What is an IEP?

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legally binding written document that is developed for each eligible student with a disability.  This document is in accordance with the requirements of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).  The IEP must be individualized and specific to the needs of the students. These are the only requirements specified by law.  There is no formal written IEP document that is used nationally. 

In an IEP, the strengths and weaknesses of the students must be accurately assessed by a qualified authority such as the school’s psychologist.  Input regarding the student’s progress in school is collected from the assessment data, samples and data collected from special and regular education teachers, observations from parents, administrators, and other support personnel most familiar with the student’s academic needs.  Results of the evaluation will be tabulated by the special education teacher and will be used to determine specific goals of mastery for the student.  The goals outline in this document must be very precise and measurable.  These goals should be stated such as, “The student will participate in a peer response group at least four out of five times each week.”  However, these stated goals must be agreed upon by the members of the team. Active team collaboration would be most beneficial in the construction of the student’s academic goals.

There may also be some provisions in the document addressing the specific disability as well as the implementation of a behavioral intervention plan. Federal law requires that a behavioral intervention plan be implemented for all special education students, and especially for those students who exhibit behavioral problems. Now, there is further provision in the document concerning transition services for the student when he or she reaches the age of eligibility.

The goal of the IEP is to ensure that every student regardless of ability levels can achieve. While schools provide all of the resources available to serve the child, oftentimes it is not quite enough.  As a result, parents look for outside resources to help their child achieve their educational goals.  Depending on the identified disability, a child may be best served with the services of a private tutor.  Some tutoring companies specialize in assisting special needs children.  When looking for a tutor for the child, parents should make sure to ask if the tutor is qualified to work with the special needs child.  Special education teaching credentials and experience is a great qualifier. Once a qualified tutor has been selected, it might be helpful to share the contents of the child’s IEP so that the tutor may get a better understanding of the child’s strengths and weaknesses. Tutors will use the IEP as a basis for planning the child’s program of study.  The tutor should be willing to conference with the child’s special education teacher. If the tutor is assisting the child for the duration of the school year, it may be a good idea to invite the tutor to leave comments about the child’s progress in the tutoring sessions, or a parent can invite the tutor to attend the IEP meeting if feasible. Their input will be beneficial in giving a well rounded view of the child outside of a traditional classroom setting.  Many special needs students have benefitted tremendously from the services of a private tutor.  Unfortunately, many teachers, despite the federal guidelines on the keeping the classroom size small, cannot provide one on one instruction as most of these students need. A private tutor can.  A little more time and extra reinforcement can go a long way in helping a special needs child achieve the goals of the IEP and great success academically.