e agency); and
the child with a disability (when appropriate).
For deaf and hard of hearing children, professionals such as audiologists and speech-language specialists are likely to be part of the IEP team. If the child has additional disabilities, other professionals may be involved. For example, an orientation and mobility specialist may attend the IEP meeting of a deaf-blind student, and a physical therapist may attend the IEP meeting of a deaf student with physical limitations.
When and how is an IEP developed?
Within 30 calendar days after a deaf or hard of hearing child is found to need special education services, an IEP must be developed. Every year after that, the IEP team meets to review the child's progress towards the learning goals and set new learning goals.
What is in an IEP?
IDEA requires that an IEP contains the following information:
Present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, including how the child’s disability affects his or her involvement and progress in the general education curriculum;
Measurable annual goals , including academic and functional goals;
How the child’s progress toward meeting the annual goals will be measured, and when periodic progress reports will be provided;
The special education and related services athat the child will receive;
Program modifications or supports for school personnel that will be provided so the child can make progress towards annual goals; make progress in the general curriculum; and participate in extracurricular and non-academic activities; and to be educated and participate with other children with disabilities and nondisabled children;
An explanation of the extent, if any, to which the child will not participate with nondisabled children in the regular class and in extracurricular and nonacademic activities;
Individual accommodations that the student needs to measure the academic achievement and functional performance when the student takes State and districtwide assessments;
(Note: If the IEP team determines that the child must take an alternate assessment instead of a particular regular State or districtwide assessment of student achievement, the IEP must include a statement of why the child cannot participate in the regular assessment and why the particular alternate assessment selected is appropriate for the child; and
The projected date for the beginning of the services and modifications, and the anticipated frequency, location, and duration of those services and modifications.
For a closer look at the contents of the IEP, visit the Web site of the National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities. They provide an in-depth look at each section of the IEP described above.
Contents of the IEP
What happens during an IEP meeting?
Each member of the IEP team shares their thoughts and concerns about the student. The team uses that discussion, along with data from evaluations and assessments, to decide what should be written in each of the areas of the IEP.
The National Dissemination Center for Children with Disabilities has a detailed explanation of what happens during and after the IEP meeting.
When the IEP Team Meets
Hands and Voices Advocacy Academy for Families: Course A05:2 “A is for Access: Providing Full & Effective Communication Access for Students Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing
The IEP directly impacts the child’s development of linguistic competence. This 2 hour video/DVD is presented from the perspective of the parent sitting at the IEP table, with real-life examples from Hands & Voices advocacy cases that address the letter and spirit of the law as it relates to students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Also emphasized are applications from state and federal case law, Supreme Court precedents, and other disability litigation. Participants walk away with the tools in their hands that can make them more effective advocates for their child/student's educational experience. It is designed for educators, special education directors, program administrators, parent advocates and parents. The evidence that supports thi