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Both Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans can offer formal help for K-12 students who are struggling in school. They're similar in some ways but very different in others. This chart compares them side by side to help you understand the differences.

A blueprint or plan for a child's special education experience at school.

A blueprint or plan for how the school will provide support and remove barriers for a student with a disability.

To get an IEP, there are two requirements: A child has one or more of the 13 disabilities listed in IDEA. The law lists specific challenges, like learning disabilities, ADHD, autism, and others. And the disability must affect the child's educational performance and/or ability to learn and benefit from the general education curriculum. The child must need specialized instruction to make progress in school.

To get a 504 plan, there are two requirements: A child has any disability. Section 504 covers a wide range of different struggles in school. And the disability must interfere with the child's ability to learn in a general education classroom. Section 504 has a broader definition of a disability than IDEA. (It says a disability must substantially limit one or more basic life activities. This can include learning, reading, communicating, and thinking.) That's why a child who doesn't qualify for an IEP might still be able to get a 504 plan.

There are strict legal requirements about who participates. With a few exceptions, the entire IEP team must be present for IEP meetings. The team must include:

The rules about who's on the 504 team are less specific than they are for an IEP. A 504 plan is created by a team of people who are familiar with the child and who understand the evaluation data and special services options. This might include:

* The child's parent or caregiver

* General and special education teachers

* The school principal

* The child's parent or caregiver

* At least one of the child's general education teachers

* At least one special education teacher

* A school psychologist or other specialist who can interpret evaluation results

* A district representative with authority over special education services

The IEP sets learning goals and describes the services the school will provide. It's a written document. Here are some of the most important things the IEP must include:

There is no standard 504 plan. Unlike an IEP, a 504 plan doesn't have to be a written document. A 504 plan generally includes the following:

* Specific accommodations, supports, or services for the child

* Names of who will provide each service

* Name of the person responsible for ensuring the plan is implemented

* The child's present levels of academic and functional performance - how the child is currently doing in school

* Annual education goals for the child and how the school will track progress

* The services the child will get - this may include special education, related, supplementary, and extended school year services

* The timing of services - when they start, how often they occur, and how long they last

* Any accommodations - changes to the child's learning environment

* Any modifications - changes to what the child is expected to learn or know

* How the child will participate in standardized tests

* How the child will be included in general education classes and school activities

When the school wants to change a child's services or placement, it has to tell families in writing before the change. This is called prior written notice. Notice is also required for any IEP meetings and evaluations. Families also have "stay put" rights to keep services in place while there's a disagreement about the IEP.

The school must notify families about an evaluation or a "significant change" in placement. Notice doesn't have to be in writing, but most schools do so anyway.

How to resolve disputes

IDEA gives families several ways to resolve disputes (usually in this order):

Section 504 gives families several options for resolving disagreements with the school:

* Mediation

* Alternative dispute resolution

* Impartial hearing

* Complaint to the Office for Civil Rights (OCR)

* Lawsuit

* Mediation

* Due process complaint

* Resolution session

* Civil lawsuit

* State complaint

* Lawsuit

And if you need help navigating special education law in your state, consider reaching out to your local Parent Training and Information Center. The people there can answer questions and give practical advice on issues specific to your area.

Do you want to learn more about how IEPs and 504 plans compare? Watch as an expert explains the differences between them.

About the author

About the author

The Understood Team is made up of passionate writers and editors. Many of them have kids who learn and think differently.

Reviewed by

Reviewed by

Andrew M.I. Lee, JD is an editor and attorney who strives to help people understand complex legal, education, and parenting issues.

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The difference between IEPs and 504 plans

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Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and 504 plans are similar but different. See how they compare in what they provide and the processes and laws involved.

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Supervision Toolbox - School of Education

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Single Subject Credential Programs (Middle/High School)

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Videos: Supporting Emergent Bilingual Learners

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Videos: Supporting Emergent Bilingual Learners

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Colorín Colorado is pleased to present the following classroom videos highlighting effective instruction of English language learners (ELLs). The videos are presented as professional development modules with related resources.

These videos were created through the following projects:

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Colorín Colorado is pleased to present the following classroom videos highlighting effective instruction of English language learners (ELLs). The videos are presented as professional development modules with related resources. These videos were created through the following projects:

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SJCOE Resources to Support Emergent Bilingual Learners: Module Series

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SJCOE Resources to Support Emergent Bilingual Learners: Module Series

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Written by Jarice Butterfield, Ph.D., Santa Barbara County SELPA Director, these resources are intended as tools to assist both regular and special educators. These materials may provide assistance in meeting the needs of students who are identified as English Learners (EL) and may possibly need to be identified or are currently identified for special education.

