What are the laws about progress monitoring in IEPs?

Education Law Forum
1

I’m trying to figure out the laws about progress monitoring in IEPs. Specifically, how often schools are required to update parents about a child’s progress. Does IDEA say anything about when and how these reports should be sent out?

2

Yeah, under IDEA, schools must include a statement in the IEP about how they’ll measure progress and when they’ll report it.

3

Indy said:
Yeah, under IDEA, schools must include a statement in the IEP about how they’ll measure progress and when they’ll report it.

Thanks! Does it say anything specific about how often these updates need to happen?

4

Indy said:
Yeah, under IDEA, schools must include a statement in the IEP about how they’ll measure progress and when they’ll report it.

It’s usually the same frequency as report cards for non-disabled students, like quarterly or whatever your school does.

5

The legal reference is 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d)(1)(A)(i)(III). It talks about progress reporting being tied to regular intervals like report cards.

6

Jamie said:
The legal reference is 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d)(1)(A)(i)(III). It talks about progress reporting being tied to regular intervals like report cards.

Oh, cool. Thanks for the specific section number! That’s super helpful.

7

Jamie said:
The legal reference is 20 U.S.C. § 1414(d)(1)(A)(i)(III). It talks about progress reporting being tied to regular intervals like report cards.

No problem! If you want more details, you can look up that section online.

8

If they’re not providing regular updates, you can request an IEP meeting to address it. It’s your right as a parent.

9

Nico said:
If they’re not providing regular updates, you can request an IEP meeting to address it. It’s your right as a parent.

Good idea. I didn’t realize I could request a meeting for this. Thanks for the tip!

10

Progress reports need to give a clear picture of whether the student is on track to meet their goals. Don’t let them get away with vague updates.

11

Hale said:
Progress reports need to give a clear picture of whether the student is on track to meet their goals. Don’t let them get away with vague updates.

Yeah, I’ve noticed they can be super generic sometimes. I’ll push for more detail next time.

12

If your school isn’t following the rules, you can file a complaint with your state education agency. IDEA compliance is serious business.

13

Wylie said:
If your school isn’t following the rules, you can file a complaint with your state education agency. IDEA compliance is serious business.

Thanks, I’ll keep that in mind if I can’t resolve it through the IEP team.