2 page report - Paper Answers

Students will prepare a 2-page report (APA formatted) explaining the IEP process from beginning to end, including RTI, referrals for evaluation, timelines, the IEP meeting, the different sections of the IEP, the role of the parents, members of the IEP team, transition IEPs, etc. Students will research the Broward County Public School website and other sources that include relevant information for the assignment (in addition to the textbook). Four (4) references (1 can be the textbook) are required.

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A Parent’s Introduction to

Exceptional

Student
Education
in Florida

Florida Department of Education

This publication is produced through the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services
(BEESS), Division of Public Schools, Florida Department of Education, and is available online at
http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pub-home.asp. For information on available resources, contact the
BEESS Resource and Information Center (BRIC).

BRIC website: http://www.fldoe.org/ese/clerhome.asp
Bureau website: http://www.fldoe.org/ese
Email: BRIC@fldoe.org
Telephone: (850) 245-047

Fax: (850) 245-09

Cover photos courtesy of: Digital Vision/Thinkstock,
iStockphoto/Thinkstock, and Hemera/Thinkstock

mailto:BRIC@fldoe.org

http://www.fldoe.org/ese

http://www.fldoe.org/ese/clerhome.asp

http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pub-home.asp

A PARENT’S INTRODUCTION TO
EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT EDUCATION
IN FLORIDA

Florida Department of Education
Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services
20

This document was developed by the Florida Department of Education, Division of Public
Schools, Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services (BEESS), through federal
assistance under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Part B.

Department of State
2012

Authorization for reproduction is hereby granted to the state system of public education
consistent with section 1006.39, Florida Statutes. No authorization is granted f

distribution or reproduction outside the state system of public education without prior
approval in writing.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Chapter 1—Overview……………………………………………………………………………………………

Laws about the Education of Children with Disabilities ……………………………………………..

Student Records…………………………………………………………………………………………………… 7
Moving to a Different County ………………………………………………………………………………… 7

Chapter 2—Problem‐Solving/Response to Intervention (PS/RtI)…………………………………

Chapter 3—Evaluation Process …………………………………………………………………………….

Chapter 4—Eligibility Determination …………………………………………………………………….

Chapter 5—The Individual Educational Plan (IEP)……………………………………………………

Consent for Services and Placement ……………………………………………………………………..

After the IEP and Consent…………………………………………………………………………………….

Matrix of Services ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 27

Chapter 6—Annual Review of the IEP ……………………………………………………………………

Chapter 7—Reevaluation…………………………………………………………………………………….

Chapter 8—Procedural Safeguards (Rights and Responsibilities)……………………………….

Procedural Safeguards………………………………………………………………………………………… 3

Steps in Solving Problems …………………………………………………………………………………….

Dispute Resolution……………………………………………………………………………………………… 39
Independent Educational Evaluation……………………………………………………………………..

Discipline of Children with Disabilities……………………………………………………………………

School Records……………………………………………………………………………………………………

Chapter 9—Record Keeping …………………………………………………………………………………

Optional Forms and Work Sheets………………………………………………………………………….

About Your Child …………………………………………………………………………………………………

Organizing Your Child’s School Records …………………………………………………………………

School and District Contact List …………………………………………………………………………….

Contact Log ………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Information about Your Child’s Progress………………………………………………………………..

Problem‐Solving………………………………………………………………………………………………….

Problem‐Solving Record……………………………………………………………………………………….

Records of Public School Evaluations …………………………………………………………………….

Independent Educational Evaluations ……………………………………………………………………

IEP Planning Worksheet………………………………………………………………………………………. 87
Transition Planning Worksheet……………………………………………………………………………..

Appendix A—Where to Go for Help (Directory) ………………………………………………………

Local Contacts ……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 91
State Contacts……………………………………………………………………………………………………. 91
National Contacts………………………………………………………………………………………………..

Appendix B—Glossary…………………………………………………………………………………………

Appendix C—Sample Letters……………………………………………………………………………… 1

Sample Letter Asking for an Individual Evaluation ………………………………………………… 11

Sample Letter Asking for an IEP Review Meeting…………………………………………………..

115

Sample Letter Asking the School to Change a Decision………………………………………….. 1

Sample Letter Asking for an Independent Educational Evaluation …………………………. 1

Sample Letter Asking the School to Change Records ……………………………………………..

118

Sample Letter Asking for Copies of Educational Records………………………………………..

119

Appendix D—Sample IEP Form ………………………………………………………………………….. 1

INTRODUCTION

This book is for the parents of children in Florida who have special learning needs because
of a disability. If you have major responsibility for a child—as a parent, grandparent,
surrogate parent, or foster parent—and you think your child has a disability and needs
specially designed instruction or support, this book should be very helpful to you.

In Florida, children in public schools who have special learning needs because of a disability
are called exceptional students. The special help they are given at school is called
exceptional student education, or ESE. The purpose of ESE is to help each student with a
disability progress in school and prepare for life after school. ESE services may include
special teaching methods and materials, technology devices, therapies, special
transportation, or other supports. There is no cost to parents for these ESE services.

This book explains the ESE process and key ideas in the state and federal laws about ESE. It
provides basic information only. It does not cover every situation for every child and it is not
meant to provide legal advice. If your child receives ESE services this information will help
you work with the school as an important member of the education team. You do not need
to read the whole book at one time. The table of contents will to help you find the
information you need.

The ESE world can be confusing and there might be words or concepts used in the book or
during meetings at the school that you do not understand. If so, refer to Appendix B, which
contains a glossary of words and terms commonly used in exceptional education. All words
that are in bold and italics in the book are defined in the glossary.

As you read, you may have more questions. The staff at your child’s school or in your school
district’s ESE office can answer your questions. You can also find more information and free
publications at the website of the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student Services
(BEESS) at http://www.fldoe.org/ese.

http://www.fldoe.org/ese

CHAPTER 1—OVERVIEW

There may be many clues that your child needs extra help and attention in school. For
example, your child may:

 Have health problems
 Talk differently than other children the same age
 Act bored or lazy
 Have trouble paying attention
 Take longer to learn school subjects than other children the same age
 Walk or move differently than other children the same age
 Have difficulty seeing, hearing, or communicating with others

In Florida, when a child is having difficulties in school, a team begins a problem‐solving
process. Members of the team identify the difficulties and make changes in teaching
strategies (interventions) to match the child’s needs. As a parent, you have important
information about your child and are encouraged to be part of this problem‐solving team.
The goal of the team is to find ways to help your child be successful in school.

As teaching strategies are put in place, the team monitors the child’s progress and makes
decisions about changing the type or the intensity of the interventions. Florida provides
several levels of assistance to children, or a multi‐tiered system of supports (MTSS). The
process of Problem‐solving/Response to Intervention (PS/RtI) is designed to make sure that
every child gets the right kind of instruction to meet their needs.

Information gained through the ongoing PS/RtI process helps the team decide whether to
make a referral for an evaluation to see if the child has a disability. Children who need
ongoing intensive or specially designed instruction in school because of a disability
qualify for exceptional student education. This is often called ESE. Sometimes it is called
special education.

To receive ESE services in Florida, your child must meet the requirements of at least one of
the exceptionality categories listed below and need specially designed instruction and
related services. Educators sometimes use the acronyms for the exceptionalities, so these
have been provided as well.

 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
 Deaf or hard‐of‐hearing (DHH)
 Developmentally delayed, for three through five years old only (DD)
 Dual‐sensory impaired (deaf‐blind) (DSI)

 Emotional or behavioral disabilities (EBD)
 Homebound or hospitalized (HH)
 Intellectual disabilities (InD)
 Orthopedic impairment (OI)
 Other health impairment (OHI)
 Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
 Specific learning disabilities (SLD)
 Speech impairment (SI)
 Language impairment (LI)
 Visually impaired (VI)
 Gifted *

* In Florida, some children who learn very easily and meet qualification
requirements receive ESE gifted services. This book is not about gifted services. For
information on gifted student education visit http://www.fldoe.org/bii/Gifted_Ed or
contact your local school district.

The eligibility criteria, or requirements, for each of the exceptionality categories listed above
are outlined in Florida’s laws and rules. Some children have one disability, and others have
more than one. One child with a disability may need only a little extra help. Another child
may need more services because their learning needs are more intense. Some children will
need ESE services for only a short time. Others will need help throughout their school years.

Not all children with the same disability have the same needs or require the same services.
ESE services are designed to give each child the special help they need.

There are at least six steps in the process of planning and delivering ESE services for
your child:

 Evaluation
 Eligibility determination
 Developing the first individual educational plan
 Consent for services
 Annual reviews
 Reevaluations

These steps are described in detail in this book. Each school district may have a slightly
different way of carrying out this process. Work with your child’s school during each step by
giving information, asking questions, making suggestions, and helping make decisions. For
information on your rights during each part of the process, see Chapter 8.

http://www.fldoe.org/bii/Gifted_Ed

Laws about the Education of Children with Disabilities

There are several important federal and state laws about education for children with
disabilities. These laws help to make sure that your child with a disability gets the
educational services they need. The laws are organized around the following six principles:

1. Parent and Student Participation

The laws are clear that you, as the parent, should have a voice in all discussions and
decisions about your child’s education. As your child grows older, their own participation
becomes important. In fact, once your child is 14 years old (or earlier, if appropriate),
they are included at meetings to help make decisions about their education.

2. Appropriate Evaluation

Before deciding that your child is or is not eligible for exceptional student education, a
team of people must conduct an individual evaluation of your child’s educational
strengths and needs. The evaluation will include measuring your child’s response to
instruction and interventions over time, interviews, observation, and an analysis of all
information about your child and their educational needs. The evaluation sometimes
includes individual tests given by a specialist, such as a psychologist or speech‐language
pathologist. The law provides a number of protections to make sure that once your
child is identified as a child with a disability, they are reevaluated from time to time to
find out if your child continues to have a disability and if their educational program or
services should be changed.

3. Individual Educational Plan (IEP)

An IEP is a written agreement that tells you, your child, their teachers, and other school
staff and service providers what services the school will provide to help your child meet
their educational needs.

4. Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)

Every student receiving ESE services has the right to a free appropriate public
education. This means that the local public school district must provide services
designed to help your child meet their annual goals and make progress in the general
curriculum at no cost to you.

If your child has a disability, lives in Florida, is at least three years old and less than

years old, meets the eligibility criteria, and has not yet graduated from high school with
a standard diploma, they are entitled to receive free exceptional education services
from your local public school district.

5. Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)

Children with disabilities must be taught as much as possible in the school and the
classroom they would attend if they were not disabled. This means that your child’s
school should consider aids and supports that would help your child stay in a regular
classroom in their zoned school before deciding on a more restrictive placement.

Procedural Safeguards

School and district staff must follow certain steps to make sure that exceptional student
education and related services meet the unique needs of each public school student with
a disability. The rights that parents have, if there is a disagreement, to make sure those
steps are followed are called procedural safeguards.

The laws and rules that apply to educating children with disabilities are described in several
places in this book. The most important laws and rules are:

 The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
 The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
 The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
 Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973

In addition, information about federal and state rules and local school district policies can
be found in the following:

 Volume I‐B: Florida Statutes and State Board of Education Rules for educating
exceptional students, which can be found online at
http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pdf/1b‐stats

 Each local school district’s ESE Policies and Procedures (SP&P) document, which can
be found online at http://www.fldoe.org/ese/ppd.asp

 IDEA website Part B, which can be found online at http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home

Note: If your child goes to a private school and you think they might have a disability, the
public school district will evaluate your child if you ask for an ESE evaluation. If the
evaluation shows that your child does have a disability, they may be able to receive some
services from the public school system, but a child placed in a private school by their
parents is not entitled to all the rights discussed in this book. You can call the ESE
administrator in your local school district office to find out more about this.

http://idea.ed.gov/explore/home

http://www.fldoe.org/ese/ppd.asp

http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pdf/1b-stats

Student Records

You can help yourself, your child, and the school by keeping your own records. This will
make going to meetings and talking to school staff much easier. It will also be helpful if you
move to another county or state. Keep all of the information you receive about your child.
This may include:

 State and district test results and reports (e.g., FCAT or FCAT 2.0)
 Educational plans for your child—IEPs, and individualized family support plans (IFSPs)
 Progress reports and report cards
 Samples of your child’s work
 Evaluation reports
 Letters or emails to you from the school or from your child’s teachers
 Consent forms the school has asked you to sign
 Records or reports from doctors or other people from outside the school who have

worked with your child
 Letters, emails, or other information from agencies such as the Florida Department

of Education (FDOE) or the Florida Department of Children and Families (DCF)
 Copies of letters or notes that you have sent to the school or to your child’s teachers
 Notes and dates of telephone calls, meetings, and visits
 Other information related to your child’s education

Chapter 9 contains information to help you organize your child’s records.

Moving to a Different County

Children who qualify for ESE services in one Florida school district qualify for ESE services
everywhere in Florida. Before you move, you should do several things:

 Tell your child’s old school where you are moving and ask them to send your child’s
records to the new school right away.

 Contact the new school as soon as possible and tell school staff about your child’s
special needs.

 Take copies of your child’s school records with you to the new school, including the
most recent IEP and evaluation report.

CHAPTER 2—PROBLEM‐SOLVING/RESPONSE
TO INTERVENTION (PS/RTI)
If your child is having difficulty in school, the classroom teacher will try many ways to help
them be more successful. You and the teacher may meet to try to solve the problem
together. These problems may be academic, behavioral, or both. If the situation does not
improve, you or the teacher may ask for help from a team of people at the school. You, as a
parent, are part of that team.

This team will help by planning and implementing interventions that are most likely to help
your child, such as special teaching or behavior management strategies. You may be asked
to attend meetings, provide your input, or help in other ways.

The team will monitor your child’s response to the interventions. The information gathered
and used by the team to decide how well the interventions are working is called response to
intervention data. The data is put on a graph to provide a visual of the student’s progress.
Any time the school develops a graph or report about how your child is responding to an
intervention, you can have a copy at no cost to you. The team uses the information to
decide about changing the type or the intensity of the interventions. This process is called
problem‐solving.

When a child is having difficulties in school, parents sometimes provide additional supports
at home to help their child. It is important that you let the school know what is working at
home. If you want to learn how to provide additional supports at home to help your child be
successful, ask your child’s teacher or principal for information. School staff can provide you
with specific strategies or activities you can do at home to help your child build the skills
they need to be successful in school. School staff can also show you how to do the activities.

Problem‐solving is an ongoing process to find the strategies that work best for your child.
There are several levels of interventions that can be used to help your child. Florida calls
this a multi‐tiered system of supports.

There may come a time during the RtI process when the team believes that your child is not
making enough progress or when the intensity of support your child needs leads the team
to suspect that your child might need exceptional student education and related services. At
that time, the team may suggest an additional evaluation to find out if your child qualifies
for ESE.

The tteam decide s which speccific evaluat ion procedu ures to use. I f the school refers your child
for ann evaluationn they will teell you when and why th e referral w as made. Yoou must give
writteen permissioon for your cchild to be e valuated.

If youu think your child has a ddisability andd needs servvices you maay request a n individual
evaluuation at anyy time. If youu make the rrequest yourrself, write ddown the naame of the
persoon you talke d to and thee date. It is bbest to makee your requeest for an evaaluation in
writinng and keep a copy of thhe letter.

Whenn you ask to have your cchild evaluatted, school sstaff will givee you a copyy of your
proceedural safegguards and aa written no tice telling yyou:

 That they will evaluat e your child or that they y have decideed not to evaaluate your cchild
 Why theyy made the ddecision to eevaluate or nnot evaluate your child
 What evaaluations, asssessments, rrecords, or rreports theyy used to ma ke the decission
 Any otherr options theey considereed and why tthey did nott choose tho se other opttions
 That you have certainn rights undeer IDEA
 How you can get helpp in understaanding the nnotice and thhe evaluatio n process

Photo courrtesy of: Hemera/TThinkstock

CHAPTER 3—EVALUATION PROCESS

The evaluation process is a way to collect information about your child’s learning needs,
strengths, and interests. The people doing the evaluation will try to answer these kinds of
questions about your child:

 What does your child do well?
 What does your child know or not know?
 What interventions have been tried and how did your child respond?
 How does your child learn best?
 What learning needs does your child have?
 Does your child have behaviors that interfere with their learning or ability to

make friends?
 Does your child have a disability?