Meeting the Needs of English Learners with Disabilities - Module 1
Definition of Terms for English Learners
Pre-referral (RTI) Activities for English Learners
Assessment of English Learners
Identification and Assessment

Module 2
Programs and Services for English Leaners in Special Education
Reclassification of English Learners in Special Education

Resource Book
Assessment, Identification, and Programs for English Learners
Interventions for English Learners Prior to Referrals to Special Education
Assessment and Identification of English Learners for Special Education Development of the of IEP for English Learners with Disabilities
IIEP Implementation, Programs & Services for English Learners with Disabilities
Reclassification of English Learners with Disabilities
Appendices: ELD programs/Curricular Materials, CDE Documents, Office of Civil Rights Communication Regarding ELs, Samples EL Reclassification Documents

Reference Material
EL Pre Referral Checklist
EL SPED - Reclassification Checklist
EL SPED - Reclassification Worksheet
IEP Checklist - ELs

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Written by Jarice Butterfield, Ph.D., Santa Barbara County SELPA Director, these resources are intended as tools to assist both regular and special educators. These materials may provide assistance in meeting the needs of students who are identified as English Learners (EL) and may possibly need to be identified or are currently identified for special education.

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Resources to Support Emergent Bilingual Learners

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Resources to Support Emergent Bilingual Learners

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COVID-19 English Learner Resources
Resources, models, webinars, newsletters, and guidance regarding English learner, immigrant, newcomer, and migratory students during distance learning and the transition to schools reopening during the COVID-19 outbreak.

English Language Development Standards
Assembly Bill 124 (Chapter 605, Statutes of 2011) requires the State Board of Education approve standards for English language development for pupils whose primary language is a language other than English. These standards shall be comparable in rigor and specificity to the standards for English language arts adopted.

English Learner Roadmap
Guide to assist local educational agencies to implement California's 21st century college-and-career-ready standards, curriculum, instruction programs, and assessments.

Equal Opportunity & Access
Discloses the practices of the California Department of Education to ensure equal, fair, and meaningful access to its employment and program services.

Multilingual Education
The resources on this web page offer information on the development, implementation, and location of multilingual programs.

Parent Notification
Information and resources from the California Department of Education about the Parent Notification forms.

Reclassification
Information on how a local educational agency (LEA) determines whether or not an English learner (EL) student has sufficient English proficiency to be reclassified as a fluent English speaker.

Resources
Information regarding newcomer students, programs for English learner (EL) students, FAQs regarding appropriate EL teacher authorizations, and educator and parent newsletters during distance learning.

State Seal of Biliteracy
This program recognizes high school graduates who have attained a high level of proficiency in speaking, reading, and writing one or more languages in addition to English.

Title III
Language instruction for English learner and immigrant students.

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Resources for English learners to acquire full proficiency in English as rapidly and effectively as possible, and meet state standards for academic achievement.

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Training

American Psychological Association: The Respect Online Course
The Respect Online Course includes three self-paced modules that provide school staff (educators, school counselors, nurses, psychologists, and social workers) with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to make schools safe and supportive for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning students.

The Trevor Project
The Lifeguard Workshop is a free online learning module with a video, curriculum, and teacher resources for middle school and high school classrooms. The Trevor Project's Trainings for Professionals include in-person Ally and CARE trainings designed for adults who work with youth. These trainings help counselors, educators, administrators, school nurses, and social workers discuss LGBTQ+ competent suicide prevention.

California Health Education
The primary purpose of this website and the Health Education Framework is to offer guidance to teachers of health education that will assist them in addressing significant changes to health instruction as reflected in the 2008 Health Education Standards, as well as more recent key initiatives and legislation. This includes guidance and professional learning on being inclusive to LGBTQ+ youth in the classroom in Module One . Creating safe, supportive, and inclusive learning environments, including for LGBTQ+ youth.

Resources for Schools
Curriculum Materials that are Inclusive of LGBTQ+ Youth Peer Support or Affinity Clubs and Organizations Safe Spaces for LGBTQ+ Students Counseling Services School Staff Antibias Training Aimed at Supporting LGBTQ+ Youth
Resources for Families and Communities Organized by Region

A curated list of regional organizations and guidance for the support of LGBTQ+ students, educators, and families; and strategies to increase support for LGBTQ+ students.

