In December 2004, the United States Congress passed updates to the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), formerly the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975. http://www.scn.org/~bk269/94-142.html Under IDEA, the Individualized Education Program was established to provide for the educational needs of children with various disabilities. http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CTopicalBrief%2C10%2C An Individualized Education Plan, or IEP, is a document, reviewed annually by a school’s IEP team, which sets forth a plan of action for a disabled child within the school.

According to IDEA, school districts, through the IEP, must provide a way for disabled individuals to make progress within the curriculum of the school. http://idea.ed.gov/explore/view/p/%2Croot%2Cdynamic%2CTopicalBrief%2C10%2C This progress is tracked through goal setting and often achieved through special accommodations made to fit the child’s abilities. http://kidshealth.org/parent/growth/learning/iep.html#

An IEP is made up of the following sections:

1. Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance This includes where the child is at academically and how the child’s disability affects his or her functioning in the classroom. http://resources.sai-iowa.org/specialed/iepcomponents.html
2. Measurable Annual Goals These goals relate to the areas of need and are reviewed each year. http://resources.sai-iowa.org/specialed/iepcomponents.html
3. Report of the Child’s Progress The IEP must explain how progress toward each goal will be assessed. http://resources.sai-iowa.org/specialed/iepcomponents.html
4. Services Based on Peer Reviewed Research This part of the IEP describes what services will be provided for the child based on need. The 2004 update of the law requires these services to be research based. http://resources.sai-iowa.org/specialed/iepcomponents.html
5. Consideration for Participation in General Education Developed on the principle of least restrictive environment, this section of the IEP requires a school to show a need before removing a child from the mainstream classroom. http://resources.sai-iowa.org/specialed/iepcomponents.html
6. Description of Services The IEP must describe when services will begin, how long they will be in effect, and how often they will be utilized. http://resources.sai-iowa.org/specialed/iepcomponents.html
7. Transition Services Once a child is 14, the IEP must begin to provide services, if needed, to prepare the disabled child for life after school. http://resources.sai-iowa.org/specialed/iepcomponents.html

The IEP is reviewed once a year by the IEP team. This team often includes the child’s teacher, a special education teacher, a representative from the school district, the child’s parents, and anyone else who might involved in the child’s IEP, such as speech therapists, school social workers, etc. The child can also be present, if appropriate. http://www.teachervision.fen.com/special-education/teachers/5595.html

Once assembled, the IEP team will review the progress the child has made on his or her previous IEP’s goals and discuss the results of any new testing that has been done. Based on test results, observations, and the child’s progress, new goals will be made and, if needed, new services or accommodations will be implemented. http://www.ldonline.org/article/Your_Child%27s_IEP%3A_Practical_and_Legal_Guidance_for_Parents

By law, the IEP must be reviewed once a year. However, some children will require a review more often than that as new needs arise or as changes in services are required. Parents or teachers can request a new IEP to review and revise the previous IEP at any time. http://www.ldonline.org/article/Your_Child%27s_IEP%3A_Practical_and_Legal_Guidance_for_Parents