You must give your written permission before your child can be individually evaluated. The
school staff will ask you to sign a consent form to show that you agree to the evaluation. The
school will tell you, in writing, the following things:

 What they are planning to do during the evaluation
 Why they think your child should be evaluated
 Any other options the school staff considered and why they did not choose those

other options
 How you can get help in understanding the consent form and the evaluation process

The school will also give you a copy of the document, Part B, Notice of Procedural Safeguards
for Parents of Students with Disabilities, which explains your rights as the parent of a child who
has or is suspected of having a disability.

An evaluation should look at all the areas in which your child may have needs. It must look at
your child in more than one way. Here are some ways your child might be evaluated:

 Watching your child work
 Checking on your child’s health
 Talking with your child
 Talking with you about things your child does at home and what your child was like at a

younger age
 Reviewing your child’s school history (including documentation of the problem‐

solving process)
 Giving individual tests
 Trying assistive technology devices with your child

The evaluuation will bbe done speccifically for yyour child annd must be aappropriate ffor them. Thhis
means thhe evaluatio n will:

 UUse tests thatt are designeed for childrren who are like your chhild
 NNot give a fal se or unfair picture of y our child be cause of youur child’s racce or culturee
 Be in the langguage and foorm that is mmost likely too show whatt your child knows and

caan do
 GGive your chi ld every chaance to showw what they know and caan do

More thaan one persoon may help with the evvaluation. Heere are somee of the peo ple who mayy
be involvved:

 You (the pareent)
 Teachers
 OOccupationall or physicall therapists
 Scchool psychoologists
 DDoctors or nuurses
 Scchool social workers
 Sppeech‐languuage pathologists
 AAudiologists ((hearing speecialists)
 AAssistive techhnology specialists

Photo courte sy of: Creatas/Thi nkstock

You play an important part in the evaluation process. You can help calm any fears your child has
about the tests or other evaluations. You can also provide information about your child that no
one else is likely to have, such as information about:

 Your child’s medical history
 Your child’s development over the years
 How your child does at home in areas such as self‐care, communicating with others,

doing chores, and doing homework
 How your child gets along with adults and other children
 Your child’s interests, skills, and hopes for the future

Evaluation information may also be obtained from other people who have worked with your
child in the past. Sometimes the school can use evaluations of your child that have already been
done by other schools or agencies. The school will ask you to give written permission to share
this information with the school.

Once you have given your written permission for the initial evaluation, gathering information
and evaluating your child should be done within

school days. The 60 days do not include
days when your child is not at school. It is important to have your child at school every day to
help get the evaluations finished as quickly as possible.

CHAPTER 4—ELIGIBILITY DETERMINATION

After the evaluation is finished, the school will invite you to a special meeting, which is
often called an eligibility staffing. When you get the invitation, you will have four choices.
You can:

 Attend at the suggested date and time
 Ask to reschedule the meeting and suggest other dates and times you can meet
 Ask to participate through a telephone conference
 Decide that it is impossible for you to attend and tell the school that they may go

ahead with the meeting and talk with you about the results afterward (If you choose
this option, the school must send you copies of all the reports and any forms that
they filled out during the meeting.)

It is important for you to get ready for the meeting. Read over your records and make notes
to take to the meeting. This will help you remember important information you want to
share and questions you want to ask.

A group of people from the school or school district will be at the eligibility staffing. This
may include:

 Principal or other school administrator
 Staffing specialist
 ESE teacher
 Guidance counselor
 Speech pathologist
 Regular classroom teacher
 School psychologist
 Other specialists who worked with your child during the evaluation process

At the meeting, the evaluators or other school staff will explain the evaluations and discuss
the results with you. The team of people—including you—will determine if your child
qualifies for ESE services. Questions you might want to ask:

 Were there any special circumstances in the testing situation that might have
affected my child’s performance?

 How do my child’s results compare with those of other children?
 How do my child’s test results compare with previous scores on similar tests?
 What do the test results tell you about how my child learns best?

 Are there recommended strategies to help my child be successful in the general
education curriculum?

First, a child qualifies for services only if they meet one of the eligibility criteria in the State
Board of Education Rules for ESE, listed below:

 Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
 Deaf or hard‐of‐hearing (DHH)
 Developmentally delayed (three through five years old only) (DD)
 Dual‐sensory impaired (deaf‐blind) (DSI)
 Emotional or behavioral disabilities (EBD)
 Homebound or hospitalized (HH)
 Intellectual disabilities (InD)
 Language impaired (LI)
 Orthopedic impairment (OI)
 Other health impairment (OHI)
 Traumatic brain injury (TBI)
 Specific learning disabilities (SLD)
 Speech impaired (SI)
 Visually impaired (VI)

Second, the team must determine if your child needs specially designed instruction and
related services as a result of the disability. There are a number of questions that the team
will answer to help figure out if your child qualifies for ESE and to lay the foundation for the
individual educational plan. The questions include:

 What special learning needs does your child have because of the disability?
 What special behavioral needs does your child have because of the disability?
 Does your child need assistive technology because of the disability?
 Does your child need related services or supplementary aids to benefit from

special education?

The team will use the evaluation reports, medical records, school progress reports, test
results, progress monitoring information from the RtI process, and any information you
provide to decide if your child qualifies for ESE services. You have the right to receive
copies of evaluations and reports at no cost to you. You also have the right to have the
reports and evaluations explained to you. Be sure to keep copies of evaluation reports in
your file or notebook.

The tteam will deccide one of tthe followin g:

 Your childd is eligible for ESE servicces. The tea m will devellop an IEP soo you will kn ow
what servvices the schhool is offerinng to your c hild.

 Your childd does not q ualify for ESSE services. HHowever, th e problem‐ssolving proceess
will continnue. If your child is still sstruggling, thhe school w ill keep wor king with yoou to
find wayss to help. If yyour child is ddoing betterr, the schoo l will continuue to monitoor
progress tto make sur e that your cchild continuues to be su ccessful.

 Your childd does not q ualify for ESSE services, bbut does neeed accommoodations as aa
result of aa disability. TThe accommmodations w ill be identiffied in what is called a 5004
plan. Morre informati on on 504 p lans can be found at
http://wwww.fldoe.orgg/ese/pubxhhome.asp.

 There is nnot enough i nformation to reach a ddecision and more evalu ation is needded.

PPhoto courtesy of: George Doyle/Stoockbyte/Thinkstocck

http://wwww.fldoe.orgg/ese/pubxhhome.asp

CHAPTER 5—THE INDIVIDUAL EDUCATIONAL
PLAN (IEP)
Every child with a disability who is eligible for ESE will have an IEP. An IEP is a written plan
that tells you, your child, the teachers, and other school staff which ESE services the school
will provide to your child. Your child cannot receive ESE services until the first IEP is
developed and you give your permission for the services and placement. You will find a copy
of a sample blank IEP form in Appendix D. Your child’s form may look different, but it will
include the same information.

IEPs are developed during IEP team meetings. You will get a written notice from the school
before each IEP meeting. The notice will tell you the day, time, and place suggested for the
meeting; who will be there; and why the meeting is being held. The school staff want your
help in writing the IEP, so they will try to find a day, time, and place that is good for you.
Some parents choose to participate in the meeting by telephone. If you choose not to
participate in the meeting, the school may hold the IEP team meeting without you. Even if
you do not participate, you will still receive a copy of the IEP.

Here are some things to keep in mind about the IEP:

 The IEP is a plan for your child only.
 There is only one IEP at a time for your child.
 The IEP describes the services your child will receive from the beginning date to the

ending date of the IEP, which will be for one year or less. A new IEP must be written
for your child at least once every year.

 The people you and your school invite to the IEP team meeting should have
knowledge or expertise about your child or the technology your child uses. If the
school is going to invite someone from any agency other than the school district, you
must give your permission. If you are going to invite someone, it would be helpful if
you let the school know who you are inviting.

 When you sign the IEP, it does not mean you agree with it. Your signature on the IEP
form means that you attended the IEP team meeting. It does not mean you give
your permission for services to begin. You will be asked to sign a different form to
give your permission for services to begin for your child.

 If you do not agree with the IEP, you can write “not in agreement” on the IEP beside
your signature.

The team will discuss the following nine items at your child’s IEP team meeting. The
decisions will be included in the IEP.

1. Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance

The present level statement describes what your child is able to do and what they struggle
with in academic subjects and functional skills. It may also include information about how
your child behaves or communicates with others. It may identify at what grade level your
child is performing. The IEP team needs to know what your child knows and can do when it
develops your child’s IEP. The IEP team also needs to know how your child’s disability
affects their progress. This information helps determine what your child needs to learn
(your child’s annual goals) and what services they need.

Here are some examples of present levels statements:

 Based on John’s results on the district reading test, John understands what he reads
at the third‐grade level.

 Based on teachers’ and parents’ observations, Mary hits people when she is angry,
upset, or needs help.

 Based on parents’ observations, Eric writes slowly but he enjoys using the computer
and does more of his homework when allowed to use the computer.

2. Measurable Annual Goals

Measurable annual goals state what your child needs to learn in order to progress in the
general curriculum and to meet other needs related to their disability. These goals are
based on the present levels statement. An IEP may contain one or more annual goals. They
describe what your child should be able to learn within a year. Annual goals must be
measurable. This means that goals should be written so that at the end of the year, the IEP
team can tell if your child has learned what was expected. Goals should also be reasonable.
The team should not plan too much or too little for your child.

Here are some examples of annual goals:

 By the end of the year, John will independently read a fourth‐grade textbook and
answer comprehension questions with 80 percent accuracy.

 By the end of the year, Mary will use words instead of hitting when she is angry,
upset, or needs help 80 percent of the time.

 By the end of the year through participating in a keyboarding class, Eric will be able
to use a laptop to complete and turn in 95 percent of his homework assignments
on time.

For older students, the IEP will include goals related to the student’s transition to life after
high school. Additional information about transition planning for students 14 years old or
older can be found in the book Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities: A Guide
for Families, which is available online or through the BRIC. (Contact information for the BRIC
is on the inside of the front cover of this book.)

3. Benchmarks or Short‐Term Objectives

Your child’s IEP may contain benchmarks or short‐term objectives. Benchmarks and short‐
term objectives are only required for students who take the Florida Alternate Assessment
(FAA). For other students, they are optional. The IEP team makes the decision about
including benchmarks and short‐term objectives.

Benchmarks are major milestones between the present levels of performance and annual
goals. Short‐term objectives are similar, but usually cover smaller steps. However, many
people use these terms to mean the same thing. Benchmarks and short‐term objectives,
like annual goals, should be written to fit your child’s needs.

The IEP should list all the important steps needed to master the goals the IEP team has set,
but it is not a daily lesson plan. The benchmarks and short‐term objectives should not be so
small that your child could achieve them in a day or two.

4. Description of How Child’s Progress Will Be Measured and Reported to Parents

Throughout the year, you and the school will keep track of how well your child is doing. The
IEP must describe how your child’s progress toward their annual goals will be measured and
how you will be regularly informed of that progress. It will also describe how often you will
receive reports about your child’s progress.

5. ESE Services, Related Services, Supplementary Aids and Services, and Support
for Personnel

The IEP describes each ESE service, related service, accommodation or modification,
support, or supplementary aid for your child. It may also list the title of the person who will
make sure that your child receives each service. Services, aids, and supports are help that
your child may need in order to benefit from school. They are devices and services that
allow children with disabilities to be educated with children without disabilities as much as
possible. Some children do not need any additional services, aids, or supports, while other
children need several.

Sometimes the best way to help your child is to help your child’s teachers. Any support that
will be provided for your child’s teachers should be listed on the IEP as well.

6. Accommodations

Your child may need changes in teaching or testing in order to make progress and
demonstrate what they have learned. The IEP describes these changes. Accommodations
are changes to the way a student accesses instructions and demonstrates what they know.
Students who need accommodations but not modifications usually work toward a standard
diploma. Accommodations are usually tried before considering modifications.

Modifications are changes in what a student is expected to learn. They may include changes
to content, requirements, and expected levels of mastery. Modifications may include
partially completing a course or program requirement or getting instruction in the access
points for students with significant cognitive disabilities. Students who need modifications
may not be able to earn a standard high school diploma.

7. Accommodations in the Administration of State‐and District‐Wide Assessments

The IEP must include a statement about any accommodations that will be made for your
child when taking state‐or district‐wide assessments (tests).

An accommodation to a state‐or district‐wide assessment should only be requested when
used regularly in the classroom setting. If your child is using an accommodation in the
classroom that is not allowed for state assessments, you must sign forms that describe the
accommodation and tell you which test(s) will not allow its use.

Here are some examples of testing accommodations:

 An interpreter uses sign language to give the directions for a test to a child who
cannot hear.

 A child takes a three‐hour test in three separate one‐hour sessions rather than in
one long session.

 A child responds to the test questions orally rather than the way other students do,
such as with paper and pencil or on a computer.

If the IEP team decides that your child will not take a particular state‐or district‐wide
assessment, the IEP must include an explanation of why that assessment is not
appropriate for your child and how your child will be tested instead. This is called an
alternate assessment.

8. Florida Alternnate Assessmment

Federal and statee laws requirre that all st udents be inncluded in sttatewide tessting. Most
studeents with dissabilities tak e the Floridaa Compreheensive Assesssment Test®® (FCAT or FCCAT
2.0) aalong with g eneral educ ation studennts. A small nnumber of sstudents wit h significantt
cogniitive disabilitties take thee Florida Alteernate Assesssment. The FAA is for s tudents withh
disabbilities who rrequire direcct intensive iinstruction i n skills needded for commmunity livingg,
leisurre, and vocaational activiities. Studennts who takee the FAA wi ll work towaard a speciall
diplooma rather t han a standaard diploma when they get to high sschool.

If youur child is woorking towarrd a special ddiploma, thee IEP team ddecides whicch of these
assesssments you r child will taake.

9. Placement annd the Leastt Restrictive Environmennt (LRE)

Whenn Congress ffirst passed tthe Educatioon for All Ha ndicapped CChildren Act in 19

(no w
the IDDEA), the puurpose was t o make suree all childrenn with disabi ilities had acccess to a freee
approopriate publ ic educationn. Before thaat time, statees had differrent laws annd not all
childrren with disaabilities cou ld attend puublic schoolss.

To reeceive federaal funds, a sttate’s plans mmust includee a promise that a child with a disabbility
will oonly be remooved from a regular classsroom if thee nature or s everity of thheir disabilityy
interfferes to suchh a degree thhat educatioon, even wit h additional l supports annd services,
cannoot be satisfaactorily achieeved in a reggular class. SStudents mu st be placedd in the leastt
restriictive enviroonment posssible.

The I EP team’s deecisions aboout where yoour child willl be taught aare called “pplacement”
decisions. Your c hild’s placemment will be based on yoour child’s n eeds. You annd the rest oof
the IEEP team will begin by as suming thatt your child wwill be taughht in the samme classroomm and
schoool your child would attennd if they di d not have aa disability.

Photo courrtesy of: Hemera/TThinkstock

The IEP team will work together to identify services and supports that will help your child
succeed in general classes and in other activities at the school. Only if the team decides that
your child will not be able to make progress in general classes will they consider having your
child spend part or all of the day in ESE classes, which is a more restrictive placement. Ranging
from least restrictive (1) to most restrictive (6), possible placements include the following:

1. General education class for all subjects, with special instruction, materials,
technology, services, accommodations, or curriculum modifications

2. General education class for some subjects and a special class just for students with
disabilities for other subjects (sometimes called a “resource class”)

3. Special classes for all subjects
4. Special school for the whole day
5. Special place to live and go to school
6. Instruction at home or in a hospital

These different types of placements make up the range of placements. Which school your
child attends is based on the district’s plan for school zones and on which schools offer the
services your child needs. Some types of services may be available in many schools throughout
the school district. Other types of services may only be available in a few schools.

