meeting checklist: what to ask for beforehand, what to track in the room, and what to do in the 48 hours after, with a follow-up email.
Goals and servicesIEP Progress Reports: What to Expect and What to Ask
What the law requires in an IEP progress report, who sets the schedule, what a useful report says, and what to do when progress falls short of the goal.
Getting startedIEP vs 504 Plan: What Parents Need to Know
An IEP comes from special education law, a 504 plan from civil rights law. See how they differ on eligibility, paperwork, and your rights, and how to ask.
EvaluationsIndependent Educational Evaluation: A Parent's Guide
What an independent educational evaluation is, when a parent can ask the school to pay for one, how to put the request in writing, and what happens next.
Goals and servicesLeast Restrictive Environment: A Plain-English Guide
What least restrictive environment means, the placements a school must offer, who decides, and what to ask when the team talks about placement.
When you disagreeMediation, Due Process, and State Complaints Compared
Three formal ways to resolve an IEP dispute side by side: what each is for, who can start it, the time limits, and what the federal rule says about each.
When you disagreeMissed IEP Services and Compensatory Services Explained
What to do when IEP services are missed: how to check, what one state's guidance says about make-ups and compensatory services, and how to ask in writing.
Rights and noticesParental Consent in Special Education: What It Covers
When a school needs your written consent, why agreeing to an evaluation is not agreeing to services, and what happens if you say no or change your mind.
IEP meetingsQuestions to Ask at an IEP Meeting, by Topic
Questions to ask at an IEP meeting, grouped by what the team covers, with what a useful answer sounds like and the federal rule behind each topic.
Goals and servicesRelated Services in an IEP: Speech, OT, and More
What related services are, which ones the federal rule lists, the test a child has to meet, and how to ask for speech, OT, counseling, or transportation.
Goals and servicesThe Annual IEP Review: What to Expect and How to Prepare
The IEP must be reviewed at least once a year. See what the team looks at, how it differs from the three-year reevaluation, and a timeline to prepare.
EvaluationsThe Three-Year Reevaluation: What Parents Should Know
How the three-year reevaluation works, what a review of existing data is, when a school can skip new testing, and how to ask for testing in writing.
Rights and noticesWhat Is Prior Written Notice in Special Education?
Prior written notice is the letter a school must send before it changes, or refuses to change, your child's special education. What it says and how to ask.
EvaluationsWhat to Do If the School Refuses to Evaluate Your Child
School said no to an IEP evaluation? Get it in writing, ask plain questions, and compare your options and deadlines, from mediation to due process.
When you disagreeWhat to Do If You Disagree With Your Child's IEP
Disagree with your child's IEP? Pinpoint the issue, put it in writing, and see the steps from another meeting to mediation, complaints, and due process.
IEP meetingsWho Is on the IEP Team? Roles Explained for Parents
Who has to be at an IEP meeting, what each person does, who you can invite, and when someone may be excused. A plain-English guide to the team.
IEP meetingsWriting a Parent Concerns Letter Before an IEP Meeting
Why the IEP team has to consider your concerns, what to put in a one-page parent concerns letter, and how to ask that it be recorded in the IEP.