IEPs & 504 plans

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) comes from a law called IDEA. It includes specialized teaching, services like speech or occupational therapy, and measurable goals, with regular progress reports. It is reviewed at least once a year.

To qualify, a child must fit one of 13 categories and the disability must affect their learning. Specific learning disabilities are the most common category.

Who is on the team

• You, the parent or caregiver
• Regular and special education teachers
• School psychologist and therapists
• A school administrator
• Anyone you invite, like an advocate

A 504 plan comes from Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. It gives accommodations, like extra test time, breaks, shorter assignments or bathroom access. It is for a child with a physical or mental condition that substantially limits something like learning or concentrating.

504 plans don’t require yearly goals or progress reports, and there is no required review schedule, but you can ask for a meeting any time.

1. Find your school’s IEP or 504 coordinator
2. Write a dated letter asking for an evaluation, describing what you’ve noticed
3. Include any reports or notes from doctors or therapists
4. Follow up if you don’t hear back
5. Give written consent for testing when asked

Under federal rules, the first evaluation should be done within 60 days of your consent, unless your state sets a different timeline.

• Bring notes and examples, and be specific about your concerns
• Bring a friend, advocate or another parent for support
• You don’t have to sign the plan at the meeting. Take it home to read
• If a plan isn’t working, you can ask for a review or a new evaluation

The school must use a variety of tools and sources, including information from parents and teachers. Tests must be given by trained staff and be fair to your child’s language, culture and way of communicating.

What you can add

• Samples of homework, writing or drawings
• Reports from your child’s doctor or therapist
• What you see at home: routines, frustrations, strengths
• Any family history of learning struggles, if you know it
• Your child’s own words about what feels hard

IDEA lists categories such as specific learning disability, autism, speech or language impairment, other health impairment (which can include ADHD), emotional disturbance, intellectual disability, and hearing or vision impairments. States can also use “developmental delay” for children ages 3 through 9.

Two things must both be true: your child has one of these disabilities, and because of it they need special education. A child can’t be found eligible mainly because they didn’t get good reading or math teaching, or because they are still learning English.

Parents must receive a copy of the evaluation report and the paperwork showing how eligibility was decided.

Tips

• Ask for the report a few days before the meeting so you can read it calmly
• Mark anything that surprises you or doesn’t sound like your child
• Ask for scores to be explained in everyday words
• Ask: “What does this mean for how my child learns?”

If you disagree with the school’s evaluation, you can ask for an Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE) by an outside evaluator at public expense. If the school instead asks for a hearing and wins, you can still get one, but not at public expense. You can also pay for a private evaluation at any time.

Children with IEPs are re-evaluated at least once every 3 years, unless you and the school agree it isn’t needed. Re-evaluations happen no more than once a year unless you both agree. You or a teacher can ask for one sooner if things change.

The school needs your consent before collecting new test data, but not to review information it already has.

Under Section 504, schools must evaluate a student before first placing them, draw on several kinds of information, and have a group of people who know the child, the evaluation and the options make the decisions. Students are re-evaluated from time to time.

This part describes how your child is doing now in academics and in “functional” skills, like organization, communication, self-care or behavior. It must explain how their disability affects their progress in the regular curriculum.

Check that it

• Sounds like your child, strengths included
• Uses recent information and real examples, not only scores
• Explains how the disability shows up in class
• Reflects your concerns

Goals must be measurable and cover both academic and functional needs. For students who take alternate state tests, the IEP also breaks goals into smaller steps.

The IEP lists special education (teaching designed for your child), related services, supplementary aids and services, changes to the program, and support or training for staff. For each, it must give a start date and say how often, where and for how long it happens.

Questions to ask

• How many minutes a week, and in which setting?
• Who exactly will provide this?
• What happens if sessions are missed?
• What training or help will teachers get to carry out the plan?

Federal law says children with disabilities should learn with children without disabilities “to the maximum extent appropriate”. Separate classes or schools are only for when a child’s needs can’t be met well in a regular class, even with extra aids and services. This is often called the least restrictive environment.

The IEP must explain any time your child won’t be with other students in regular classes and activities.