The time that a child remains in the general education classroom using supplementary aids,
accommodations, or services and the time they spend in another setting is decided on an
individual basis by the IEP team. The team must first consider what it would take to support
the child’s learning in the general education classroom with students without disabilities.
No matter where the child receives instruction, the special materials, technology, services,
or accommodations will be written into the IEP and made available to meet the child’s
learning needs.

In almost every case, the local public school district will be able to offer the services and
placement your child needs. However, if the IEP team decides that your child needs a
placement that the local school district does not offer, your school district may look for
another school district or private school to provide the services. If the IEP team decides that
your child will go to a school in another district or to another school, transportation will be
provided at no cost to you.

Other Information That May Be on the IEP

Each type of information described above must be included in your child’s IEP. Some school
districts include other information in the IEP to make it more useful. Here are some of the
things that may be added:

 Physical education—Tells the type of physical education your child will receive
(general or specially designed)

 Information on parent participation—Describes what the school has done to notify
you about IEP team meetings and to help you participate

 Child’s or parent’s language—Tells what language your family speaks
 Health and medical information—Describes any special health or medical problems

your child has
 Diploma option—Tells what type of high school diploma your child is working toward

Note: Most students with disabilities are able to pass the courses and tests needed to
get a standard diploma. Some students with disabilities will work toward a special
diploma. Talk with the IEP team about the kind of diploma your child can earn.

You will receive regular reports on your child’s progress toward their IEP goals. As your child
grows and changes, and as you and the school staff learn new things about your child, the IEP
will need to be changed. As you work together, you will find ways to make the IEP more useful.

Transition IEP

When your child turns 14 they should participate in meetings, and the IEP team will start
discussing what you and your child’s plans are for after high school. The IEP team will also
identify the course of study and services needed to help your child prepare for life after high
school. The book, Transition Planning for Students with Disabilities: A Guide for Families,
provides important information about transitioning. It is available online at
http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pub‐home.asp and from the BRIC. (Contact information for the
BRIC is on the inside of the front cover of this book.)

Consent for Services and Placement

You will be asked for written consent for placement and services only once. This will happen
after the first IEP is developed. If your child’s services or placement are changed later the
school or district must inform you by providing a written notice, but they do not need your
permission to make the changes. See Chapter 8 for more information about consent and
written notice.

http://www.fldoe.org/ese/pub-home.asp

After the IEP and Consent

Once you have given your consent, services should start right away. Of course, the school
may need a few days to get everything ready. There are several things you may want to do
before your child starts receiving ESE services:

 If your child will receive services in a different classroom or in a different school, call
the school to arrange a visit for you and your child.

 Talk to your child. Tell your child about the services they will receive. If your child’s
placement is going to change, tell your child about the new teacher or class.

 If your child is going to use assistive technology, learn how to use it yourself. Be sure
you know who is going to teach your child to use the technology. Be sure you know
who is going to take care of the technology.

 If your child will be riding a bus, check on the bus schedule.

After your child has started receiving services, keep in touch with the teachers. Find out
how your child is doing and what your child is learning. Visit the class every once in a while.
Before you visit, call the school to arrange a time. Talk with the teachers about the good
things you saw as well as any concerns you have. Know when you should receive written
reports on how your child is progressing toward their IEP goals. This is listed in the IEP. If
you do not receive the reports, ask for them. If concerns or disagreements about your
child’s ESE services come up, it is helpful to talk with the teacher, guidance counselor,
staffing specialist, or school principal as soon as possible.

If you are still unable to resolve the concerns, you may contact the district’s ESE office.
Many school districts have procedures in place to assist families in resolving disputes.

In addition, parents may contact the Bureau of Exceptional Education and Student
Services (part of the Florida Department of Education) to discuss the following
administrative remedies:

 Mediation
 State complaint investigation
 Due process hearing request

Matrix of Services

You may hear the term “matrix of services” at some point during your child’s education.
This is a funding tool used by the State of Florida. The matrix is not part of the IEP.

The mmatrix of serrvices reflectts the level oof services lissted on you r child’s IEP in each of thhe
followwing areas:

 Curriculumm and Learnning Environ ment
 Social or EEmotional B ehavior
 Independdent Functionning
 Health Caare
 Communiication

Within each areaa, the IEP teaam may havee decided thhat your childd will receiv e no servicees,
somee services (suuch as help ffrom a speci alist for you ur child’s tea cher, or adaapted
instruuctional matterials), or veery intense sservices (succh as continuuous monitooring or
assisttance). The sservices you r child recei ves will be nnoted in the matrix. Servvices that ar e
checkked off on thhe matrix muust be servicces your chil d is actuallyy receiving.

Photo courtesy of: Amos Morgan/Ph hotodisc/Thinkstocck

CHAPTER 6—ANNUAL REVIEW OF THE IEP
At least once every 12 months, you and the rest of the IEP team will meet to talk about your
child’s progress in school and to write a new IEP. You will receive a written notice about this
meeting. If you cannot go at the time suggested in the written notice, you may call the
school and ask for a different day, time, or place.

You will want to get ready for this meeting. Read over the progress reports you received
during the year and any other records you have. Make a list of your questions and
suggestions. You might want to visit your child’s class and talk to the teacher again. Re‐read
Chapter 5 about IEPs before you go to the meeting.

The team may begin by reviewing your child’s last IEP and other records to learn what
progress your child has made. Based on that information, the team will answer questions
such as these:

 What are your child’s present levels of academic achievement and
functional performance?

 Does your child need additional accommodations to be successful in the
general curriculum?

 Which annual goals has your child mastered? Which annual goals need to be
changed? What new annual goals should your child work toward?

 Do the services or supports need to be changed?
 Does assistive technology need to be added or changed?
 Is there a need for more evaluations?
 Does your child need a different placement in order to make progress?

You and the rest of the team will then write a new IEP for your child. The team may be able
to write the new IEP without more evaluation, or the team may ask your permission to do
another evaluation.

Of course, your child’s needs may change at any time. Watch your child carefully. Keep in
touch with the people at the school. You do not have to wait until the 12 months are up to
review your child’s IEP. You may ask for an IEP meeting at any time. Here are some reasons
you might ask for a review meeting before the end of the 12 months:

 Your child is not making as much progress as expected.
 Your child is making more progress than expected.
 Your child needs services for more time or less time.
 Your child’s needs have changed.

 New inforrmation aboout your childd is availablee that could impact the IEP.
If youu wish to askk for an IEP mmeeting befoore the 12 mmonths are uup, write to tthe school too
explaain why a meeeting is neeeded. Generaally, changess to the IEP must be ma de by the enntire
IEP teeam at an IE P meeting. HHowever, beetween annuual IEP meettings, when tthe school
district and the pparent agree , the IEP cann be amendeed or modifi ed without aan IEP meet ing
and wwithout rewrriting the enttire IEP. Any time your chhild’s IEP is aamended or modified, alll
members of the IEP team shoould be info rmed of the e change. Thee school muust notify youu if it
changges your chi ld’s servicess or setting, bbut the schoool does not need your cconsent to
changge your childd’s services oor setting.

If youur request foor an IEP tea m meeting iis turned do own, the schoool district mmust tell youu in
writinng. If you ca nnot settle yyour disagreeement with the school, you may as k for mediattion
or forr a due proc ess hearing.

Photo courtesy of: Jup iterimages/ Brandd X Pictures/Thinksstock

CHAPTER 7—REEVALUATION

The school must reevaluate your child at least every three years to find out if they still have
a disability and still need ESE services. As part of the reevaluation, the IEP team must review
existing information about your child. The IEP team may decide to give your child tests or
use other methods to collect new data about your child.

The school must have your written permission before doing any individual evaluation or
testing. The consent form will tell you, in writing, the following things:

 What they are planning to do during the reevaluation
 Why school staff think your child should be evaluated individually
 Any other options the school staff considered and why they did not choose those

other options
 How you can get help in understanding the consent form and the evaluation process

The IEP team will also hold a meeting if you or the school staff think that your child no longer
needs ESE services. Your child can only be dismissed (removed) from ESE by the IEP team.
The school cannot dismiss your child from ESE services without asking you to participate in
the decision. After the meeting, the school will provide you with written notice if the IEP
team has decided to dismiss your child from ESE. You will get this notice before your child
stops receiving services. However, the school does not need your permission to dismiss
your child from ESE or to make other changes in placement. If you disagree with the
decision, read Chapter 8 for more information about your procedural safeguards.

If your child is dismissed from ESE it may be helpful to save your records for future use.

CHAPTER 8—PROCEDURAL SAFEGUARDS (RIGHTS
AND RESPONSIBILITIES)
This chapter will help you understand the rights and responsibilities that go along with ESE
services. The federal law called the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act says that as
the parent of a child with a disability, you have certain procedural safeguards. These are
rules about what procedures the school (and parents) must use in making decisions about a
child’s ESE services.

The procedural safeguards may be hard to understand. Along with reading this chapter, you
may want some training or other help. The ESE administrator in your local school district
office can tell you where to find help or training.

Procedural safeguards are designed to make the ESE process fair for you and the school and
to help make sure your child receives a free appropriate public education. Procedural
safeguards give parents and schools a set of rules to help them work together. The procedural
safeguards also give parents and schools ways to solve problems and settle disagreements.

If you have good reason to believe that your child is not receiving a free appropriate public
education, you may want to make use of your rights, including your right to mediation, to
file a state complaint, and to request a due process hearing. There are people who will help
you do this.

The school will give you copies of your procedural safeguards at least once a year and:

 Upon initial referral or your request for an evaluation
 When a change in placement occurs for your child as part of a discipline procedure
 Upon receiving a state complaint or first request for a due process hearing in the

school year
 When you request a copy

Note: The rights given by IDEA to the parent of a student with a disability transfer to the
student at the age of majority. In Florida, this transfer of rights happens when the student
turns 18, unless the student has been declared incompetent under state law or has a
guardian advocate who has been appointed to make educational decisions.

If you have read Chapter 1, you already know that you and your child with a disability have
many rights, such as the right to:

 A free appropriate public education

 A complete, fair individual evaluation
 An IEP
 An education in the least restrictive environment
 A yearly review of student progress

Procedural Safeguards

Here are three examples of procedural safeguards that are especially important to you and
your child with a disability:

 The right to have written notice
 The right to participate
 The right to give, not give, or withdraw consent

The Right to Have Written Notice

There are many times when the school must give you written notice. You will get a notice
from the school when:

 The school has agreed to (or turned down) a request you have made
 The school wants to individually evaluate or reevaluate your child
 The school staff plans to change your child’s services or placement
 The team has decided, at an eligibility staffing meeting, that your child is or is

not eligible for ESE

The notice should:

 Be easy for you to understand
 Tell you what the school plans to do (or refuses to do)
 Tell you why the school plans to take (or refuses to take) action
 Explain any other options the school considered and why they were rejected
 Describe any evaluation procedure, test, record, report, or other factor the school

used to make the decision
 Tell you that you have specific rights and how you can get a copy of the

procedural safeguards
 Tell you who to call if you do not understand the notice

If you understand and agree with what is in the notice, there is very little you need to do.
Keep the notice in your file. Plan to go to any meeting you have been asked to attend. If you
do not understand the notice, call the school or appropriate contact right away. Someone

there will explain what the notice means. If you do not agree with what the notice says,
there are steps you can take:
 First, contact the person named in the notice.
 Next, call the ESE administrator in your local school district office.
 Ask for a meeting, such as another IEP team meeting.
 You may need to write a letter to explain your point of view.
 You may ask for free mediation services at any time.
 If you believe that the school has not followed the requirements of IDEA when the

IEP team made a decision or that the IEP is not being implemented as agreed, you
may file a formal state complaint or ask for a due process hearing.

The Right to Participate

You have the right to help make certain decisions about your child’s education. The school
must ask you to participate whenever they hold a meeting related to the identification,
evaluation, or placement of your child or to the provision of a free appropriate public
education to your child. The school will ask you to participate in any meeting to:

 Determine your child’s eligibility for ESE
 Develop (write) or review your child’s IEP
 Make decisions about your child’s placement or services

Sometimes, you may ask the school to set up a meeting. No matter who asked for the
meeting, when you participate, you make it easier for the school to serve your child. When
you participate, you will want to:

 Share information about your child and your child’s needs
 Listen to and think about what other people are saying
 Ask questions
 Keep notes or records about the meeting
 Share your ideas about what can be done to help your child
 Make sure you understand what is going to happen next

If you need a translator to participate in the meeting, one should be provided for the
meeting. If you use sign language, an interpreter should be provided. Be sure to let the
school know before the meeting if you need a translator or an interpreter. You may bring
someone to translate or interpret, if you wish.

Whenever you are asked to participate, you should prepare. Read over your records and the
parts of this book that are about the type of meeting you will be attending. Call the school

and ask to visit your child’s class and talk to your child’s teachers. Make notes about things
you want to say or the questions you want to ask and take them to the meeting. You may
also take someone with you to the meeting—such as a friend, relative, or other person who
has knowledge of your child and can help you. It is helpful to let the school know when you
are bringing someone with you to the meeting.

The Right to Give, Not Give, or Withdraw Consent

For some actions, the school only has to let you know what they have decided to do or not
do (give you notice). However, they must have your written permission before they take the
following actions:

 Conduct an individual evaluation of your child
 Provide ESE services for the first time

When you give your permission, it means you agree to let the school staff do something for
your child. You will be asked to sign a form that says you agree to what the school is
planning. Usually this permission is called “consent.”

You have several choices when the school asks for your consent:

 You may agree and sign the form.
 You may ask for more information.
 You may ask for time to think about what is best for your child.
 You may ask the school staff to change what they are planning. They will either

make the change or decide that the change is not appropriate. If the school staff
refuses to make the change, they will let you know in writing.

 You may decide not to give consent. Be sure that the school staff understands your
reasons for this decision. The school staff may try to help your child in another way,
or they may suggest mediation or ask for a due process hearing.

Think carefully about whether to give your consent, because you are making important
decisions about your child’s education. Most of the time you and the school staff will be
able to work together and agree on what will be done for your child.

Remember, for some actions, the school must give you a written notice but does not need
your consent. However, the school staff should ask for your input. Here are some things the
school can do without your consent:

 Hold an eligibility staffing or an IEP team meeting (however, you must be invited to
participate in these meetings)

 Change your child’s placement or services (however, any change in placement must
be based on the decision of the IEP team, and you are a member of the team)

You may withdraw (revoke) your consent at any time after your child starts receiving ESE
services. You must do this is writing. Before the school district can stop providing ESE
services to your child, they must notify you in writing.

Steps in Solving Problems

From time to time, you and the school staff may disagree about what is fair or needed
for your child. Some disagreements can be solved easily, while others may take more time
and effort.

The first step in solving a problem is to make sure that everyone understands the problem.
It is often best to ask for a meeting when you don’t understand something or think the
school doesn’t understand you. Many times, talking to the right person will help. Contact
the people in the list below, in the order given:

 Your child’s teacher
 The principal of the school
 Your child’s IEP team
 The ESE administrator in the local school district office
 The superintendent of the school district

If other problems come up, find out who has the power to make decisions about those
problems and talk to that person. Taking a complaint to someone who cannot make
decisions is not a good use of time for you or your child.

Dispute Resolution

If you and the school district are still not able to agree about what is needed for your child,
you may decide to ask for mediation, file a state complaint, or ask for a due process hearing.

Mediation, formal complaints, and due process hearings all have the same purpose: to
solve problems. They are designed to make sure that children with disabilities receive a free
appropriate public education. They are not designed to punish the school or anyone else.

