Individual Education Program (IEP)

  • If your child is eligible for special education services and/or programs, the Committee (of which you are a member) must meet to develop a plan to meet your child’s unique needs. This plan is called an Individualized Education Program (IEP). Some of the requirements of the IEP are listed below. 

    • Your child’s name and his or her disability.
    • Your child’s current abilities, needs, and evaluation results.
    • Goals and objectives for your child to meet this school year (annual goals).
    • Special equipment your child may need in school.
    • Information about the special education programs or services your child will receive (what services, how often and how long they will be provided) to help your child meet his or her goals; and support your child’s involvement and progress in the general education curriculum  
    • Special ways, if any, your child will take tests (such as a longer time to take tests).
    • Program modifications for your child.
    • Supports for your child’s teachers to help implement your child’s IEP.
    • How and when you will receive reports on your child’s progress.
    • Based on your child's age, transition planning and services.

    Where services will be provided to ensure that programs reflect the least restrictive environment (LRE). 

    Your child’s education must be in the LRE. LRE means that placement of students with disabilities in special classes, separate schools or other removal from the regular educational environment occurs only when the nature or severity of the disability is such that, even with the use of supplementary aids and services, education cannot be satisfactorily achieved.

    In all cases, special education services should be provided in the LRE.

    Each year your child’s IEP should be developed to ensure that:

    • your child’s placement is based on his or her IEP.
    • when making a decision about LRE, the Committee considers any possible harmful effect on your child or the quality of the services that he or she needs.
    • your child is not removed from education in a regular classroom with other children of the same age only because the general curriculum needs to be modified.

    After the consideration of all other IEP components, the Committee determines the recommended placement. Placement may be in a public school, Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES), approved private school, State-operated school, State-supported school or a Special Act School District. Placement decisions must be based on the child’s strengths and needs and reflect consideration of whether the child can achieve his or her IEP goals in a regular class with the use of supplementary aids and services and/or modifications to the curriculum. The IEP must explain the extent, if any, to which your child will not be in regular education programs.