The IEP lists any accommodations your child needs on state and district tests. If your child takes an alternate test, the IEP must explain why.

Common examples

• Extra time
• Testing split over several days
• A small group or quiet room
• Answering out loud or by typing
• Large print or digital text

When writing the IEP, the team must consider your child’s strengths, your concerns, the latest evaluation and your child’s needs. It must also think about special factors: positive behavior supports when behavior gets in the way of learning, language needs for a child learning English, Braille for a child who is blind, communication needs for a child who is deaf or hard of hearing, and whether assistive technology would help.

Assistive technology examples

• Text-to-speech or audiobooks
• Speech-to-text for writing
• A communication device or picture board
• Graphic organizers or a calculator

The school must tell you early enough that you can attend. The notice should say what the meeting is for, when and where it is, and who will come. Meetings should be at a time and place you and the school agree on.

If you can’t be there in person, the school must offer other ways to join, such as a phone call.

The school must take the steps needed for you to understand the meeting, including arranging an interpreter if you are deaf or your first language isn’t English.

The team must include

• You, the parents
• At least one regular education teacher, if your child is or may be in regular classes
• At least one special education teacher or provider
• A school or district representative who can commit resources
• Someone who can explain what the evaluation results mean for teaching

You may invite others who know your child or have special expertise, like a therapist, relative or advocate. Your child can attend whenever appropriate, and must be invited when planning for life after high school is discussed.

A required team member can only skip the meeting if you agree in writing. If their area will be discussed, they must also send written input before the meeting.

The school must give you a copy of your child’s IEP at no cost. After the yearly meeting, you and the school can agree in writing to change the IEP without a full meeting, and you can ask for a revised copy.

After the meeting

• Read the final IEP and check it matches what was agreed
• Note the start date for each service
• Send a short email summarizing what was decided
• Put review and progress-report dates on your calendar

Vague

• “Will improve reading.”
• “Will behave better in class.”
• “Will work on writing.”

Stronger

• “By June, given a grade-level passage, Sam will read 90 words per minute with 95% accuracy, checked monthly.”
• “In math class, Maya will use her break card instead of leaving the room in 4 out of 5 hard moments, tracked daily by the teacher.”
• “By March, using a graphic organizer, Leo will write a 5-sentence paragraph with a topic sentence in 3 out of 4 tries.”

A goal means more when you know where your child started, measured the same way. “Reads 45 words a minute now” makes “90 by June” meaningful. Ask the team to write the starting point next to each goal.

A useful progress report shows movement toward each goal, ideally with numbers or work samples, not just a word like “progressing”.

Questions to ask

• What information is this based on?
• Is my child on track to meet the goal by the end of the year?
• If not, what will change, and when?
• Can I see some work samples?

The team must revise the IEP when a child isn’t making expected progress, when there are new evaluation results, or when parents share new information. You can ask for a meeting at any time.

Changes to discuss

• More time or a different teaching approach
• A different setting or group size
• New accommodations or assistive technology
• An evaluation in an area that wasn’t tested before

Specially designed teaching might be a structured reading program in a small group, extra guided practice with a special education teacher, or a different way of teaching math steps. Federal rules say services should be based on research, as far as practical.

Where it can happen

• In the regular class, with a co-teacher or aide
• In a small group for part of a lesson
• In a resource room for a set time each day or week
• In a separate class, only when needs can’t be met otherwise

An accommodation helps a student work around their disability. They still learn the same material and meet the same expectations, but how they get there or show what they know changes.

Examples

• Extra time on assignments or tests
• Lecture notes or a copy of the slides
• Large print, digital text or audio versions
• Answering out loud, by typing or with a communication device
• Working in a small group or one-on-one

A modification changes what a student is expected to learn or produce, such as shorter or simpler assignments, or a textbook at their reading level instead of grade level.

Besides teaching and therapies, the IEP can list supplementary aids and services, changes to the program, and support or training for the staff who work with your child.

