The IEP process is full of timelines, and one parents often ask us about is the IEP annual review timeline.
Once a student has an IEP, the IEP document must be reviewed and updated a minimum of one time every calendar year. The entire IEP team must attend the meeting.
During the IEP annual review, you will receive an update on your child’s progress on all of the previous year’s goals. This becomes the starting point for setting goals for the next 12 months. If the District proposes goals and they have not changed from the year before, it means your child has not made progress.
The main purpose of an IEP is so that your child can access their education and make progress. This includes academic goals, social goals, speech goals, etc. If the goals are the same, that means either the IEP is not effective, or has not been implemented properly. This requires a conversation as to why not and (more importantly) what the team needs to do differently during the next year. This could mean new goals, different services, more services, or some combination of all three. The main thing is the team has to figure out what did not work and how to fix it.
Occasionally we see school teams blame the student for not making progress. That is NOT how this works. It is the team’s responsibility if your student does not make progress, not your child’s fault.
While the team is required to hold one IEP team meeting every year, many parents request at least one or two additional IEP Team meetings to receive a detailed report on how their student is doing. This allows the team to course-correct partway through the IEP year if the student is not making expected progress on goals.
It is important to have specific and measurable goals and baselines as this is how the IEP team measures progress. Writing good measurable goals and baselines is challenging, and is one of your best ways to ensure your child is getting the support they need. We can help.
For help at your child’s next IEP meeting, more information about our special education advocacy services, or for a FREE 20-minute consultation to see if we are a good fit for you, call or email today!
As parents, we understand. As advocates, we can help.