More information about the dispute resolution methods below and the forms you need to
complete if you want to use one of them can be found online at http://www.fldoe.org/ese/
resolution.asp. The forms are also in Appendix D of this book.

http://www.fldoe.org/ese

Mediation

One way to solve problems is mediation. During a mediation session, a trained and
impartial mediator will help you and the school district resolve your disagreement about
the identification, evaluation, placement, or free appropriate public education of your child.
You may ask for mediation at any time—even at the same time that you file a complaint or
ask for a due process hearing.

For mediation to occur, both you and the school district must agree to it. After you and the
district send a request for mediation to the Florida Department of Education, FDOE will
assign a mediator and schedule the mediation. Sessions usually last three to six hours. What
happens during a mediation session is confidential.

The purpose of mediation is not for one side to win, but for both sides to come to an
agreement. The mediation session will give you and the school district a chance to:

 Talk about the problem
 Explain your points of view
 Come to an agreement that is best for your child

The mediator will not decide how to solve the problem. The mediator will help you and the
school (or district) staff come up with ideas to solve the problem. There are several
advantages to mediation:

 Mediation services are free.
 Disagreements are typically solved more quickly through mediation than they are

through formal complaint or due process procedures.
 Mediation may improve your working relationship with the people in the school and

school district. This can be very important, since your relationship with the school
district may last many years.

If you and the school district do not reach an agreement through mediation, you may still
file a complaint or ask for a due process hearing.

Formal State Complaint

Parents may also try to solve problems by filing a formal complaint with the Florida
Department of Education. You should only file a complaint with the Bureau of Exceptional
Education and Student Services if you believe the school district has violated a requirement
of IDEA or state laws and rules relating to the education of students with disabilities.
Problems like bullying, discrimination, or the behavior of staff do not count as a violation of

IDEA or state laws relating to students with disabilities. However, bureau staff can help you
locate the correct area within FDOE to file a complaint on these issues.

You are encouraged to call FDOE at (850) 245‐0475 before filing a complaint. FDOE staff
may encourage you to try mediation or other methods of solving the problem, or they may
contact the district on your behalf to help resolve the issue. However, if you decide to file a
formal written complaint, your complaint must:

 Describe how the school district has violated a requirement of IDEA or another law
 Explain the facts of the situation as you understand them
 Be about a violation of law that occurred not more than one year before you filed

the complaint

During the complaint process, FDOE will ask you to explain your complaint over the phone
or in writing. The FDOE will investigate to find out if the school district has violated a law or
rule. Someone from FDOE may visit the school, if needed. Within 60 days after the date
your complaint is received, FDOE will issue a written decision. The decision will:

 List the findings of fact—the things FDOE found to be true or that you and the
district stated

 List the laws or rules that were to be followed
 State the FDOE’s decision
 State what the district must do to correct the problem (if the district was found to

have failed to follow the law or rule and was found to be at fault)

If there is also a due process hearing about the issue(s) in the state complaint, then the
state complaint will be set aside to allow the issue(s) to be decided through the due process
hearing. If the issue(s) have already been decided through a due process hearing, then the
decision cannot be reconsidered through the complaint process.

Due Process Hearing

The right to a due process hearing is given to parents and school districts as a way of
helping them resolve disagreements about a child’s evaluation, eligibility, placement,
services, or IEP. An administrative law judge runs the due process hearing. In our state, the
administrative law judge works for the Division of Administrative Hearings (DOAH). The
administrative law judge cannot know the student or be a friend or relative of the family. At
the hearing, the administrative law judge will:

 Listen to you explain what you want and why
 Look at the school district’s records and your records

 Listen to people from the school district explain their point of view
 Listen to the people you chose to help explain your point of view
 Ask questions

After the hearing, the administrative law judge will make decisions based on the laws
and rules.

The due process hearing is a formal procedure, so, as in court, certain rules apply:

 You have the right to have a lawyer or other person to help you.
 A lawyer will represent the school district.
 You and the school district may have witnesses to help explain things to the

administrative law judge.
 You and the school district may show evidence to the administrative law judge.

It may take up to 45 days (or longer, in some cases) from the time you ask for the hearing to
actually have the hearing and get a decision from the administrative law judge. During this
time, your child will stay in their present placement and receive the services in their IEP, if
they have one. This is called a stay‐put placement. Of course, you and the school district
can agree to make a change if you both believe it is a good idea.

While you are waiting for the hearing, you will be asked to try to work things out in a
meeting called a resolution session. If you and the school district agree, you can try
mediation instead. If the school district wants to have a resolution session or wants to go to
mediation and you refuse, the hearing will not take place. You can also ask for mediation
during a due process hearing or at any other time. If mediation does not work, you can still
have a due process hearing.

Before the Hearing

You must fill out a “request for due process hearing” form. Call the ESE administrator in
your local school district office before you send in the form, and let the administrator know
what you plan to do. If the school district is asking for the hearing, they will send you a written
notice. In either case, there are many things you need to do to get ready for the hearing.

Decide about Getting Help

It is important that you know how to present your case at the hearing. Consider having
someone, like a lawyer or other advisor, help you get ready and go to the hearing with you.
The school district staff will have a lawyer to help them.

 The school district can give you a list of places to get free or low‐cost legal services.
Ask for this list.

 Many of the groups listed in the directory in Appendix A will help you get ready for a
hearing. (People from these groups are often called “advocates.”)

 Check with a local college or university. Sometimes a professor in the special
education department will be able to help you.

 If you want to represent yourself, visit http://www.doah.state.fl.us/ALJ and click the
“Representing Yourself” link for helpful information.

Check Time, Place, and Other Details

The time and place for the hearing will be set so that you can be there. It may or may not be
appropriate for your child to attend the hearing.

Collect Evidence

At the hearing, you try to prove to the administrative law judge that you are right. The
school district staff will try to prove that they are right. You need evidence to show to the
administrative law judge.

Evidence is material that helps to explain your point of view. Here are some types of
evidence you can present:

 Evaluation reports
 Letters and emails
 Samples of your child’s work
 Tape recordings of any meetings, if applicable
 Education records
 Notes
 Photographs

Get Witnesses

You may want to have other people help explain your point of view to the administrative
law judge. Witnesses can be:

 Friends or relatives
 Experts—people with special training in ESE
 People from the school
 People from outside the school who have worked with your child

http://www.doah.state.fl.us/ALJ

There are rules about witnesses:

 You and the school district staff must give each other a list of your witnesses at least
five days before the hearing.

 You should have a witness to talk about each piece of evidence you plan to use. For
example, if you use an evaluation report as evidence, the person who wrote the
report should be a witness at the hearing.

 If someone refuses to be a witness for you, the administrative law judge may make
that person come to the hearing.

During the Hearing

The administrative law judge will run the hearing. These things will happen in every hearing:

 You, your lawyer, or your advocate, and the school district staff will be asked to
explain the problem and what you want to happen.

 You explain your point of view, question your witnesses, and show your evidence.
 The school district staff explains their point of view, questions their witnesses, and

shows their evidence.
 You may question the school district’s witnesses.
 The school district may question your witnesses.
 The administrative law judge may question anybody and look at the evidence.

If you think that something about the hearing is unfair, tell the administrative law judge
right away.

After the Hearing

The administrative law judge will not make the decision during the hearing. The decision
should come to you in writing no more than 45 days (or longer, in some cases) after you
first asked for the hearing. The administrative law judge’s written report will:

 List the facts—the things they found to be true
 Give the reasons for their decisions—the laws or rules that they used
 State the decisions they have made to solve the problem

Both you and the school district get free written copies of this report. If you prefer, you may
ask for a free audiotaped version of the report. You also may ask for a free written or
audiotaped, word‐for‐word record of the hearing.

If you do not agree with the administrative law judge’s decision or if you believe the hearing
was unfair, you have two choices:

 You may file an appeal and ask for a trial in federal district court. You must file
a written notice within 90 days of the time the administrative law judge makes
a decision.

 You may file an appeal and request a trial in state circuit court. You must file
a written notice within 90 days of the time the administrative law judge makes
a decision.

Before filing an appeal, you should get legal help. School districts are also allowed to
file appeals.

Independent Educational Evaluation

At any time, you can pay to have your child privately tested and bring the results of that
testing to an eligibility staffing or IEP team meeting. The team will consider the information
you have provided, but they may chose not to act on the information for a variety of
reasons. If the school has already done an individual evaluation of your child and you
disagree with the results of that evaluation, you can ask the district to pay for an
independent educational evaluation (IEE). An IEE is an evaluation done by a person who
does not work for the school system. You may ask for an IEE if you have good reason to
believe that the school’s evaluation of your child is:

 Not complete
 Not correct
 Not fair

When you ask for an independent educational evaluation, you are really asking for a second
opinion. Before asking for an IEE:

 Study the school’s evaluation carefully
 Be able to explain why you think the school’s evaluation is not correct, not

complete, or not fair
 Ask people at the school to talk with you about their evaluation (they may be able to

clear up your concerns)
 Ask the school to do another evaluation or to add to the evaluation that has already

been done
 Talk with the ESE administrator in your local school district office

If you decide to ask the district to pay for an IEE, you should do two things:

 Call the ESE administrator and let them know about your decision.
 Ask for the IEE in writing. Some school districts have a form you can use.

An IEE may cost a lot of money. It is very important that you know who will pay for the IEE
before it is actually done. If you and the school district cannot agree on who will pay for the
IEE, mediation or a due process hearing may be needed.

 The school district will pay for the IEE if the district agrees to do so or if an
administrative law judge orders the district to pay as the result of a due process
hearing. The school district staff will let you know if they refuse to pay for the IEE. If
they refuse, they must request a due process hearing to prove that their evaluation
is appropriate.

 You may pay for the IEE if you choose to or if an administrative law judge decides, as
the result of a due process hearing, that the school district’s evaluation is complete,
correct, and fair.

The person you choose to do the IEE must be fully trained and qualified. If the person is not
fully qualified, the school district will not pay for the IEE. The school district will give you a
list of outside people who are qualified to do IEEs or a list of the qualifications such people
must have. Many times the school district will help you set up the IEE.

If you pay for the IEE and give the report to the school, it will become part of your child’s
record. The team may use the results to help them make decisions and plans for your child’s
education.

Discipline of Children with Disabilities

Parents and teachers know it is important for schools to be safe and orderly. Since discipline
problems make it hard for teachers to teach and for children to learn, all children must obey
school rules. Sometimes when a student does not follow school rules, it results in their
suspension or expulsion. Children with disabilities may have the right to receive ESE services
even if they have been removed from their placement for disciplinary reasons.

The following factors determine when a child with a disability may be removed from their
current placement for disciplinary reasons and when they must continue to receive services:

 How long the child is removed from school
 Whether the child’s misbehavior is a manifestation (result) of the child’s disability

 Whether the misbehavior involved weapons or illegal substances (such as drugs) or
whether there is a good chance of serious bodily injury to the child or others

 Whether the removal is a change in placement

A child with a disability may be removed from their current placement for disciplinary
reasons for up to 10 school days in a school year, and for more days for separate acts of
misconduct, as long as the removals do not form a pattern. However, if a child with a
disability is removed from school for more than 10 days during a school year, the child must
continue to receive services that will help them make progress in the general curriculum
and toward their annual goals.

The chart on the next page describes what the school or district must do when a child with a
disability is removed from school for disciplinary reasons.

DISCIPLINE OF STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Days of Removal Services

During the first 10 cumulative days
of removal during a school year.

The school does not have to provide services if they do not provide
services to students without disabilities who have been removed for
similar misconduct.

During any removal of less than 11 1. The school must provide services that the student needs to
days in a row that would result in a make progress in the general curriculum and toward their annual
total of more than 10 cumulative goals. School personnel decide which services the student needs.
school days in a school year.
Beginning on the 11th cumulative 2. The IEP team must meet to develop a plan for carrying out a
school day of removal, educational functional behavior assessment and for developing a behavioral
services must be provided. intervention plan (if one has not been done) or to review the

existing plan and its implementation and change it as needed.
During any removal of more than 10
days in a row

during a removal that is part of a
pattern of removals that together
comprise more than 10 school days
in a given school year and that form
a pattern because of the length of
each removal, the total amount of
time during the school year the
student is removed, or the proximity
of the removals to one another.

Both of these situations count as
changes of placement.

1. The school must provide services that the student needs to
make progress in the general curriculum and toward their annual
goals. The IEP team decides which services the student needs.

2. The IEP team must meet to develop a plan for carrying out a
functional behavioral assessment and for developing a
behavioral intervention plan (if one has not been done) or to
review the existing plan and its implementation and change it
as needed.

3. The IEP team must carry out a manifestation determination
review within 10 school days of any decision to change the
placement of a student with disabilities because of a violation of
a code of student conduct.

A. If the misbehavior is not due to the student’s disability, the
student may be disciplined in the same way as a student
without a disability but the student must continue to receive
educational services during the removal.

B. If the misbehavior is due to the student’s disability and did
not involve weapons, drugs, or serious bodily injury to the
student or others, the school may return the student to their
current placement or the school may choose to change the
child’s placement using the IEP team’s regular change of
placement procedures. If there were deficiencies in the IEP or
placement, the school must remedy the deficiencies.

C. If the misbehavior is due to the student’s disability and
involved weapons, drugs, or serious bodily injury, the IEP
team determines an interim alternative educational setting.

D. If the misbehavior is due to the student’s disability and a
hearing officer determines the student may be dangerous to
themselves or others, school personnel will recommend an
interim alternative placement to a hearing officer, who
makes the placement decision.

School Records

Schools keep many written records about a student with disabilities. These records contain
personal, private information about your child. The Family Educational Rights and Privacy
Act and other laws give you many rights related to school records. These rights include:

 The right to see your child’s records
 The right to have school records kept confidential
 The right to ask that school records be changed
 The right to have a hearing about school records

If you believe the school district has violated school records laws, you may file a complaint
with the Family Policy Compliance Office of the United States Department of Education at:

Family Policy Compliance Office
U.S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202‐5920
Phone: 1‐800‐USA‐LEARN (1‐800‐872‐5327)

The Right to See Your Child’s Records

You have the right to see and read any record the school keeps on your child. You may also
have someone else—a friend, relative, or adviser—look at the records if you wish.

 If you ask, the school staff must tell you what records they have on your child. They
must also tell you where the records are kept.

 If you ask to see your child’s records, the school must show you the records without
unnecessary delay and before any meeting about your child’s IEP or a due process
hearing. In any case, the school must show you the records within 30 days of your
asking to see them.

 The school cannot destroy any records you ask to see before you see them.
 You may ask to have a copy of any record kept by the school. (There may be a

copying charge.)

Someone from the school will explain what is in the records and will explain anything you
do not understand.

The Right to Have School Records Kept Confidential

School records that include your child’s name, birth date, address, or social security
number—or your name—must be kept confidential. These records can only be shown or
sent to certain people under certain conditions, such as:

 People at the school or school district who have a good reason to see them
 Other schools or colleges where your child seeks to enroll
 Federal, state, or local education authorities
 Organizations to which your child has applied for educational financial aid
 Organizations doing education research

Also, school districts may report crimes committed by juveniles to law enforcement
authorities and under certain circumstances may give ESE and discipline records to law
enforcement agencies.

The school staff will keep a list of the people to whom they have shown or sent your child’s
records. This list will include the name of the person, when the person used the records,
and why the person needed the records. (Your name and the names of people who work at
the school do not have to go on this list.) This list will be kept with your child’s records,
where you can see it.

If someone who is not authorized to see the records wants to see them, the school will ask
you to sign a consent form. This form will tell you:

 Who will get the school records
 Which school records they will get
 Why they need the school records

Before deciding to sign or not sign the form, you may want to ask:

 To see the records yourself
 To talk to the person who wants the records
 To discuss the records with someone at the school
 Whether the records will be shown to the person or whether copies will be sent to

the person for them to keep

The information above is about school records. Other records about your child may be
confidential as well.

