Introduction to IEP Development

 When the first special education law was passed, the primary goal of many parents and special educators was simply to get students with disabilities into schools and classrooms. Today, parents and special education advocates see the Individualized Education Program (IEP) as a tool to maximize the achievement of students with disabilities. Expectations for students with disabilities are rising; schools and districts are being held more accountable for their performance. All stakeholders in the IEP process – parents, general and special educators, evaluation professionals, related service providers, and students themselves – must be aware of strategies to develop and implement effective IEPs, and committed to using the IEP process to monitor student performance throughout the year and over time. The Newark Public Schools, the Newark Teachers Union (NTU), and the Statewide Parents Advocacy Network (SPAN) developed this training module to provide step-by-step guidance in developing an IEP, which complies with legal mandates and improves student performance, by fully aligning the  processes with the general education curriculum and state standards, as recommended by the Access Center in this hyperlinked brief. 

Click on the corresponding hyperlinks below to access these resources:

• IEP Presentation

• IEP Participants

• Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP)

• Special Factors in IEPs

• IEP Goal & Objectives

• Supplementary Aides and Services

• Special Education Programs & Placements

• Special Education Determinations

• Assistive Technology - Integration into the IEP

• Behavioral Concerns - Integration into the IEP

• IEP Aides - Integration into the IEP

• Summary

• IEP Resource Guide