Some of the most useful sentences in an IEP meeting are short questions. They are especially useful when the team is moving fast, and when words like "support," "monitor," and "as needed" are doing a lot of work.
This guide organizes questions by the part of the IEP they belong to. Each group says why the question matters and what a useful answer includes.
| Topic | What the federal rule says | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Present levels | The IEP states present levels of academic achievement and functional performance | 300.320(a)(1) |
| Goals and progress | Measurable annual goals, how progress is measured, and when reports are given | 300.320(a)(2), (a)(3) |
| Services | Special education, related services, and supports, with start date, frequency, location, and duration | 300.320(a)(4), (a)(7) |
| Who knows the IEP | It is accessible to each teacher and provider, and each knows their responsibilities | 300.323(d) |
| Placement | Education with peers to the maximum extent appropriate, decided by a group that includes you, as close to home as possible | 300.114, 300.116 |
| Review | Reviewed at least once a year and revised as appropriate for lack of expected progress | 300.324(b) |
| Transition | Measurable postsecondary goals by the first IEP in effect when the student turns 16 | 300.320(b) |
Present levels: where your child is now
The present levels section describes how your child is doing in academics and in everyday functioning, and how the disability affects progress. Every goal grows from it.
- What is my child able to do now in reading, writing, math, and behavior or communication, and how do we know?
- Which test scores, work samples, or observations are these statements based on?
- Does this section include what I told the team and the results of the latest evaluation?
- Are my child's strengths in here?
A useful answer names the data and the date, not only a general description.
Goals: what should change this year
An annual goal has to be measurable and tied to a need caused by the disability. The IEP also has to say how progress will be measured and when you will get reports.
- What is the starting point for this goal, and how was it measured?
- By when and at what level should my child reach it?
- Who measures it, with what, and how often?
- If my child reaches this goal early, what happens next?
Services: who does what, and how much
The IEP has to list the special education, related services, and supports, plus when they begin and how often, where, and for how long they will be provided.
- How many minutes per week, and in what setting?
- Who delivers each service, and what is that person's role?
- When does each service start?
- What happens if a session is missed? Is it made up?
Accommodations and who knows about them
The rule says the IEP has to be accessible to each teacher and provider responsible for carrying it out, and each must know their specific responsibilities and the accommodations and supports it requires.
- Which accommodations will my child have in class and on tests?
- Do all of my child's teachers, including specials teachers and substitutes, have the IEP or a summary of it?
- Who do I contact if an accommodation is not being used?
Placement and time with classmates
Federal rules call for children with disabilities to be educated with children who do not have disabilities to the maximum extent appropriate. Removal to a separate setting is allowed only when the nature or severity of the disability means the child cannot learn satisfactorily in regular classes with supplementary aids and services.
- How much of the school day will my child spend in the general classroom?
- What supports were considered to help my child do more in that classroom?
- What is the reason for any time outside the classroom?
- Is this the school my child would go to if they did not have an IEP? If not, why not?
The IEP also has to explain the extent, if any, to which your child will not take part with peers without disabilities in regular classes and activities. Ask where that explanation is.
Progress reports and changes
The team has to review the IEP at least once a year and revise it as appropriate to address a lack of expected progress, new evaluation results, information from you, and expected needs.
- When will I get progress reports, and in what form?
- What will we do if the data show my child is not on track?
- Can I ask for a meeting sooner than the annual one? How?
Transition, for older students
By the time of the first IEP in effect when a student turns 16, or sooner if the team decides, the IEP must include measurable postsecondary goals and the transition services needed to reach them.
- What are the goals for training, education, employment, and independent living?
- What courses and activities lead to those goals?
- Has my child been invited, and how are my child's interests being used?
Asking without turning it into a debate
Questions go over better when they sound like curiosity and not like a challenge. "Help me understand how this will work on a Tuesday" gets more than "Why isn't this enough?" If an answer surprises you, repeat it back in your own words and ask if you have it right. If you still disagree, you do not have to argue the point in the room. You can say what you would like to see, ask for the team's reasons in writing, and use the options in your procedural safeguards notice later.
Before you leave the room
- What did we decide today, and who is doing what by when?
- When will I get the IEP and written notice of the decisions? You are entitled to a copy of the IEP at no cost.
- When is the next check-in?
For the process behind the meeting, see the IEP meeting checklist for parents, and for the roles of the people across the table, who is on the IEP team. The written explanation a school owes you after decisions is covered in what is prior written notice. Unfamiliar terms are in the glossary.