The Right to Ask That School Records Be Changed

If you see something in the school records that you think is unfair to your child, you can ask
to have the record changed. You need to explain why you think there is a problem with the
record. You can ask to have something:

 Added to the record
 Taken out of the record
 Changed in the record

You should ask for any of these actions in writing. The school staff will either do what you
have asked or send you a letter telling you they refuse to make that change. They will also
tell you that you have the right to a hearing.

The Right to Have a Hearing about School Records

You have the right to a hearing if the school refuses to make changes you have asked for in
your child’s records. This is not a due process hearing. Before asking for this kind of hearing:

 Be sure that you fully understand what the records say. Ask someone at the school
or outside the school to go over the records with you.

 Talk to the school principal about the problem. Make sure they understand what
you want and why.

 Discuss the problem with the ESE administrator in your local school district office.
 Write a letter about what you want. Ask for a written answer.

No matter what is decided at the hearing, you may put a note in your child’s school record
to explain your point of view. Whenever the record is released, your note will be released
with it.

Note: The school is required to keep a permanent record or specific information about your
child for a period of time as defined by the Florida Department of State in General Records
Schedule. Each school board has a policy for keeping educational records. Once information
that is not part of the permanent record is no longer needed to provide educational services
to your child, the school district will periodically review it and eliminate information that is
no longer useful.

More Resources

If youu would like to know moore, you can request a coopy of the foollowing doccuments, an d
manyy others, fro m the BRIC aat the addreess, email, orr phone nummber listed o n the inside
front cover of thi s guide. The y are also avvailable onlinne at http:///www.fldoe.org/ese/
pubxhome.asp.

 “Notice o f Procedura l Safeguardss for Parentss of Studentss with Disab ilities”
 Volume I‐‐B: Florida Sttatutes and SState Board of Educatio n Rules—A bbook that

contains tthe text of F lorida’s lawss and rules rrelated to th e educationn of studentss
with disabbilities

Contaact the ESE ooffice in you r district to obtain the ddistrict’s ESEE Policies andd Proceduress
document or go tto http://wwww.fldoe.orgg/ese/ppd.asp and chooose your disttrict from th e list
to ge t a copy onl ine.

http://wwww.fldoe.orgg/ese/ppd.asp

http:///www.fldoe.org/ese

Photo courtesy of: Stockbyte/Thinkstock

CHAPTER 9—RECORD KEEPING

This chapter is designed to help you keep track of important information about your child
and your child’s education. It will help you organize information from meetings, notes, and
other papers that are part of the process of planning and continuing your child’s education.

Some of the papers you will receive from others or create yourself and need to keep include:

 State and district test results and reports
 Educational plans for your child—IEPs and IFSPs
 Progress reports and report cards
 Samples of your child’s work
 Evaluation reports
 Letters or emails to you from the school or your child’s teachers
 Consent forms the school has asked you to sign
 Records or reports from doctors or other people from outside the school who have

worked with your child
 Letters, emails, or other information from agencies such as the Florida Department

of Education or the Florida Department of Children and Families
 Copies of letters or notes that you have sent to the school or your child’s teachers
 Notes and dates of telephone calls, meetings, and visits

You have the right to have copies of the reports and records developed concerning your
child at no cost to you. However, copies of the protocols and testing instruments used to
evaluate children are not provided to parents; you will only get copies of the written reports
about the results of your child’s evaluations.

It will be helpful for you to use an expanding file or three‐ring notebook to hold your
child’s records. When you get a new document, you can record the contents on a worksheet
in this chapter, if appropriate, and add the document to your file or notebook.

Having your records organized will help you help your child. Good records may help you see
trends and patterns in your child’s performance at school. They make going to meetings and
talking to school personnel much easier, and they will be helpful if you ever move to
another county or state.

There is so much information available that it can be overwhelming. Over time, you will feel
more confident and knowledgeable. The most important step is to get started and know
that there is a lot of help available to you.

Opttional Forrms and WWork Sheeets

The fforms and w ork sheets oon the followwing pages a re designed to help youu organize yoour
contaact informat ion, preparee for meetin gs, and keepp track of yoour child’s prrogress. In soome
casess you will ne ed only one copy of the form and caan add new informationn each year.
Others require a fresh copy ffor each yea r your child receives ESEE services. Y ou can copyy the
formss you want tto use directtly from the book or prinnt copies froom the elect ronic versionn
that iis available aat http://wwww.fldoe.orgg/ese/pub‐hoome.asp. Keeep the com pleted form s in
your record noteebook.

PPhoto courtesy of: George Doyle/Stoockbyte/Thinkstocck
56

http://wwww.fldoe.orgg/ese/pub-hoome.asp

Schools _________________Has Attended

Grade
Name of
School

Address Dates Attended

What special support, if
any, did your child
receive to help them

succeed?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

About Your Child

Creating a good educational program starts with understanding your child’s needs. Before
you meet with school staff, it can be helpful to take some time to organize what you know
about your child. Each year, before the annual IEP meeting, make a new copy of this form
and update your answers. Keep the completed forms in your record notebook.

Date: ________ Child’s Name: __________________________ Date of Birth: ________

Brothers’ and Sisters’ Names: _______________________________________________

Names and types of pets: ___________________________________________________

Medical conditions, medications, and side effects that teachers and school personnel need
to be aware of (e.g., watch for sleepiness in morning, often thirsty, two‐person lift required
because of brittle bones): __________________________________________________

What does your child like to do at home? ______________________________________

What does your child NOT like to do at home? __________________________________

How does your child seem to feel about school?_________________________________

How does your child seem to feel about themselves?_____________________________

How does your child seem to feel about other children (friends, brothers and sisters)?

How does your child seem to feel about adults (parents, teachers, relatives)? _________

How well does your child take care of themselves (dressing, eating, staying clean, etc.)?

What does your child do to help you at home? __________________________________

How many friends does your child have?_______________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

How old are your child’s friends? _____________________________________________

What does your child do when playing with friends? _____________________________

How much, and how well, does your child talk to you?____________________________

How much, and how well, does your child talk to other children? ___________________

How much, and how well, does your child talk to other adults? _____________________

What does your child do well at home?________________________________________

What problems does your child have at home (if any)? ___________________________

What problems does your child have at school (if any)? ___________________________

What concerns do you have about your child’s education? ________________________

How does your child learn best? _____________________________________________

What have you found to help your child learn at home?___________________________

What do you think is most important for your child to learn in school? _______________

What kinds of help do you think your child needs in order to learn? _________________

What other questions do you have for the people at the school? ___________________

Organizing Your Child’s School Records

It will be helpful if you go back through at least two years of your child’s school records. If
you do not have these records, you can request your child’s records from the school,
including the cumulative record, information on your child’s response to intervention
folder, and ESE records. See Appendix C for a sample letter to make this request.

Once you have all the necessary papers related to the IEP, you are ready to sort and
organize them in your three‐ring binder. It may be helpful to make tabs to divide the papers
into categories that best meet your needs. Organize the papers in each category by date,
with the most recent date on top.

Here are some suggested categories you can use to organize your child’s school papers:

Contact Information: For teachers, therapists, administrators

Communication: Logs or copies of all communication — letters, notes, emails, and phone
calls to and from the school and others serving your child

Child’s Work: Report cards, progress reports, test results, and work samples

IEP and Related Documents: Meeting notices, eligibility determination, IEP documents,
behavior plans, related notes

Assessments: Public school assessments and independent educational assessments, if any

State or Standardized Tests: Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test (FCAT or FCAT 2.0),
Florida Alternate Assessment (FAA), End of Course Exam (EOC), Scholastic Aptitude Test
(SAT), etc.

School and District Contact List

School Year:__________________________

Name Position Email Telephone
Principal

Teacher

Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher
Teacher

Therapist

Guidance
Counselor
ESE Director

_______________________________

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Contact Log

Make copies of this page to record the dates of telephone or in‐person contacts with your
child’s teacher or other school personnel. Include notes about what you discussed.

Date: _____________In‐person Phone Call
Notes: __________________________________________________________________

Follow up needed? Describe what and when: ________________________________

Follow up completed? If not, what’s next: ___________________________________

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Date: _____________In‐person Phone Call
Notes: __________________________________________________________________
Follow up needed? Describe what and when: ________________________________
Follow up completed? If not, what’s next: ___________________________________
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Date: _____________In‐person Phone Call
Notes: __________________________________________________________________
Follow up needed? Describe what and when: ________________________________
Follow up completed? If not, what’s next: ___________________________________
65

Information about Your Child’s Progress

The IEP team (of which you are a member) decides how often to provide written progress
reports about your child’s progress toward meeting the goals set for them. You do not need
to wait for a formal progress report to communicate with your child’s teachers.

By checking progress reports and asking questions, you may be able to catch when your
child is struggling early. It is recommended that you talk to your child’s teacher or receive a
written progress report at least every four weeks.

It may be helpful to track your child’s progress using the

Student Progress Mini‐Summaries

form on the next page. Use one set of questions for each goal on the IEP. Fill in the date you
received the information about progress toward each goal, circle the source of that
information, and note the name of the source.

To bring your records up to date, look at the report cards and the progress reports for the
past two years. Check your completed worksheets to find trends, or patterns. If your child is
not progressing, use the problem‐solving information beginning on page 67.

Note: Students with disabilities who participate in the Florida Alternate Assessment will
have benchmarks or short‐term objectives written into their IEP. Other students may not,
depending on the IEP team’s decision. Even if benchmarks are not in your child’s IEP, the
teacher will have expectations for your child’s progress.

________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Make as many copies of this form as you need and keep the completed forms in
your notebook.

Name___________________Grade ___Year___________School __________________
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Date: _____________Source: Progress Report Report Card Staff: _____________
Goal: ___________________________________________________________________

Meeting expectations or benchmarks? Yes No
Improving? Yes No
Expected to pass? Yes No

Additional Comments:

Meeting expectations or benchmarks? Yes No
Improving? Yes No
Expected to pass? Yes No

Additional Comments: _____________________________________________________

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Date: _____________Source: Progress Report Report Card Staff: _____________
Goal: ___________________________________________________________________
Meeting expectations or benchmarks? Yes No
Improving? Yes No
Expected to pass? Yes No
Additional Comments: _____________________________________________________
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Date: _____________Source: Progress Report Report Card Staff: _____________
Goal: ___________________________________________________________________
Meeting expectations or benchmarks? Yes No
Improving? Yes No
Expected to pass? Yes No
Additional Comments: _____________________________________________________

Probblem‐Solving

You ccan use the wworksheet oon the next ppage to keepp a list of thee interventioons and suppports
provided to your child. The pproblem‐solvving processs within a muulti‐tiered syystem of
suppoorts is desig ned to help children maaster the areeas they are having troubble with,
whetther the trouuble is acadeemic or behaavioral. This framework guides educcational servvices
for alll children, thhose receivi ng general eeducation annd those rec eiving excepptional studeent
educaation servicees. It is base d on the pri nciple that aall children ccan learn.

Whenn your child is not makinng progress iit is helpful tto revisit thee questions ffound on paages
71–73 with your child’s teachhers or the pproblem‐solvving team. WWhen your cchild is makinng
progrress, it is hel pful to identtify what strrategies are helping themm succeed.

Photo courteesy of: iStockphotoo/Thinkstock

Problem‐Solving Record

Grade
At

School
or Home

Intervention or Support Date By Whom
Progress?
Yes or No

Grade = the grade (e.g., 5th grade) your child is in at the time of the report
School = the name of the school your child is in at the time of the report
Intervention or Support = a short name or description for the type of intervention or
support being provided to your child
Date = the dates of the intervention shown on the report or graph
By Whom = the name of the person who provided the intervention or support
Progress = is your child making progress? If not, go to next page.

Problem‐Solving Questions

Any time your child is struggling, you should ask your child’s teacher(s) the following
questions. You can use this form to note the responses you receive.

1. In what areas is my child successful?

2. In what areas is my child not finding success? What is my child expected to be able
to do? Why do you think my child is not making the progress expected?

3. Is my child’s performance similar to their classmates or schoolmates? Is my child
the only one struggling with this issue (or topic), or is this a problem for a larger
group of students?

4. Do you have enough information to know exactly what the problem is for my child?
If not, what do we need to do? Is there someone else or a team of people that
should be helping us to help my child?

5. If this is a unique problem for my child, what additional assistance will they receive?
When will my child start to receive the additional assistance? Who will provide the
assistance? How often? For how long? Will there be a way to be sure my child is
getting the extra help?

6. How will you know my child is improving with this additional help? How will I know
my child is improving? How frequently will we review my child’s data to check on
their progress? Will you show me the evidence that my child is making progress?

7. What can I do to help my child? How can I receive support in building my skills in
order to help my child? Will you help me know what types of things I can do at home
to help my child in school?

Once additional help begins for your child and you start meeting to review the evidence
about whether your child is progressing or not, these are some additional questions you
may want to ask:

If your child is making progress, ask the following questions:

1. Is my child making enough progress to close the gap between their performance and
their classmates’ performance?

2. Are we going to keep the same level of support for them, or will we increase or
decrease the help? If we make changes, will we continue to review my child’s data?
How often and for how long?

If your child is still not making the progress you expected, ask the following questions:

1. Why do you think the support did not help my child? Do we need to increase the
amount of this help, or try something new?

2. If we try something new, will it be added to what we are already doing or replace
what we are already doing to help my child?

3. Is there someone else — or a team of people — at the school that needs to be
helping us help my child?

4. What can I do to help my child? How can I receive support in building my skills in
order to help my child? Will you help me know what types of things I can do at home
to help my child in school?

Records of Public School Evaluations

If your child was evaluated by a specialist through the public school, write the information
in one of the charts on the following pages.

Read each report and identify the evaluator’s recommendations. If the IEP team agreed that
a recommendation would be used, write it on the form. Ask the IEP team when the
recommendation will be used and who is going to follow up to make sure. Write that
information in the last column on the right.

Each report may include many recommendations, and it is not always appropriate to use
them all at once, because it can be overwhelming to your child or their teachers. It is more
helpful to prioritize the recommendations based on what is most important for your child in
the immediate future as well as the vision that you and your child have for what they want
to do after public school.

Public School Evaluation Record Form

Circle the type of evaluation your child received:
P = psychological S = speech L = language V = vision H = hearing
OT = occupational therapy PT = physical therapy BA = behavior O = other
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Grade: ____________ Evaluator: _____________________________________________
Date you signed consent for evaluation: _________ Date evaluation completed: ______
How does the disability impact your child’s learning: _____________________________

Recommendations the IEP team agrees should be used to
address how your child’s disability impacts learning

Who will follow up
(and when) to
ensure use as
noted in IEP

Recommendations that are not being used and not scheduled to
be used

Reason the
recommendation
will not be used

Public School Evaluation Record Form
Circle the type of evaluation your child received:
P = psychological S = speech L = language V = vision H = hearing
OT = occupational therapy PT = physical therapy BA = behavior O = other
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Grade: ____________ Evaluator: _____________________________________________
Date you signed consent for evaluation: _________ Date evaluation completed: ______
How does the disability impact your child’s learning: _____________________________
Recommendations the IEP team agrees should be used to
address how your child’s disability impacts learning
Who will follow up
(and when) to
ensure use as
noted in IEP

Recommendations that are not being used and
not scheduled to be used

Reason the
recommendation
will not be used

Indeependentt Educatioonal Evalluations

Someetimes childrren are eval uated by sommeone who does not woork for the ppublic schoo l
system. This is caalled an indeependent ed ucational evvaluation, orr IEE, and it iis similar to
gettinng a second opinion aboout a medicaal diagnosis. More informmation abouut IEEs beginns on
page 43.

If youur child had an independdent educatiional evalua tion, revieww each reportt and identiffy
and rrecord the reecommendaations in the same way aas for the pu blic school eevaluations.

