Reference
Question bank
About sixty questions a parent can ask the IEP team, by IEP section and by stage, each with the chapter that explains it. Filter to your stage, copy the ones that fit into your questions sheet.
Each question asks for information, a document or a reason. None assumes the answer, and none claims a right on your behalf; where a regulation gives you something, the chapter linked beside the question says what and where. Pick five for the meeting (Before the meeting), rewrite them in your own words and with your child's details, and put them on your questions sheet. The rest can go in an email or wait for the next meeting.
The questions
Filter by stage with the first row of buttons or by IEP section with the second; press a button again to clear it. One filter works at a time, alongside the search box.
| Question | IEP section | Chapter |
|---|---|---|
| What areas will the evaluation cover, and who will do each part? | Evaluation | Referral and evaluation |
| Can I have the consent form and the procedural safeguards notice now, so I can read them before I sign? | Process | Referral and evaluation |
| What information from home would help the evaluation, and how should I send it? | Evaluation | Referral and evaluation |
| If the school decides not to evaluate, will I receive that decision and its reasons in writing? | Process | Referral and evaluation |
| How do the supports my child is getting now relate to a referral for evaluation? | Process | How the process works |
| Is there a way for me to see or hear about my child's day in the classroom before the evaluation? | Evaluation | Observations and priorities |
| What does each test in the report measure, and why was it chosen for my child? | Evaluation | Referral and evaluation |
| How does the report explain its scores, and what range does this test call average? | Evaluation | Referral and evaluation |
| What did the evaluation find that matches what I see at home, and what did it not look at? | Evaluation | Referral and evaluation |
| Can I have a copy of the report before the eligibility meeting? | Evaluation | Referral and evaluation |
| Who will explain the results at the meeting, and can I ask questions about each section? | Evaluation | Referral and evaluation |
| How did the evaluation consider the information I provided? | Evaluation | Referral and evaluation |
| If I disagree with the evaluation, what are the next steps, and where is that described in the notice? | Evaluation | When you disagree |
| What will I be asked to sign at this meeting, and what does each signature mean on this form? | Process | In the meeting |
| Is there a draft IEP, and can I see it before the meeting? | Process | Before the meeting |
| When will services start, and who will tell my child's teachers what the IEP says? | Services | After the meeting |
| How were the present levels written, and which evaluation results do they come from? | Present levels | Reading the IEP |
| Which of my priorities does this draft address, and where? | Goals | Reading the IEP |
| How does the team decide where services are provided? | Placement | Goals, services and placement |
| What does the data show about progress on each goal this year? | Goals | Goals, services and placement |
| Which goals are being kept, changed or ended, and why? | Goals | Goals, services and placement |
| How will each new goal be measured, and how often will I see a progress report? | Goals | Goals, services and placement |
| What is the baseline for this goal, and where did that number come from? | Present levels | Goals, services and placement |
| Are the minutes, frequency, setting and provider for each service changing? What is that based on? | Services | Goals, services and placement |
| Which accommodations were used this year, and which helped? | Accommodations | Goals, services and placement |
| Will my child take state and district tests with accommodations, or an alternate assessment, and why? | Tests | Reading the IEP |
| How much of the day will my child spend outside the general education class, and what is the reason given? | Placement | Goals, services and placement |
| Did the team consider extended school year services, and what information did it use? | Services | Goals, services and placement |
| Which special factors did the team consider, such as behavior, language or assistive technology? | Present levels | Reading the IEP |
| When is the next reevaluation due? | Evaluation | Your IEP binder |
| Is the behavior support section changing, and what information is that based on? | Present levels | Reading the IEP |
| Can we meet to talk about what is not working before the annual review? | Process | After the meeting |
| Can I see the data behind this progress report? | Goals | After the meeting |
| Which sessions of this service were held, and which were not, during this period? | Services | After the meeting |
| What happens to a service when the provider is absent or the position is vacant? | Services | Goals, services and placement |
| Will I receive the school's decision on my request in prior written notice? | Process | When you disagree |
| Who is my contact for questions about whether the IEP is being followed? | Process | After the meeting |
| Can the IEP be amended in writing without a meeting, and what would the amendment say? | Process | After the meeting |
| What would a facilitated IEP meeting look like here, and does our state offer one? | Process | When you disagree |
| When will transition planning start for my child, and who leads it? | Transition | Transitions and changes |
| How will the student take part in this meeting, and which part could the student lead? | Transition | Transitions and changes |
| What assessments will the postsecondary goals be based on? | Transition | Transitions and changes |
| Which transition services are in the IEP, and who provides each? | Transition | Transitions and changes |
| Which rights transfer at the age of majority in our state, and when will the student be told? | Transition | Transitions and changes |
| What happens to services when my child graduates or ages out, and what does the school do before exit? | Transition | Transitions and changes |
| What will happen to the IEP when my child moves to the new school? | Placement | Transitions and changes |
| If we move, how will records go to the new district, and what services continue until a new IEP? | Placement | Transitions and changes |
| For a child leaving early intervention: when is the transition planning conference, and who will attend from the district? | Process | Transitions and changes |
| Is this removal counted toward the 10 school days, and how many days has my child been removed this year? | Discipline | When you disagree |
| Will there be a manifestation determination, and when is the meeting? | Discipline | When you disagree |
| What services will my child receive during a removal? | Discipline | When you disagree |
| Has the team considered a functional behavioral assessment or a behavior intervention plan? | Discipline | When you disagree |
| Where are our state's discipline rules written, and can I have a copy of the district's code? | Discipline | When you disagree |
| Under which law is my child's plan written, Section 504 or IDEA? | 504 plan | How the process works |
| What evaluation is the 504 plan based on, and when will it be reviewed? | 504 plan | How the process works |
| Who is the district's Section 504 coordinator, and how do I reach them? | 504 plan | When you disagree |
| What are the district's Section 504 procedures if I disagree with a decision? | 504 plan | When you disagree |
| Would an evaluation for special education under IDEA be appropriate to consider, and how do I ask for one? | Evaluation | Referral and evaluation |
| Which accommodations in the 504 plan apply to tests, and which to classwork? | Accommodations | Goals, services and placement |
| Can I have copies of my child's education records before the meeting? | Process | Before the meeting |
| Can the meeting be held by video, and how will documents be shared? | Process | Before the meeting |
| Can an interpreter attend, and can I have the documents in my language? | Process | Before the meeting |
| Who from the team will attend, and will anyone be excused? | Process | Before the meeting |
Making a question your own
- Add the specific. "What does the data show about progress on each goal?" becomes "What does the data show about the reading fluency goal since September?"
- Ask for the document. When an answer will matter later, ask where it is written, or ask for it in writing.
- Write the answer in the team's words. Your questions sheet has an Answer column and a Follow-up box for answers that need another step.
Limits
A question is not a demand, and the answer is the team's. The bank does not say what the right answer is for your child, whether a service is enough, or whether a school has met a rule; the IEP team decides what the IEP says, and in a disagreement the processes in When you disagree decide. Some questions depend on your state's rules (recording, facilitated meetings, the age of majority); check your state's page through the state links.