IEP Assistance Santa Clara

IEP Assistance Santa Clara

The Boxes on an IEP

Did you know that every little box on an IEP document is important? Some are more important than others but they all correspond to necessary information about a student. Often how one box is checked can directly influence how other boxes are checked. This all leads to how services are attained and provided for the student.

Following are some specific examples of how some IEP document boxes are very important. One often overlooked box is the one that has the title “Promotion criteria”. Most of the time, there are three boxes following this line. They are marked “district” and “progress on goals” and “other”. If the box marked district is not checked, do you realize that your student may well not be on track to get a high school diploma and simply be getting a certificate of completion? The “district” box means that your student is being passed grade to grade according to district criteria and will receive a diploma upon successful completion of high school. If only the “progress on goals” box is marked, then your student is usually receiving modified curriculum and will not receive a diploma. It is also extremely important to know the difference between accommodations and modifications with regards to curriculum.

Another important box to be aware of is that of the one title “does student’s behavior impede learning of self or others?”. Many districts state that this is for those students who are very aggressive or themselves or others. Wrong. This box is the key to getting more significant support for a student that might need individual assistance staying on task or being physically safe. Some parents know that their child needs one on one support but don’t know how to “show” that need. Start with this box…..it leads the need to develop behavior goals and possibly even a behavioral plan.

Know what all the boxes mean as they can each carry a lot of weight regarding how your child is educated.

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