IEP

An IEP is especially important for the process of special education in many ways.

The Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a program written for every student receiving

special education; it describes the child’s current performance and goals for the school year, the

particular special education services to be delivered, and the procedures by which outcomes are

to be evaluated (Kirk). IEPs must reflect scientifically based instructional practices, cognitive

behavioral interventions, and early intervention services, as appropriate. The must include plans

for the use of assistive technology and short-term objectives for children with disabilities who

take alternative assessments (Kirk). It helps children in education who are sometimes less

focused or who have a tough time getting things done because of cognitive or physical

disabilities. All children deserve to get a proper education and sometimes it is harder for some

kids to be able to get that if they do not get the help that they need.

In the past, many kids were not given the chance to get a good education. A lot of

children were left behind those that were able to excel on their own and as a result they kind of

got lost in the education system and were not able to be successful in their futures. Because of

this in 1975 under section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, FAPE or Free Appropriate

Public Education was established for all children. It was established to help protect all the rights

of individuals with disabilities who are in federal funded programs and activities (Spellings

1999). FAPE helps special education by securing that all kids get to be involved in learning no

matter their situation. It helps to make sure kids who need an IEP get what they need and when

they need it. For example, it can allow a child who has a harder time reading stay in the same

classroom as his or her peers and be taught even if he needs to have a little extra help from

another resource. In the past many kids would be sent to another class so they would not slow
down the other students or just be lost in a room where no one was helping to explain what he

needed to know.

The process of getting an IEP can sometimes seem like it takes forever but if it can help a

child, it is something that should be done. It must start with getting a referral or a request for an

evaluation of the child. This can be done by a professional at a school or even the child’s parents,

but the parent must always give consent. This evaluation must be made in a reasonable time after

consent is given from the parents. The evaluation must assess the child in all areas related to the

child’s disability. After the results are made the eligibility is then decided for the child. A group

of qualified professionals and the parents of the child decide if an IEP is right for the child. If the

child is found to be eligible for the IEP, they have a month for the IEP team to write up the IEP

document. They then get the chance to have a meeting to discuss how the IEP will take affect

with the child’s education. Once all is discussed the appropriate services are provided to the

child. Progress then gets measured and reported to the parents and anyone else who needs to

know and every year the child can be reevaluated to see if the IEP needs to still be in affect for

him or her (Mauro).

IEPs are an amazing tool that allows a child to be educated in a way that helps him or her

succeed. An IEP must be written for every student with a disability who is receiving special

education. The IEP must describe the how the child is performing now and what goals they have

for the entire school year. These goals have to be ones that can be achieved, and they must

include any modifications that have been made in order to help the child achieve those goals. It

must describe in detail what the services are that the child is getting and how they are being

delivered to that child, for example, if the child is deaf and needs an interpreter it must be written

in the IEP and showed that one was made available. It must then state the outcome the child has
received and how it was evaluated. An IEP must also show any behavior plans that a child might

need. Some children have a harder time expressing their feelings and may need extra help to

learn how to control themselves and that is where the plans come in handy.

In conclusion, the IEP is an amazing tool to help children with exceptionalities be able to

achieve what they deserve in school. I am grateful that this program exists because there really

are many children who need this and who can benefit from it if they are given the chance to get

one. Being able to help a family get the help they need to make sure that their child succeeds is

one of the best things a teacher can do, and I intend to make sure my students get the help they

need when I am teaching.

Kirk, S., Gallagher, J., & Coleman, M. R. (2015). Educating exceptional children (14th ed., Vol.
1). Cengage Learning, Inc.
Spellings, M. (1999). Free Appropriate Public Education for Students with Disabilities:
Requirements Under Section 504 of The Rehabilitation Act of 1973. U.S. Department of
Education. 
Mauro, T. (2020, September 15). How to Get an IEP for Your Child. In Verywellfamily.
Retrieved from https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-to-get-an-iep-for-your-child-
3106880#:~:text=Getting%20an%20IEP%201%20The%20child%20is%20evaluated.,are
%20provided.%20...%205%20The%20child%20is%20reevaluated.