Special Education and the IEP

"Special Education" is the broad term used to describe the educational system for children with disabilities. The term is used here to describe the portion of your child's school system that provides special services and programs for children with disabilities. There are three fundamental questions to consider as you begin the special education process:

Where is your child now?
Where do you want your child to be?
What do you need to get your child there?

Special education provides a process for evaluating your child and developing an individualized education program, or IEP. The abbreviation IEP refers to several interrelated things:

The meeting where the school district determines whether or not your child is eligible for special education (called the IEP eligibility meeting)

The yearly meeting where you and the school representatives develop your child's educational plan (called the IEP program meeting)

The actual detailed written description of your child's educational program

IDEA entitles your child to an "appropriate" education that meets their unique needs. As you become more involved in the IEP process, you will develop a better sense of what is meant by an appropriate education. Broadly speaking, an appropriate education involves the following educational components:

The specific class or program (called "placement") for your child. Placement is more than just a classroom; it also includes characteristics such as class size, location, peer make-up, and teacher experience.

The specific services (called related services) provided to your child, as well as the frequency of those services and who provides them.

Other educational components, such as curricula and teaching methods.