Examples families often ask about

• A classroom aide for part of the day
• Assistive technology
• A behavior support plan
• Preferential seating
• Training for teachers on your child’s needs

Common tasks

• Read directions aloud or break tasks into steps
• Help with notes, materials and staying organized
• Support behavior plans, reminders and breaks
• Help with personal care, mobility or eating when needed
• Support friendships at recess and lunch
• Collect information on progress toward goals

The teacher, not the aide, stays responsible for planning your child’s program and judging their progress.

Some children need a dedicated adult for safety, health or very intensive support. But when researchers studied aides who stayed very close to students all day, they found real downsides: children could become dependent on the adult, be separated from classmates, get less teaching from the classroom teacher, and have fewer chances to make friends.

Questions to ask the team

• What specific needs is the aide for?
• How will the aide build my child’s independence?
• How and when will support be faded?
• Who trains and supervises the aide?
• How will my child still learn from the teacher and with classmates?

The same research found that an adult always at a child’s elbow can get in the way of friendships and of the child seeing themselves as a real member of the class.

Signs of healthy support

• The aide moves around the room and helps others too, so your child isn’t singled out
• Hints start small (a look or a gesture) before telling the answer
• Classmates are invited in, so the aide isn’t your child’s only partner
• Your child practises asking for help themselves

• Introduce yourself early in the year
• Share what works at home: calming tricks, interests, signs of stress
• Ask how the school prefers you to communicate with aides
• Bring concerns to the teacher or case manager so everyone stays on the same page
• Say thank you. It’s a demanding job.

1. Write down specific moments your child needs adult help: safety, health, behavior or learning.
2. Ask the IEP team to discuss it, and what information shows the need.
3. Ask about other options too: peer support, assistive technology, teacher check-ins or a behavior plan.
4. If an aide is added, agree on goals for independence and a date to review.

Staff describe the behavior clearly (what it looks like, when and where it happens), gather information over time, often noting what happened just before and just after, and work out what the behavior is doing for the child.

For example, one child may call out in class because it brings attention from classmates. Another may push others during free time because it ends social situations that feel overwhelming.

A good BIP usually has

• A clear description of the behavior
• A summary of what the FBA found
• The likely purpose of the behavior
• A replacement behavior to teach and reward
• Specific ways to prevent problems and respond to them
• A plan to check progress

The plan should be built by a team that includes teachers, your family, your child where appropriate, and other professionals.

If a child shouts out to get the teacher’s attention, just stopping the shouting leaves the need unmet. A good plan teaches another way to get attention, like a hand signal or check-in card, and makes sure it works quickly.

More examples

• A break card instead of running out of the room
• “Can I have a minute?” instead of ripping up work
• Headphones instead of covering ears and screaming
• Asking a friend to play instead of grabbing a toy

• Share triggers and calming strategies that work at home
• Use the same words and signals as school where you can
• Notice and praise the new behavior when you see it
• Keep a simple log of patterns at home (see the “Behavior pattern log” worksheet)
• Ask for regular updates, with examples

Schools can remove a student with a disability for up to 10 school days in a row for breaking rules, like any student. Within 10 school days of deciding on a removal that changes the child’s placement, the school, parents and IEP team members must meet. They decide whether the behavior was caused by, or closely related to, the disability, or by the school not following the IEP.

If it was, the team must do an FBA and put a BIP in place (or review the existing one), and the child usually returns to their placement. There are exceptions for very serious incidents.

Starting with the IEP in effect when your child turns 16 (or earlier if the team decides), the IEP must include measurable goals for after high school in training or education, work, and where appropriate, independent living. These goals must be based on transition assessments, and the plan must list the services and courses that will help. It is updated every year.

Transition services might include

• Job shadowing or work experience
• Learning to use public transportation
• Money, cooking or self-care skills
• Career interest surveys and college visits
• Connecting with adult service agencies before graduation

When transition planning is discussed, the school must invite your teen to the IEP meeting. If they don’t come, the school must find other ways to learn about their interests and preferences.

Ways to involve them

• Practise introducing themselves and one strength
• Have them explain one support that helps and why
• Look over their goals together beforehand
• Start with part of the meeting if the whole thing feels like too much

At least one year before your child reaches adulthood under state law (usually 18), the IEP must say they’ve been told which rights will transfer to them. In most states, your adult child then makes education decisions, gives consent and decides whether you are invited to meetings.