Region 1 - North Coast
Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Sonoma

Region 2 -Northeastern
Butte, Glenn, Lassen, Modoc, Plumas, Shasta, Siskiyou, Tehama, Trinity

Region 3 - Capital Service Region
Alpine, Colusa, El Dorado, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo, Yuba

Region 4 - Bay
Alameda, Contra Costa, Marin, Napa, San Francisco, San Mateo, Solano

Region 5 - South Bay
Monterey, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, San Benito

Region 6 - Delta Sierra
Amador, Calaveras, San Joaquin, Stanislaus, Tuolumne

Region 7 - Central Valley
Fresno, Kings, Madera, Mariposa, Merced, Tulare

Region 8 - Costa Del Sur
Kern, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Ventura

Region 9 - Southern
Imperial, Orange, San Diego

Region 10 - RIMS
Riverside, Inyo, Mono, San Bernardino

Region 11 - Los Angeles
Los Angeles

Statewide Resources for Families and Communities

Counseling Services
For local physical and mental health providers with experience in treating and supporting LGBTQ+ students.

Support Groups for Adults and Youth around Gender Diversity
Gender Spectrum hosts free online groups for pre-teens, teens, parents, caregivers, and other family members and adults. These groups provide you with the opportunity to connect with others, share experiences, and feel the comfort of a supportive community.

Laws and Policies

Laws and policies for local educational agencies to support LGBTQ+ students and provide safe learning environments that protect the health and safety of LGBTQ+ students

Laws Related to Supporting LGBTQ+ Students

The FAIR Education Act

California Education Code ( EC) Section 51204.5-the Fair, Accurate, Inclusive, and Respectful (FAIR) Education Act-(formerly Senate Bill 48) prescribes inclusion of the contributions of groups previously excluded in the history of California and the U.S. This section previously included men and women and numerous ethnic groups; the expanded language requires inclusion of the contributions of LGBT Americans to California and U.S. history as well as their roles in contemporary society.

To review the Fair Act statute, please visit the California Legislative Information web page. Frequently Asked Questions: regarding Senate Bill 48 are also available.

The California Healthy Youth Act

The California Healthy Youth Act, which took effect January 1, 2016, requires school districts to provide students with integrated, comprehensive, accurate, and comprehensive sexual health education and HIV prevention education, at least once in high school and once in middle school.

All instruction and materials in grades K-12 must be inclusive of LGBTQ students. Instruction shall affirmatively recognize that people have different sexual orientations and, when discussing or providing examples of relationships and couples, must be inclusive of same-sex relationships. ( EC Section 51933[d][5] ). Instruction shall affirmatively recognize that people have different sexual orientations and, when discussing or providing examples of relationships and couples, must be inclusive of same-sex relationships. ( EC Section 51933[d][5] ). Instruction must also teach students about gender, gender expression, gender identity, and explore the harm of negative gender stereotypes. ( EC Section 51933[d][6] ). This means that schools must teach about all sexual orientations and what being LGBTQ means. The California Healthy Youth Act also prohibits sexual health education classes from promoting bias against anyone on the basis of any category protected by EC Section 220, which includes actual or perceived gender and sexual orientation.

For information on the California Healthy Youth Act, EC sections 51930-51939, please visit the California Legislative Information web page.

More information regarding the implementation of The California Healthy Youth Act is available on the California Department of Education (CDE) Frequently Asked Questions: California Healthy Youth Act web page.

Additional information and resources regarding the California Healthy Youth Act, is available on the CDE Comprehensive Sexual Health & HIV/AIDS Instruction web page.

School Success and Opportunity Act

EC Section 221.5(f) (formerly Assembly Bill 1266), requires that pupils be permitted to participate in sex-segregated school programs, activities, and use facilities consistent with their gender identity, without respect to the gender listed in a pupil's records.

Please visit the CDE Frequently Asked Questions related to the implementation of School Success and Opportunity Act web page for more information.

Legal Advisory

The CDE has issued a Legal Advisory regarding application of California's antidiscrimination statutes to transgender youth in schools.

Policies Related to Supporting LBGTQ+ Students

Research, Data, and Reports

Research, Data and Reports on supporting LGBTQ+ students and improving overall school climate for LGBTQ+ students, their educators and their families.

Questions:

Teacher and Leader Policy Office | 916-445-7331
School Health and Safety Office | 916-319-0914

Last Reviewed: Thursday, June 08, 2023

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Instructional guidance, law, and policies for local educational agencies to support Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Questioning (LGBTQ+) students and provide safe learning environments that protect the health and safety of LGBTQ+ students.