For reecommendaations that a re not beingg used, or th at are not sccheduled to be used, wrrite
downn the explan ation providded for not uusing or scheeduling the rrecommend ed service. I f you
have received noo explanationn and the re commendattion is not beeing used orr scheduled to be
used,, you should ask questioons. Start by asking your child’s teac her, then thhe guidance
counselor or prinncipal. Finallyy, if you are not satisfiedd with the annswers provvided by stafff at
the scchool level, contact the ESE directorr for your sc hool districtt. Your goal iis to get a reeason
for noot using a reecommendattion that maakes sense too you or to gget an assuraance that thhere
has bbeen a scheddule establis hed to use t he recommeendation.

Photo courteesy of: iStockphotoo/Thinkstock
83

Independent Educational Evaluation Record Form

Recommendations the IEP team agrees should be
used to address how your child’s disability
impacts learning

Who will follow up (and when) to
ensure use as noted in the IEP

Recommendations that are not being used and
not scheduled to be used

Reason recommendation will not
be used

Independent Educational Evaluation Record Form
Circle the type of evaluation your child received:
P = psychological S = speech L = language V = vision H = hearing
OT = occupational therapy PT = physical therapy BA = behavior O = other
………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………
Grade: ____________ Evaluator: _____________________________________________
Date you signed consent for evaluation: _________ Date evaluation completed: ______
How does the disability impact your child’s learning: _____________________________
Recommendations the IEP team agrees should be
used to address how your child’s disability
impacts learning

Who will follow up (and when)
to ensure use as noted in the IEP

Recommendations that are not being used and
not scheduled to be used
Reason recommendation will not
be used

IEP Planning Worksheet

You can use this sheet, in addition to the one on pages 55–56, to organize your thoughts
before meetings. When you have a concern it is important to refer to what you know about
how your child learns best, the information from the problem‐solving team you have
worked with, the levels of support your child has received, and the evaluations that have
been done.

List areas of strength for your child. For each, indicate how you know it.

1. ______________________________________________________________________

2. ______________________________________________________________________

3. ______________________________________________________________________

4. ______________________________________________________________________

List areas you think your child struggles with. For each, indicate how you know it.

1. ______________________________________________________________________
2. ______________________________________________________________________
3. ______________________________________________________________________
4. ______________________________________________________________________

List any adjustments (accommodations) or situations that help your child learn. For each,
indicate how you know it.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Transition Planning Worksheet

Transition planning is the planning for the services and supports needed for a successful
change from school to adult life. It usually begins at age 14, but can start earlier. Transition
planning focuses on plans and dreams you and your child have for the future. If your child is
14 or older, answer the following questions, in addition to the questions on pages 55–56,
prior to meeting with school personnel. Include your child in answering the questions.

What kind of jobs or chores has your child done? What did they like about the job or chore?
What did they not like?

What kind of volunteer experience has your child had? What did they like about the
experience? What did they not like?

Is your child aware of the types of work or volunteer opportunities available in the
community? If not, is there a way to help them learn about the types of work or
volunteer opportunities?

If yes, what kind of job or career would your child like to have? What is it that they
especially like about this type of job or career?

Where would your child like to be living and working five years from now?

What does your child most need to learn in order to be ready for adult life?

APPENDIX A—WHERE TO GO FOR HELP (DIRECTORY)
Many organizations and agencies offer information and services to parents of children with
disabilities. On the following pages you will find just a few of them.

Local Contacts

Director, Exceptional Student Education
(Find contact information at http://data.fldoe.org/ese/contacts or call your local school
board or district office for address and phone number)

Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources System (FDLRS)
(Visit the FDLRS website at http://www.fdlrs.org or contact the exceptional student
education director for address and phone number)

Florida Department of Children and Families
(Find your local office at http://www.dcf.state.fl.us or check your local telephone directory)

Program Chairperson, Special Education or Exceptional Student Education department at
local college or university.

State Contacts

Some of these organizations have local chapters or are part of a national organization.
Check your telephone directory or contact the organization directly.

Agency for Persons with Disabilities
4030 Esplanade Way, Suite 380
Tallahassee, FL 32399‐0950
Toll Free: (866) 273‐2273
Website: http://www.apdcares.org

The Arc of Florida
2898 Mahan Drive, Suite 1
Tallahassee, FL 32308
Phone: (850) 921‐0460
Toll Free: (800) 226‐1155
Email: arcflorida@gmail.com
Website: http://www.arcflorida.org

Autism Society of Florida
P. O. Box 970646
Weston, FL 330

Phone: (954) 349‐2820
Email: vsenquenzia@aol.com
Website: http://www.autismfl.com

Brain Injury Association of Florida
1637 Metropolitan Blvd., Suite B
Tallahassee, FL 32308
Phone: (850) 410‐0

103

Toll Free: (800) 992‐3442
Website: http://www.biaf.org

http:http://www.biaf.org

http:http://www.autismfl.com

mailto:vsenquenzia@aol.com

http:http://www.arcflorida.org

mailto:arcflorida@gmail.com

http:http://www.apdcares.org

http:http://www.dcf.state.fl.us

http:http://www.fdlrs.org

http://data.fldoe.org/ese/contacts

Centers for Autism and Related
Disabilities (CARD)

Website: http://florida‐card.org

Central Florida Parent Center
1021 Delaware Avenue
Palm Harbor, FL 34683
Toll Free: (888) 612‐9273
Email: cfpc@cflparents.org
Website: http://www.cflparents.org

Children’s Medical Services
4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin A02
Tallahassee, FL 32399‐1703
Phone: (850) 245‐4200
Website: http://www.cms‐kids.com

Disability Rights Florida
2728 Centerview Drive, Suite

102

Tallahassee, FL 32301
Phone: (850) 488‐9071
Toll Free: (800) 342‐0823
Website:
http://www.disabilityrightsflorida.org

Division of Vocational Rehabilitation
2002 Old Saint Augustine Road, Building A
Tallahassee, FL 32301‐4862
Phone: (850) 245‐3399 (voice/TDD)
Toll Free: (800) 451‐4327 (voice/TDD)
Email: VRWebmaster@vr.fldoe.org
Website: http://www.rehabworks.org

Easter Seals of Florida
2010 Mizell Avenue
Winter Park, FL 327

Phone: (407) 896‐7881
TTY: (407) 629‐7881
Website: http://www.fl.easterseals.com

Family Network on Disabilities of Florida
21

Main Street, Suite K
Dunedin, FL 34698
Phone: (727) 523‐1130
Toll Free: (800) 825‐5736
Email: fnd@fndfl.org
Website: http://www.fndfl.org

Florida Alliance for Assistive Services and
Technology (FAAST)

3333 W. Pensacola Street
Building 100, Suite 140
Tallahassee, FL 32304‐2800
Phone: (850) 487‐3278
Toll Free: (888) 788‐9216
Email: faast@faast.org
Website: http://www.faast.org

Florida Association of Speech‐Language
Pathologists and Audiologists

222 S. Westmonte Drive, No.

101

Altamonte Springs, FL 32714
Toll Free: (800) 243‐3574
Email: flasha@flasha.org
Website: http://www.flasha.org

Florida Department of Education
Bureau of Exceptional Education and
Student Services (BEESS)

325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 614
Tallahassee, FL 32399‐0400
Phone: (850) 245‐0475
Website: http://www.fldoe.org/ese

Florida Developmental Disabilities Council
124 Marriott Drive, Suite 203
Tallahassee, FL 32301
Phone: (850) 488‐4180
Toll Free: (800) 850‐7801
TDD Toll Free: (888) 488‐8633
Email: fddc@fddc.org
Website: http://www.fddc.org

http:http://www.fddc.org

mailto:fddc@fddc.org

http://www.fldoe.org/ese

http:http://www.flasha.org

mailto:flasha@flasha.org

http:http://www.faast.org

mailto:faast@faast.org

http:http://www.fndfl.org

mailto:fnd@fndfl.org

http:http://www.fl.easterseals.com

http:http://www.rehabworks.org

mailto:VRWebmaster@vr.fldoe.org

http:http://www.disabilityrightsflorida.org

http:http://www.cms-kids.com

http:http://www.cflparents.org

mailto:cfpc@cflparents.org

http:http://florida-card.org

Florida Diagnostic and Learning Resources
System (FDLRS)

Website: http://www.fdlrs.com

Florida Division of Blind Services
325 W. Gaines Street, Suite 1

114

Tallahassee, FL 32399‐0400
Phone: (850) 245‐0300
Toll Free: (800) 342‐1828
Website: http://www.myflorida.com/dbs

Learning Disabilities Association of Florida
c/o Bridges Academy
8

Gary Hillery Drive
Winter Springs, FL 32708
Website: http://www.LDA‐fl.com

The Multiagency Network for Students
with Emotional/Behavioral Disabilities

SEDNET Administration Project
University of South Florida
140 7th Avenue, SVB 112
St. Petersburg, FL 33701
Phone: (727) 873‐4661
Website:
http://www.sednetfl.info/Index.aspx

Parent to Parent of Miami, Inc.
7990 SW 117th Avenue, Suite 200
Miami, FL 33183
Phone: (305) 271‐9797
Email: info@ptopmiami.org
Website: http://www.ptopmiami.org

Prader‐Willi Syndrome Association
8588 Potter Park Drive, Suite 500
Sarasota, FL 34238
Phone: (800) 926‐4797
Website: http://www.pwsausa.org

Spina Bifida Association of Tampa Bay
P. O. Box 16603
Tampa, FL 33687‐6603
Phone: (813) 933‐4827
Email: SBATampaBay@aol.com
Website: http://www.sbatampabay.org

Tourette Syndrome Association of Florida
P. O. Box 411416
Melbourne, FL 32941‐1416
Phone: (727) 418‐0240
Email: director@tsa‐fl.org
Website: http://www.tsa‐fl.org

United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) of Central
Florida

3305 S. Orange Avenue
Orlando, FL 3806
Phone: (407) 852‐3300
Website: http://www.ucpcfl.org

United Cerebral Palsy of East Central
Florida

100

Jimmy Ann Drive
Daytona Beach, FL 32

117

Phone: (386) 274‐6474
Website: http://www.ucpecf.org

United Cerebral Palsy of North Florida
1241 N. East Avenue
Panama City, FL 32401
Phone: (850) 769‐7960

United Cerebral Palsy of Northwest
Florida

2912 North E Street
Pensacola, FL 32501‐1324
Phone: (850) 432‐1596
Email: info@ucpnwfl.org
Website: http://www.ucpnwfl.org

http:http://www.ucpnwfl.org

mailto:info@ucpnwfl.org

http:http://www.ucpecf.org

http:http://www.ucpcfl.org

http:http://www.tsa-fl.org

mailto:director@tsa-fl.org

http:http://www.sbatampabay.org

mailto:SBATampaBay@aol.com

http:http://www.pwsausa.org

http:http://www.ptopmiami.org

mailto:info@ptopmiami.org

http://www.sednetfl.info/Index.aspx

http:http://www.LDA-fl.com

http://www.myflorida.com/dbs

http:http://www.fdlrs.com

Uniteed Cerebral PPalsy of Saraasota‐
Mannatee

1090 S. Tamiami Trail
Sarassota, FL 342336
Phone: (941) 9577‐3599
Webssite: http://wwww.ucpsarrasota.org

Uniteed Cerebral PPalsy of Soutth Florida
2700 W. 81st Streeet
Hialeah, FL 330166
Phone: (305) 3255‐1080
Webssite: http://wwww.ucpsouuthflorida.orrg

Unnited Cerebrral Palsy of TTallahassee
18830 Buford CCourt
Taallahassee, F FL 32308
Phhone: (850) 9922‐5630

Photo courttesy of: Polka Dot//Thinkstock

http://wwww.ucpsouuthflorida.orrg

http:http://wwww.ucpsarrasota.org

National Contacts

Alexander Graham Bell Association for the
Deaf and Hard‐of‐Hearing

3417 Volta Place, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Phone: (202) 337‐5220
TTY: (202) 337‐5221
Email: info@agbell.org
Website: http://nc.agbell.org

American Association on Intellectual and
Developmental Disabilities

501 3rd Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 387‐1968
Toll Free: (800) 424‐3688
Website: http://www.aamr.org

American Foundation for the Blind
2 Penn Plaza, Suite 1102
New York, NY 10

121

Phone: (212) 502‐7600
Toll Free: (800) AFB‐LINE (232‐5463)
Website: http://www.afb.org

American Speech‐Language‐Hearing
Association

2200 Research Blvd.
Rockville, MD 20850
Toll Free: (800) 498‐2071
Website: http://www.asha.org

Autism Society
4340 East‐West Highway, Suite 350
Bethesda, MD 20814
Phone: (301) 657‐0881
Toll Free: (800) 3‐AUTISM (328‐8476)
Website: http://www.autism‐society.org

Children and Adults with Attention
Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD)

8181 Professional Place, Suite 150
Landover, MD 20785
Phone: (301) 306‐7070
Toll Free: (800) 233‐4050
Email: call_center@chadd.org
Website: http://www.chadd.org

Children’s Defense Fund
25 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 628‐8787
Toll Free: (800) 233‐1200
Email: cdfinfo@childrensdefense.org
Website:
http://www.childrensdefense.org

Council for Exceptional Children
2900 Crystal Drive, Suite 1000
Arlington, VA 22202‐3557
Phone: (703) 620‐3660
Toll Free: (866) 509‐0218
Email: service@cec.sped.org
Website: http://www.cec.sped.org

Disability Resources on the Internet
Website:

Home

Easter Seals Disability Services
233 S. Wacker Drive, Suite 2400
Chicago, IL 60606‐4802
Phone: (312) 726‐6200
TDD: (312) 726‐4258
Toll Free: (800) 221‐6827
Website: http://www.easter‐seals.org

http:http://www.easter-seals.org

http:http://www.disabilityresources.org

http:http://www.cec.sped.org

mailto:service@cec.sped.org

http:http://www.childrensdefense.org

mailto:cdfinfo@childrensdefense.org

http:http://www.chadd.org

mailto:call_center@chadd.org

http:http://www.autism-society.org

http:http://www.asha.org

http:http://www.afb.org

http:http://www.aamr.org

http:http://nc.agbell.org

mailto:info@agbell.org

Federation for Children with Special Needs
1135 Tremont Street, Suite 420
Boston, MA 02120
Phone: (617) 236‐7210
Email: fcsninfo@fcsn.org
Website: http://www.fcsn.org

International Dyslexia Association
40 York Road, 4th Floor
Baltimore, MD 21204
Phone: (410) 296‐0232
Website: http://www.interdys.org

International Parents’ Organization
3417 Volta Place, NW
Washington, DC 20007
Phone: (202) 337‐5220 (voice/TDD)

John Tracy Clinic (children under six with
hearing impairments)

806 W. Adams Blvd.
Los Angeles, CA 90007
Phone: (213) 748‐5481
TDD: (213) 747‐2924
Toll Free: (800) 522‐4582 (voice/TDD)
Website: http://www.johntracyclinic.org

Learning Disabilities Association of
America (LDA)

4156 Library Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15234
Phone: (412) 341‐1515
Website: http://www.ldanatl.org

National Alliance on Mental Illness
3803 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 100
Arlington, VA 22203
Phone: (703) 524‐7600
Toll Free: (800) 950‐6264
Email: helpline@nami.org
Website: http://www.nami.org

National Association for Parents of
Children with Visual Impairments

P. O. Box 317
Watertown, MA 02471‐0317
Phone: (617) 972‐7441
Toll Free: (800) 562‐6265
Website: http://www.spedex.com/napvi

National Association of the Deaf (NAD)
8630 Fenton Street, Suite 820
Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: (301) 587‐1788 (Voice)
TDD: (301) 587‐1789
Website: http://www.nad.org

National Information Center for Children
and Youth with Disabilities (NICHCY)

1825 Connecticut Avenue, NW, Suite 700
Washington, DC 20009
Toll Free: (800) 695‐0285 (voice/TDD)
Website: http://www.nichcy.org

Office of Civil Rights (OCR)
U. S. Department of Education
61 Forsythe Street, SW, Suite 19T70
Atlanta, GA 30303
Phone: (404) 974‐9406
Email: OCR.Atlanta@ed.gov
Website: http://www.ed.gov/ocr

Office of Special Education Programs
(OSEP)

U. S. Department of Education
400 Maryland Avenue, SW
Washington, DC 20202‐7100
Phone: (202) 245‐7459
Website:
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/
osers/osep

http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list

http://www.ed.gov/ocr

mailto:OCR.Atlanta@ed.gov

http:http://www.nichcy.org

http:http://www.nad.org

http://www.spedex.com/napvi

http:http://www.nami.org

mailto:helpline@nami.org

http:http://www.ldanatl.org

http:http://www.johntracyclinic.org

http:http://www.interdys.org

http:http://www.fcsn.org

mailto:fcsninfo@fcsn.org

Spinaa Bifida Assoociation of Ammerica
4590 MacArthur Blvd., NW, SSuite 250
Washhington, DC 20007‐4226
Phone: (202) 9444‐3285
Toll FFree: (800) 6621‐3141
Webssite: http://wwww.sbaa.oorg

Photo courteesy of: iStockphotoo/Thinkstock
97

http://wwww.sbaa.oorg

APPENDIX B—GLOSSARY

This glossary defines the words and terms that are in bold and italics in this book and
others that you may hear used at IEP meetings. Different school districts may use these
words slightly differently. Feel free to ask about the meaning of words used to describe your
child or your child’s education. It is helpful to make sure that everyone involved has the
same understanding of important terms.