IEP services end when a student earns a regular high school diploma or ages out, usually at 22. If you’re worried your child will need help making decisions, talk with the team early and get advice about the options in your state.

IDEA stops applying after high school, so the IEP ends. Section 504 still protects students from disability discrimination in college, and colleges must provide accommodations, but the high school 504 plan doesn’t carry over.

What’s different

• Your young adult must register with the college’s disability services office and ask for accommodations themselves
• Documentation rules differ between colleges, so check early
• Colleges can’t share grades or updates with you without your young adult’s permission
• Supports may not match what they had in high school

Words you might use

• “Everyone’s brain learns in its own way. Yours is great at ___ and needs a bit of help with ___.”
• “Your plan is like glasses for learning. It helps you show what you already know.”
• “Lots of kids get help at school. It’s private, and nothing to be ashamed of.”
• “You get a say in what helps you.”

• Help them name what feels hard: “The noise at lunch makes my tummy hurt.”
• Practise simple asks: “Can you say that again?” or “Can I have a break?”
• Celebrate when a tool works
• Let them share a drawing or a few words for their IEP meeting

• Role-play explaining one accommodation to a teacher
• Teach them to email a teacher or catch them after class
• Invite them to join part of the IEP meeting
• Agree on who to tell if a support isn’t being given
• Practise a short answer to curious classmates: “It just helps me focus.”

• Review their goals and say what is and isn’t working
• Lead part or all of their IEP meeting
• Understand their evaluation in plain words
• Practise explaining their needs the way they would to a professor or boss
• Know where their important documents are kept

Older kids especially may refuse supports that make them look different, like leaving for a separate room or having an adult nearby. Listen to why. Often a support can be made more private, like a quiet signal instead of a public reminder.

Ideas

• Ask teachers to give reminders privately
• Choose tools that look like what others use, like headphones or a planner
• Let your child help choose their supports
• Bring it up at the next meeting so the plan can change

In mediation, a trained, neutral mediator helps you and the school reach an agreement. It is voluntary for both sides, the state pays for it, and what is said stays confidential. If you agree, the agreement is written, signed and legally binding. Mediation can’t be used to delay your right to a hearing.

A parent or anyone else can file a signed, written complaint with the state education agency saying a school broke special education rules. It must be about something that happened within the past year, and a copy goes to the school district at the same time.

The state generally has 60 days to investigate and send a written decision, unless there are exceptional circumstances or both sides agree to extend the time.

A due process complaint asks for a hearing about how your child was identified, evaluated or placed, or whether they are getting a free appropriate public education. In general, it must be filed within 2 years of when you knew or should have known about the problem, unless your state sets a different limit.

Before a hearing, the school must hold a resolution meeting within 15 days to try to settle things. If that doesn’t work, an impartial hearing officer hears the evidence and makes a decision, which can be appealed.

Under Section 504, schools must give families notice, a chance to look at records, an impartial hearing where you can take part and have a lawyer, and a way to have the decision reviewed.

If you believe the school broke Section 504, you can also file a complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights, generally within 180 days. It looks at whether the school followed the law, not at the details of the plan.

Nearly 100 Parent Training and Information Centers and Community Parent Resource Centers across the U.S. and its territories help families of children with disabilities, from birth to age 26, take part in their education.

Habits that help in any disagreement

• Keep everything in writing
• Ask for written notice whenever the school refuses a request
• Read the procedural safeguards notice the school gives you
• Keep the focus on your child’s needs, not on who is right

Special Education Parent Information Centers are in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Pacific entities. Some, called Community Parent Resource Centers, focus on families in underserved communities.

An IEP or 504 plan can be used to shape how the school prevents and responds to bullying, and can add services your child needs. When bullying targets a child because of a disability and creates a hostile environment, it may be disability harassment, which schools must address under federal civil rights laws.

Things to ask for

• A meeting of the IEP or 504 team to look at whether your child’s needs have changed
• A written safety plan, and a named adult your child can go to
• Any extra support your child needs to keep learning, like counseling