How to Write a Quality and Compliant IEP & How to Conduct an IEP Meeting
(Use the EdPlan data base for all documents related to the IEP.)
1.
Who makes an IEP meeting compliant?
a. Parent
b. LEA
c. General Education teacher
d. Special Education teacher
e. Student, if appropriate; always invite the student to an IEP meeting if the student is, or will be,
age 14 or older, during the time span of the IEP document.
f. Assessment Specialist(s), if appropriate/ needed
g. Related Service Provider(s), if needed
2.
Setting up the meeting
a. Contact the parent(s) to schedule the IEP meeting (which is to occur 2 months prior to the IEP
‘end’ date or eligibility ‘end’ date OR within 60 calendar days of the signed initial consent for
assessment). Request the use of email from the parents; if agreeable to the parents, obtain an
URL address to use.
b. Schedule a mutually agreeable date/ time for the meeting.
c. Send an accurate IEP meeting invitation to the parents, at least 10 days prior to the meeting;
also provide a copy of the Procedural Safeguards with the invitation. (Manifestation
Determination Review MDR meetings only require 24 hours notice for the meeting.)
d. Provide an invitation to the other ‘school-based’ persons who are necessary for a compliant
meeting to occur (usually issued via Outlook; follow your administrator’s guidelines).
3.
Preparing to Write the Draft IEP
a. Gather assessment information on the student. (Refer to the TN DOE IEP Rubric that has been
emailed previously.)
b. Use literacy and math assessments, pre-vocational checklists or vocational assessments,
discrete trial data, behavioral data, observations, etc.
c. Gather information about general classroom performance from General Education Teachers.
4.
Writing the Draft IEP
a. Type in the Narratives - student’s strengths; the concerns of the parent; medical information;
and the adverse impact statement (how the disability affects access/ involvement and progress
in the General Education & contains all areas of exceptionality noted in the IEP).
b. Type in the assessment data; note where the data was obtained and the date of the
assessment. (Refer to the TN DOE IEP Rubric that has been emailed previously.)
c. Present Levels of Educational Performance (PLEP) need to reflect both the student’s ‘can-do’s’
and deficits; provide both numbers (scores) and narrative in the PLEP and educational impact.
d. Considerations of Special Factors- consider the needs of the student regarding behavior and
assistive technology.
e. Always address pre-vocational (even if it is not an exceptional area) for students under age 14.
f. All students who will age to 14, within the span of the IEP dates, must have Transition goal. The
area of Transition is always “exceptional” until the SWD graduates.
g. Each PLEP that is marked as ‘exceptional’ will need to have a goal to address the deficit.
h. Some students will require measurable annual goals AND short-term objectives. (Short-term
objectives are required for students taking an Alternate Assessment.) Additionally, if one service
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provider wishes to write short-term objectives in the IEP, then all providers need to write shortterm objectives.
State and District testing accommodations- Remember an accommodation must be used all
school year, to be able to include that accommodation on State testing.
Special Education Service- Think about the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) and Free
Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). Can the service be provided to the student in the General
Education classroom? What materials and supports are needed?
Related Services- the related service provider needs to be part of the IEP meeting team that
determines the type, amount, and location of these services.
Transition is a required component of the IEP for a student who will age to 14 in the time span
of the IEP.
Transportation- Remember the laws of LRE and FAPE also include the consideration of the
student’s need for Special Transportation, at every IEP meeting.
Extended School Year (ESY) service is addressed in every IEP meeting, even if the topic is
deferred to discuss at another time. ESY decisions are always based on the current data
regarding the student.
Remember that the Parent Participation Ruling requires that a draft IEP be provided to the
parent, 48 hours in advance of the IEP meeting.
Conducting the IEP meeting
a. Bring to the meeting – Agenda (for the type of meeting that you’re conducting); draft IEP; copy
of Procedural Safeguards; student cumulative record with the ‘Green Folder’ (if in-person);
report card, and any other documents deemed necessary. These documents could include
attendance, grades, and schedule, discipline report, achievement scores, documents for reevaluation, Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA), etc.
b. Make introductions.
c. Review the Procedural Safeguards verbally and offer a printed copy to the parent.
d. Review the draft IEP and note any changes that need to be made to the draft IEP, as
determined by the IEP Team members.
e. Have the ‘school-based’ team members sign the IEP document before the IEP document is
offered to the parent for their consent/ signature.
f. Create and finalize a PWN in the EasyIEP data base. Note on the Prior Written notice (PWN) the
topics and information from the IEP meeting.
g. When the parent’s Consent for the IEP document is obtained, finalize the IEP in EdPlan.
h. If parents could not attend the meeting, but s/he gave permission for the meeting to proceed,
then document that fact in the Prior Written Notice. Send, via certified mail, a copy of the IEP,
along with the Procedural Safeguards and a completed 15 Day Letter form, requesting the
parent’s signature.
i. After the parental consent for the IEP is obtained, provide the IEP document to those persons
who will implement the IEP, but who were not at the meeting, for their review and signature.
On our EasyIEP document, this is stated as "Documentation of IEP Review of Other Teachers
Not in Attendance”.
j. Submit all documents (team participation signature page, parent consent signature page) to the
EasyIEP data base. This is a required task.
k. Update the MNPS CLIP (Continuous Learning Individualized Plan) to reflect online mode of
learning.
Deidra Adamczyk 9.15.2020