Academic—Having to do with school subjects such as reading, writing, math, social studies,
and science.

Access Points—Academic expectations written specifically for students with significant
cognitive disabilities. As part of the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards, access
points reflect the essence or core intent of the standards that apply to all students in the
same grade, but at reduced levels of complexity.

Accommodation—A different way of doing something that takes into account a
student’s disability. For example, when a student with a visual impairment studies by
listening to a recording of a textbook, the student is using an accommodation.
Accommodations are changes in how a student is taught or tested. Accommodations
do not change the requirements of a course or the standards the student must meet.
Compare to “modification.”

Administrative Law Judge (ALJ)—The person who is in charge of a due process hearing
and who makes the decisions after the hearing. The administrative law judge cannot work
for the local school district. In Florida, administrative law judges are employed by the
Division of Administrative Hearings within the Florida Department of Management Services.
The administrative law judge cannot know the student or be a friend or relative of the
family. They must be impartial—fair to both parents and the school district.

Age of Majority—The age when a person becomes a legal adult. The rights of the parent
of a student with a disability transfer to the student when the student reaches the age
of majority. In Florida, this is 18 years of age, unless the student has been declared
incompetent under state law or has a guardian advocate who has been appointed to
make educational decisions. See also “transfer of rights.”

Age‐Appropriate—Describes materials, activities, and experiences that are useful and
suitable for persons of a particular age. For example, age‐appropriate books for a
teenager are different than age‐appropriate books for a seven‐year‐old, even if the
teenager reads on a second‐grade level.

Annual Goal—See “measurable annual goal.”

Appeal—A written request for a court to review the decision of an administrative law judge
in a due process hearing.

Assessment—A way of collecting information about what a student knows and can do and
what a student still needs to learn. Assessments may include giving tests, observing the
student, and looking at the student’s portfolio or work samples.

Assistive Technology (AT)—Assistive technology devices or services. See below.

Assistive Technology Device—Equipment that helps a person with a disability maintain,
increase, or improve their ability to do something.

Assistive Technology Service—A service that directly helps a person with a disability select,
buy, or use an assistive technology device. This includes evaluating assistive technology
needs; purchasing equipment; selecting, fitting, and repairing equipment; and training the
person, family, teachers, employers, and others in the use of the equipment.

Autism Spectrum Disorder—A person who has an autism spectrum disorder has trouble
communicating and interacting with others. The person may also repeat patterns of
behaviors and activities. In order to qualify for programs and services for students with
autism spectrum disorder, a student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida
State Board of Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.03023, Florida Administrative Code [F.A.C.])

Behavior Intervention Plan (BIP)—A plan that helps a student with a disability reduce their
problem behaviors. The BIP includes strategies the student will be taught that will allow them
to stop the problem behaviors or replace them with other behaviors. The BIP also explains
how to determine the student’s progress in reducing the problem behavior.

Benchmarks—Statements on the IEP that describe major milestones a student must reach in
order to achieve one of their “measurable annual goals.” See also “short‐term objectives.”

Certificate of Completion—The certificate given to students who pass the required courses
in high school but do not pass the state graduation test or achieve the grade‐point average
required for a standard diploma.

Change of Placement—A change in the type of placement listed on the IEP of a student
with a disability. This includes a change from a more restrictive placement to a less
restrictive placement, or vice versa. Any change of placement must be decided during an
IEP meeting.

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Common Core Standards—National standards that provide a consistent, clear
understanding of what students are expected to learn, so teachers and parents know what
they need to do to help them. Florida is adopting these standards beginning in 2012.

Compensatory Services—Services that a school district provides to a student in order to
make up for services not provided in the past.

Complaint—A parent’s formal written claim that a school district has violated a law related
to the education of students with disabilities.

Confidential—Private, not to be seen by others. School records are confidential, so they may
only be read or used by school staff, parents, and others who are allowed by law to see them.

Consent—A parent’s permission to let the school take an action that affects their child’s
education. Usually, the parent signs a form to show that they give consent.

Courses of Study—The types of courses a student plans to take in order to reach their
measurable postsecondary goals.

Cumulative—Added together. If a student is suspended for three days in October, five days
in January, and two days in May, the student has been suspended for 10 cumulative days.

Daily Living Skills—Skills necessary to take care of one’s personal needs as independently as
possible. Examples include dressing for work, renting an apartment, and buying a bus pass.

Deaf or Hard‐of‐Hearing (DHH)—A person who is deaf or hard‐of‐hearing has lost some or
all of the ability to hear. In order to qualify for programs and services for students who are
deaf or hard‐of‐hearing, a student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida State
Board of Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.03013, F.A.C.)

Developmentally Delayed (DD)—A child age three to five who has a developmental delay is
developing more slowly than their peers in a developmental area such as self‐help skills,
communication, cognitive abilities, social or emotional skills, or physical and motor
development. In order to qualify for programs and services for students with developmental
delays, a student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida State Board of
Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.03027, F.A.C.)

Disability—A condition that makes it hard for a person to learn or do things in the same
ways as most other people. A disability may be temporary or permanent.

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Dismissal—A decision to end ESE services because the student no longer has a disability or
no longer needs those services. The IEP team reviews evaluations and other information
about the student before making this decision. Parents receive written notice before
services are stopped.

Dual‐Sensory Impaired (DSI)—A person with dual‐sensory impairment has trouble both
seeing and hearing such that the person needs services that address both areas of sensory
impairment. In order to qualify for programs and services for students who have dual‐
sensory impairments, a student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida State
Board of Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.03022, F.A.C.)

Due Process Hearing—A formal meeting held to settle a disagreement between a parent
and school district about the evaluation, qualifications, placement, services, or IEP of a child
with a disability. An administrative law judge runs the meeting.

Duration—An IEP includes the amount of ESE services a student will get. “Duration” is the
length of time a student with a disability is expected to get a service during the school year
or extended school year.

Eligibility Criteria—The requirements a child must meet to qualify for each exceptionality
category (program). The eligibility criteria for each exceptionality category are listed in the
Florida State Board of Education Rules.

Eligibility Staffing—A meeting at which parents and school staff members decide if a
student qualifies for ESE services. This decision is based on evaluation reports and other
information. To qualify, the student must meet the requirements listed in the Florida State
Board of Education Rules.

Eligible—Refers to a student who meets the requirements for and is in need of ESE services.
The decision is based on the Florida State Board of Education Rules.

Emotional—Having to do with feelings and the way one responds to and expresses feelings.

Emotional or Behavioral Disabilities (EBD)—A person who has an emotional or behavioral
disability has behaviors or emotional responses that cannot be explained by age, culture,
gender, or physical reasons and that make it hard for the student to learn. In order to
qualify for programs and services for students who have emotional or behavioral
disabilities, a student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida State Board of
Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.03016, F.A.C.)

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Employability Skills—Skills necessary to get and keep a job. These are not technical skills
but social and behavioral skills that help a person work well with others, communicate with
others, follow directions, be on time for work, etc.

End of Course (EOC) Assessments—End‐of‐course assessments are tests designed to
measure students’ achievement of the standards for specific high‐school‐level courses.

ESE—See “exceptional student education.”

ESE Administrator—The person that heads up the school district’s ESE programs. This
person works for the whole school district, not just one school.

Evaluation—A way of collecting information about a student’s learning needs, strengths,
and interests. It is used to help decide whether a student has a disability and qualifies for
ESE programs and services. It may include giving individual tests, observing the student,
looking at records, and talking with the student and parents.

Evidence—Materials (e.g., records, letters, notes, work samples) that are used by parents or
school districts in a due process hearing to help show that their point of view is the right one.

Exceptional Student—A student who has special learning needs as described in the State
Board of Education Rules. This includes students who have a disability. It also includes students
who are gifted. A child does not have to be in school to be an “exceptional student.”

Exceptional Student Education (ESE)—The name given in Florida to educational programs
and services for students with special learning needs (including those who have disabilities
and those who are gifted). It is sometimes called “special education.”

Exceptionality—A disability or special learning need.

FAPE—See “free appropriate public education.”

Florida Alternate Assessment—An assessment used for a student with a disability
when a standard state‐or district‐wide assessment is not appropriate for that student.
See “assessment.”

Formal complaint—See “complaint.”

Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE)—The term used in the federal law (IDEA) to
describe the right of a student with a disability to special services that will meet their
individual learning needs, at no cost to their parents.

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Frequency—An IEP includes the amount of ESE services a student will get. Frequency is
how often and how much service the student will get during the school year or extended
school year.

Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA)—The process of gathering information about
problem behaviors of a student with a disability. Information about when, where, and
under what conditions the behaviors occur is included.

GED Diploma—A high school diploma earned by a student who is at least 18 years old and
who passes the Tests of General Educational Development (GED). A GED diploma is issued
by the State of Florida rather than the local school district.

General Curriculum—The academic content that most students without disabilities are
studying. In Florida, the general curriculum is the Next Generation Sunshine State Standards
or Common Core, which describe what students are expected to know and be able to do at
various points in their education.

General Education—The classes and activities most students participate in. It includes
academic and vocational education.

Gifted—A student who is gifted learns more easily than other students. In order to qualify
for programs and services for students who are gifted, a student must meet all the
requirements listed in the Florida State Board of Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.03019, F.A.C.)

Hearing Officer—See “administrative law judge.”

Hospitalized or Homebound (HH)—A student qualifies for this program when they must be
taught at home or in a hospital for an extended period of time because of a severe illness,
injury, or health problem. In order to qualify for programs and services for students who are
hospitalized or homebound, a student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida
State Board of Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.03020, F.A.C.)

IDEA—See “Individuals with Disabilities Education Act.”

Identification—The decision that a student has a disability and what the disability is.

IEP—See “individual educational plan.”

IEP Team Meeting—A meeting held at least every 12 months to write a student’s IEP.
Changes in a student’s services or placement must be made at an IEP meeting.

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IEP Review—A meeting held to discuss changing the IEP of a student with a disability. Any
member of the IEP team, including the parent, may request an IEP review.

IFSP—See “individualized family support plan.”

Impartial—Fair. An impartial person is one who does not take sides. For example, the
person who runs a due process hearing must not work for the school district or be a friend
of the parent.

Independent Educational Evaluation (IEE)—An evaluation asked for by a student’s parents
and done by someone who does not work for the school district. An IEE may be paid for by
the school district or by the parent.

Independent Functioning—A person’s skills in meeting their own needs, such as
feeding, dressing, and toileting; traveling safely; and using time management and
organizational strategies.

Individual Educational Plan (IEP)—A written plan that describes the individual learning
needs of a student with disabilities and the ESE services, supports, aids, and
accommodations and modifications that will be provided to that student.

Individual Evaluation—See “evaluation.”

Individualized Family Support Plan (IFSP)—A written plan that describes the concerns and
needs of the family related to the development of a child ages birth through two years who
has a disability or developmental delay. It lists the services to be provided to the child and
the family. An IFSP may also be used instead of an IEP for children who are three, four, or
five years old.

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)—An important United States law
regarding the education of students with disabilities.

Intellectual Disabilities (InD)—A student who has an intellectual disability learns more
slowly than other students do. In order to qualify for programs and services for students
with intellectual disabilities, a student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida
State Board of Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.03011, F.A.C.)

Interventions—Strategies used to help a student make progress in learning or behavior.

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Language Impairment—A disorder in one or more of the basic learning processes involved
in understanding or using spoken or written language. In order to qualify for programs and
services for students with language impairments, a student must meet all the requirements
listed in the Florida State Board of Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.030121, F.A.C.)

Learning Disability—See “specific learning disabilities.”

Least Restrictive Environment (LRE)—The school setting (placement) that allows a child
with a disability to be educated to the greatest extent possible with children who do not
have disabilities.

Location—Where ESE services will be provided, such as a “general education classroom” or
“ESE classroom.”

Manifestation—If a student’s misbehavior is a result of their disability, the misbehavior is
called a “manifestation” of the disability.

Manifestation Determination Review—A meeting at which a team decides if a student’s
misbehavior is a result of their disability.

Matrix of Services—A funding document used in Florida to calculate the ESE cost factor that
will apply to the services and supports provided to some students with disabilities.

Measurable Annual Goal—A statement in an IEP of what the student needs to learn and
should be able to learn within one year.

Mediation—A process in which parents and school personnel try to settle disagreements
with the help of a person who has been trained to resolve conflicts.

Modification—A change in the requirements of a course or the standards a student must
meet. A change in what the student is taught or tested on. The change is based on the
student’s needs because of their disability. Compare with “accommodation.”

Motor—Having to do with using the large and small muscles to move parts of the body.
Examples of motor skills are walking, holding and moving a pencil, and opening a door.

Mutually Agreeable—Acceptable to both the parents and the school. IEP team meetings
must be held at a time and place that is mutually agreeable.

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Next Generation Sunshine State Standards—A set of objectives that describes what
Florida’s students are expected to know and be able to do at certain stages of their school
career. Most students with disabilities are able to meet these standards if they receive
appropriate services and accommodations.

Notice—A note or letter to parents about an action the school plans to take that will affect
their child’s education.

Occupational Therapy (OT)—A related service for a student with a disability that helps them
maintain, improve, restore, or develop skills needed for daily living, such as self‐care and
pre‐employment skills. These skills will help the student benefit from ESE services. A licensed
occupational therapist or licensed occupational therapy assistant provides the services.

Orientation and Mobility Services—Services that help students with visual impairments
learn to move around safely in the school, home, and community.

Orthopedic Impairment—A severe problem with a student’s skeletal, muscular, or
neuromuscular system. In order to qualify for programs and services for students with
orthopedic impairments, a student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida
State Board of Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.030151, F.A.C.)

Other Health Impairments (OHI)—Health problems that affect a student’s strength, vitality,
or alertness. In order to qualify for services for students with other health impairments, a
student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida State Board of Education Rules.
(Rule 6A‐6.030152, F.A.C.)

Participation—The act of sharing, joining, or working with others to make decisions or
complete a task (such as writing an IEP).

Physical—Having to do with the use or well‐being of the body. An example of a physical skill
is being able to sit in a chair with good balance and posture.

Physical Therapy (PT)—A related service for a student with a disability that helps maintain,
improve, restore, or develop their movements and coordination so that they can benefit
from ESE services. A licensed physical therapist or licensed physical therapist assistant
provides the service.

Placement—The type of setting in which the student will receive special services. The
placement may include one, or more than one, classroom or other area in which the
student will receive services for a particular amount of time.

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Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance—Statements in an
IEP that describe what a student can do or what they know now.

