The Individual Education Plan (IEP) is, as the name suggests, an individualized plan for providing a special education. The IEP is the heart of special education and the main vehicle through which a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) is provided. IEPs are developed and written by a multidisciplinary team and specify elements related to special education such as: present level of academic achievement and functional performance (PLAAFP), placement, annual goals, special education and related services and supplementary aids, participation in state proficiency tests, measurement and reporting of progress, behavior management plan (when appropriate), and transition goals and services for students by age 16. IEPs are closely related to the other primary aspects of IDEA discussed in this class – IEPs are how FAPE is provided, procedural safeguards exist to protect the appropriate development and implementation of IEPs, IEPs are based on assessment and evaluation, IEPs specify a student’s LRE/placement, and the behavior management plans contained in IEPs are important in disciplinary procedures under IDEA.
