Individual education planning (IEP) is the process whereby teachers, support personnel, and parents work together as a team to meet the needs of individual students who require a range of supports. The team develops outcomes or goals based on a student’s current needs and skills, and writes the plan for the school year in the student’s IEP. The written plan is called an IEP.
Who Needs an IEP
All teachers are encouraged to consider the potential benefits of individual education planning for a wide range of students with very different needs. Most IEPs are written for students who need support for behavioural and learning or cognitive skills. An IEP will be developed when parents and staff together decide that this is the best way to meet a student’s special needs. An IEP must be developed for a student who needs course modifications (M designation) or individualized programming (I designation).
Purpose of an IEP
The purpose of an IEP is to provide a plan to help a student meet individual outcomes or goals beyond his or her current skills. For this reason, an understanding of what a student can and cannot do is essential to the individual education planning process. Each IEP is individual to the student for whom it is designed. As members of the IEP team, parents should be part of the individual planning process and sign the IEP for their child.
Components of an IEP
All IEPs, regardless of the individual needs of a student, contain certain essential components:
- student identification and background information current levels of performance that reflect team
- consensus on the student’s abilities and needs
- student-specific outcomes or goals
- performance objectives
- teaching methods, materials, and strategies
- the names of team members who will implement the IEP, and the setting(s)
- where it will be implemented
- plans and timelines for evaluation and review stages.