Problem‐Solving/Response to Intervention or Instruction (RtI)—RtI is a problem‐solving
process that matches resources to a student’s needs. It involves understanding where the
student is struggling; designing a way to help the student (an intervention); monitoring how
the student responds to the intervention; and changing, decreasing, or increasing the
intensity of the intervention depending on how the student responds.

Procedural Safeguards—Requirements outlined in IDEA that give parents the rights to
participate, have notice, and give permission (consent). The procedural safeguards also
determine how parents and schools can resolve disputes through mediation, due process,
or complaint procedures.

Reevaluation—An evaluation that takes place after a student has already been receiving
ESE services. A student with a disability must be reevaluated at least every three years. The
purpose of the reevaluation is to decide if the student still has a disability and if the services
they receive are still appropriate.

Referral—A request that a child be given an individual evaluation. A parent, teacher, doctor,
or anyone who has worked with the child may make the referral. Children do not have to be
in school to be referred.

Related Services—Special help given to a student with a disability in addition to direct
special education services. Related services help a student benefit from instruction.
Examples of related services are special transportation, social work services, physical and
occupational therapy, and the services of readers for the blind.

School Psychologist—A professional who conducts evaluations, especially intelligence
testing. A school psychologist may also work with classroom teachers, parents, and school
administrators on behavior assessments and behavior management.

School Social Worker—A professional who may provide services in the home, including
parent‐student conferences, family counseling, parent education, information and referral,
social‐developmental history, and behavior assessments. They also provide services in the
school and community, including parent groups.

Self‐Advocacy—Actions a person with a disability takes to be sure their needs are understood
and met, their wishes are respected, and their rights are honored.

108

Self‐Determination—Taking control and making decisions that affect one’s own life. Self‐
determination skills help students with disabilities make choices, set goals, and manage
their own lives.

Self‐Help—Having to do with skills that allow a student to do things for themselves.
Examples of self‐help skills are being able to dress or cross the street without help.

Sensory—Having to do with using the senses of hearing, seeing, touching (feeling), smelling,
or tasting as a part of learning. An example of a sensory skill is being able to see the
differences between letters of the alphabet.

Short‐Term Objectives—Statements in an IEP that describe small, measurable steps a
student must learn or master before they can reach one of their measurable annual goals.
See also “benchmarks.”

Social—Having to do with a student’s ability to get along with other people—adults or
children. An example of a social skill is being able to play well with other children.

Special Diploma—The high school diploma earned by some students with disabilities who
are not able to meet the requirements for a standard high school diploma. Students must
meet all the special requirements of the district school board.

Special Education—See “exceptional student education.”

Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD)—A student with a disorder in one or more basic learning
processes involved in understanding or using spoken or written language. A student with
SLD may have difficulties with listening, reading, writing, spelling, or doing mathematics. In
order to qualify for programs and services for students who have specific learning
disabilities, a student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida State Board of
Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.03018, F.A.C.)

Speech Impairment—A student who has a speech impairment has difficulty speaking so
that they can be understood. In order to qualify for programs and services for students with
speech impairments, a student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida State
Board of Education Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.03012, F.A.C.)

Speech‐Language Pathologist—A professional trained to identify and treat communication
disorders. Speech‐language pathologists help students with speech‐language disorders.
They work with classroom teachers to help children with communication problems and to
develop lessons on the communication process. They also work with parents to understand
and help their children who have communication disorders.

109

Staffing—See “eligibility staffing.”

Staffing Specialist—A person who guides the eligibility staffing meeting and makes sure
that the requirements of the State Board of Education Rules are met.

Standard Diploma—The high school diploma granted to students who earn a specified
number of credits and grade point average, meet the regular Next Generation Sunshine
State Standards, and pass the state graduation test and required end‐of‐course exams. This
is the general education diploma.

State Board of Education Rules—The rules developed to implement Florida’s laws related
to education.

Stay‐Put Placement—A student’s current placement, which the student stays in while a
disagreement is being resolved through a due process hearing.

Supplementary Aids and Services—Aids and services provided in general education classes
or other education‐related settings to allow students with disabilities to be educated with
students without disabilities. These are listed in the IEP.

Supports for School Personnel—Supports that allow a general education or ESE teacher to
help a child progress in the general or special education curriculum. These supports are
listed in the IEP.

Transfer of Rights—The shift of rights from the parent of a student with a disability to the
student when they reach the “age of majority.”

Transition IEP—The IEP used for a student age 16 and older. The transition IEP helps
prepare a student for life after school. Planning for the transition IEP should begin when the
student is 14.

Transition IEP Meeting—An IEP team meeting for a student age 16 or older. A major
purpose of this meeting is to help plan the young person’s move into adult life.

Transition Services—Activities that help a student move from school to post‐school activities.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)—An injury to the brain as the result of an outside force to
the head. In order to qualify for services for students with traumatic brain injury, a
student must meet all the requirements listed in the Florida State Board of Education
Rules. (Rule 6A‐6.030153, F.A.C.)

110

Visuaal Impairme nt (VI)—A sttudent with a visual imppairment hass a loss of soome or all off
the a bility to see . This includ es students who are blinnd or partiallly sighted. I n order to
qualiffy for prograams and servvices for stu dents who hhave visual i mpairmentss, a student
must meet all thee requiremeents listed in the Florida State Board d of Educatioon Rules.
(Rulee 6A‐6.030144, F.A.C.)

Vocational—Havving to do wiith the skills needed for a trade or teechnical car eer. Exampl es of
vocattional skills aare keyboardding, autom otive repair,, and carpenntry.

Witness—A pers on who makkes statemennts in a due process heaaring to suppport a paren t’s or
a sch ool district’ss point of vieew.

Writtten Notice——A written coommunication from thee school to thhe parent, ddescribing ann
action the schooll plans to takke that will aaffect their cchild’s educaation.

Photo courtesy of: JJupiterimages/ Coomstock/Thinkstocck

111

APPENDIX C—SAMPLE LETTERS

These sample letters can help you request that the school take action for your child. You
can you re‐type or handwrite them, adding your personal information.

 Asking for an Individual Evaluation
 Asking for an IEP Review Meeting
 Asking the School to Change a Decision
 Asking for an Independent Educational Evaluation
 Asking the School to Change Records
 Asking for Copies of Educational Records

113

Sample Letter Asking for an Individual Evaluation

[Your Address]
[Your Phone Number]
[Today’s Date]

Mr./Ms. ______________
Principal
[Name of School]
[Address of School]

Dear ____________:

I am the parent of _______________, age ____, who is a student in grade ____ at
___________________________ School. I have reason to believe that my child has special
needs that are not being met by his/her current educational program. Please arrange to
have my child evaluated as quickly as possible so that appropriate services can be provided.

Please let me know when this evaluation will take place.

Thank you.

Sincerely,

[Your Signature]
[Your Name]

cc: [Name of ESE Director], Director, Exceptional Student Education

114

Sample Letter Asking for an IEP Review Meeting

[Your Address]
[Your Phone Number]
[Today’s Date]

Mr./Ms. _______________
Principal
[Name of School]
[Address of School]

Dear __________________:

I am the parent of _____________________, age ___, who is a student in grade ____ at
______________________________ School. I think that there should be a change in my
child’s individual educational plan. I am asking for a meeting to talk about this and to write a
new IEP.

Please let me know when the meeting will be held.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
[Your Signature]
[Your Name]
cc: [Name of ESE Director], Director, Exceptional Student Education
115

Sample Letter Asking the School to Change a Decision

[Your Address]
[Your Phone Number]
[Today’s Date]

Mr./Ms. _______________
Director, Exceptional Student Education
[Name of School District]
[Address of District Office]

Dear __________________:

I am the parent of _____________________, age ___, who is a student in grade ____ at
______________________________ School. I received a notice from the school on _______
__________ (date) about ______________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________.

I do not agree with this notice. I have already talked to __________________ and
__________________ and ___________________at the school. I am asking for a meeting
with you to talk about this.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
[Your Signature]
[Your Name]

cc: [Principal of Your Child’s School], Principal, [Name of Your Child’s School]

116

___________________________________________________________________________

Sample Letter Asking for an Independent
Educational Evaluation

[Your Address]
[Your Phone Number]
[Today’s Date]
Mr./Ms. _______________
Director, Exceptional Student Education
[Name of School District]
[Address of District Office]
Dear __________________:

I am the parent of _____________________, age ___, who is a student in grade ____ at
______________________________ School. I think that my child needs an independent
educational evaluation because of these problems with the evaluation done by the school:

__________________________________________________________________________.

I am asking that you help me find someone to do this evaluation and that the school system
pay for it. Please provide me with a written response to this request.

or you may want to say:

I want (insert name and title of who you want to do the evaluation) to do the evaluation,
and I want the school system to pay for the evaluation by (insert name and title). Please
provided me with a written response to this request. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[Your Signature]
[Your Name]

cc: [Principal of Your Child’s School], Principal, [Name of Your Child’s School]
117

Sample Letter Asking the School to Change Records

[Your Address]
[Your Phone Number]
[Today’s Date]
Mr./Ms. _______________
Principal
[Name of School]
[Address of School]
Dear __________________:

I am the parent of _____________________, age ___, who is a student in grade ____ at
______________________________ School. I have read the school records about my child.
These records were explained to me by _________________________ (name of person) on
____________ (date). I have reason to believe that part of the school records are not fair to
my child. Therefore, I am asking that you _________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________.

Please let me know what action you will take in answer to this request.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
[Your Signature]
[Your Name]
cc: [Name of ESE Director], Director, Exceptional Student Education
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Sample Letter Asking for Copies of Educational Records

[Your Address]
[Your Phone Number]
[Today’s Date]
Mr./Ms. _______________
Principal
[Name of School]
[Address of School]
Dear __________________:

I am the parent of _____________________, age ___, who is a student in grade ____ at
______________________________ School. I am requesting a copy of my child’s
educational records. I understand you may charge a fee for copying. Therefore, prior to
copying the records, I request that you inform me of the cost. Depending on the cost, I may
request to review the records and identify the records I would like copied.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
[Your Signature]
[Your Name]
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APPENDIX D—SAMPLE IEP FORM
The blank IEP that begins on the next page is provided so you know what to expect when
you are helping the team write an IEP for your child.

121

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Quality County School District
Individual Educational Plan (IEP)

I. Student Information

Date of IEP meeting: School:
Student: Student number:
Address: Age:

Parent/Guardian: Reevaluation due date:
DOB: Initiation date of IEP:
Grade: Review date of IEP:
Purpose of meeting: Is this a transition IEP?:

Primary exceptionality:
Additional exceptionality(ies):

II. Special Considerations

In considering the following factors, if the IEP team determines that a student needs
a particular device or service, including an intervention, accommodation, or program
modification, the IEP must include a statement to that effect in the development of the
IEP.

Does the student’s behavior impede his/her learning or the learning of others?
If yes, does the student have a functional behavior assessment (FBA) and/or
behavior intervention plan (BIP)?
If there is not a FBA/BIP, the use of positive behavioral interventions,
strategies, and supports must be considered in the development of this IEP.
Does the student have limited English proficiency?
Is the student blind or visually impaired?
If yes, is instruction in braille or the use of braille appropriate?
Does the student have communication needs? If yes, those needs must be
addressed in this IEP.
Is the student deaf or hard-of-hearing?
If yes, the following opportunities for direct communication with peers and
professionals in the student’s language are needed:
N/A

Y N

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If yes, the following opportunities for direct instruction in the student’s
language are needed:

Does the student need assistive technology devices or services?
Does the student require instruction or the provision of information in the area
of self-determination?
The student is pursuing a course of study leading to:

Domains

The student’s needs that result from his or her disability are addressed through the
following domains or transition service activities areas:

Curriculum and Learning Environment
Independent Functioning
Communication
Social/Emotional Behavior
Health Care

III. General Factors and Assessment Data

Parent input was obtained through:

The parents’ concerns for enhancing the education of the student:

Health concerns:

Results of statewide or districtwide assessments (e.g., Florida Comprehensive
Assessment Test; Florida Alternate Assessment):

Results of the initial or most recent evaluation:

DEVELOPMENTAL ASSESSMENT

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY EVALUATION

Y N

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PHYSICAL THERAPY EVALUATION

BEHAVIOR ASSESSMENT

SPEECH AND LANGUAGE EVALUATION

Interagency responsibilities or linkages, if needed:

Results of Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test:

Test Year: Test Grade:
Reading Math
Achievement Level: Achievement Level:
Scale Score: Scale Score:
Content Areas Points Points State Content Areas Points Points State

Possible Earned Mean Possible Earned Mean

IV. Present Level of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance

Information on transition needs and/or self-determination is included here as appropriate.

Domain/Transition Service: Curriculum and Learning Environment

The strengths of the student related to this domain(s) are as follows:

Based on available data related to this domain, including formal and informal
assessments, observations, work samples, and age-appropriate transition assessments
(if appropriate), the student is able to:

LANGUAGE AND EMERGENT LITERACY

MATHEMATICS

The student’s disability affects his/her involvement and progress in the general
curriculum in this domain in the following ways:

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Annual Goals and Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks

Goal:

Mastery criteria:
Other:

Assessment procedures:
Progress reports will be provided:
If other, describe:

Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks:

Goal:

Mastery criteria:
Other:

Assessment procedures:
Progress reports will be provided:
If other, describe:

Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks:

Domain/Transition Service Area: Communication

The student’s disability affects his/her involvement and progress in the general
curriculum in this domain in the following ways:

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Annual Goals and Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks

Goal:

Mastery criteria:
Other:
Assessment procedures:
Progress reports will be provided:
If other, describe:

Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks:

Goal:

Mastery criteria:
Other:

Assessment procedures:
Progress reports will be provided:
If other, describe:

Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks:

Domain/Transition Service: Independent Functioning

The strengths of the student related to this domain(s) are as follows:
Based on available data related to this domain, including formal and informal
assessments, observations, work samples, and age-appropriate transition assessments
(if appropriate), the student is able to:
The student’s disability affects his/her involvement and progress in the general
curriculum in this domain in the following ways:

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Annual Goals and Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks:

Goal:

Mastery criteria:
Other:
Assessment procedures:
Progress reports will be provided:
If other, describe:

Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks:

Goal:
Mastery criteria:
Other:
Assessment procedures:
Progress reports will be provided:
If other, describe:
Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks:

Domain/Transition Service: Social/Emotional Behavior

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Y N
Assessment procedures:
Progress reports will be provided:
If other, describe:
Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks:

Goal:

Mastery criteria:
Other:
Assessment procedures:
Progress reports will be provided:
If other, describe:

Short-Term Objectives or Benchmarks:

V. Assessment

The student will be assessed through:

General Statewide Assessment (FCAT)/General Districtwide Assessment
Florida Alternate Assessment/Alternate Districtwide Assessment
N/A for student’s current grade

The student will participate in state or district assessments with
accommodations? If yes, see “For students Participating in Assessment with
Accommodations page (next page).

VI. Special Education Services

Specially Designed
Instruction

Initiation Duration Frequency Location

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Related Services

Initiation Duration Frequency Location

Supplementary Aids and
Services

Initiation Duration Frequency Location

Extended School Year
Services

Initiation Duration Frequency Location

Classroom
Accommodations

Initiation Duration Frequency Location

Accommodations are changes in how the student accesses information and
demonstrates performance in the general education setting.

Supports for School Personnel (describe):

(Supports required for the student to advance appropriately toward attaining goals, be
involved and progress in the general education curriculum, and to be educated and
participate with other students.)

Person responsible for transition services follow-up (can be identified by title):

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VII. Least Restrictive Environment

Explain the extent, if any, to which the student will not participate with nondisabled
students in the general education class, extracurricular activities, and nonacademic
activities:

Accessibility and Implementation

The IEP is accessible to each of the student’s teachers who are responsible for
implementation and each teacher of the student has been informed of the specific
responsibilities related to implementing the IEP (Rule 6A-6.03028, F.A.C.).

VII. Conference Notes:

Florida Department of Education
Gerard Robinson, Commissioner

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