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Acronym Soup is a light-hearted, "man on the street," video that demonstrates how confusing acronyms - especially special education acronyms - are for most people.  Hosted by F3 partner, Howard Fulfrost, this humorous nine-minute video makes the point that educators can explain acronyms at the outset to build trust with parents.

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Anyone who meets the above eligibility and wishes to become a certified teacher or add certifications in California should take advantage of waived fees. For example,

1. if you wish to become a substitute teacher in California, you can fulfill your certification requirement by passing the CBEST. The assessment fee waivers can be used to cover the CBEST fees. This exam is available in computer-based testing centers and through OnVUE, the online-proctored option.

2. if you are a certified teacher and wish to acquire certification in other subject areas, the assessment fee waivers can be used to cover these exam fees. Expanding certifications may enable new or additional teaching assignments in your school or district.

3. if you are seeking certification and are considering the flexible options of course credit, you may wish to achieve certification through the assessment fee waivers, as the exam route may be faster than coursework for you, and you can take exams for free.

4. if you have been issued a preliminary credential and still need to take the RICA and/or CalTPA or edTPA for California , if eligible and while funds remain, your fees will be waived to take these assessments so you can be issued a clear credential.

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California Assessment Fee Waivers Frequently Asked Questions

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Anyone who meets the above eligibility and wishes to become a certified teacher or add certifications in California should take advantage of waived fees. For example, if you wish to become a substitute teacher in California, you can fulfill your certification requirement by passing the CBEST.

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NorCal TeachUP Program – School of Education

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Currently teaching on a PIP or STSP? Earn a Preliminary Credential in Single Subject, Multiple Subject, and/or Education Specialist with a stipend up to $3,000 and credential exam support!

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Law pertaining to LGBTQ+ Student support-FAIR Act

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Law pertaining to LGBTQ+ Student support-FAIR Act

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(1) Existing law establishes the system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state and provides for the establishment of local educational agencies to operate these schools and provide instruction to pupils. Existing law states the policy of the State of California to afford all persons in public schools, regardless of their disability, gender, gender identity, gender expression, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, or any other specified characteristic, equal rights and opportunities in the educational institutions of the state.

This bill would encourage each school operated by a school district or county office of education and each charter school to use resources developed by the State Department of Education to provide training at least once every 2 years to teachers and other certificated employees at that school that serve pupils in grades 7 to 12, inclusive, and to other certificated employees at that school, on schoolsite and community resources for the support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) pupils, and strategies to increase support for LGBTQ pupils and thereby improve overall school climate, as specified.

The bill, no later than July 1, 2021, would require the State Department of Education to develop resources or, as appropriate, update existing resources for in-service training on schoolsite and community resources for the support of LGBTQ pupils, and strategies to increase support for LGBTQ pupils, as specified.

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(1) Existing law establishes the system of public elementary and secondary schools in this state and provides for the establishment of local educational agencies to operate these schools and provide instruction to pupils.

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Welcome to FindLaw's Cases & Codes, a free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw's Learn About the Law.

FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction. Please verify the status of the code you are researching with the state legislature or via Westlaw before relying on it for your legal needs.

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California Code, Education Code - EDC | FindLaw

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Welcome to FindLaw's Cases & Codes, a free source of state and federal court opinions, state laws, and the United States Code. For more information about the legal concepts addressed by these cases and statutes, visit FindLaw's Learn About the Law. FindLaw Codes may not reflect the most recent version of the law in your jurisdiction.

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We believe our public schools are worth fighting for. That belief has guided our union since 1863. Today, we're still just as dedicated in the fight for equal access, justice, and resources for all of California's students, teachers, and classrooms.

Communications Awards Nomination Deadline

Learn More

When educators and allies raise our voices together, anything is possible. This is how we win the public education every student deserves.

Contact the CDE and SPI Thurmond re: Tracking Student Participation

Contact Your Senators and Tell Them to Support the HEROES Act

Stay up-to-date with all the latest California teachers news, events, and member benefits.

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We believe our public schools are worth fighting for. That belief has guided our union since 1863. Today, we're still just as dedicated in the fight for equal access, justice, and resources for all of California's students, teachers, and classrooms. Communications Awards Nomination Deadline Learn More When educators and allies raise our voices together, anything is possible.

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dteja@csuchico.edu
credentials@csuchico.edu
5308986455

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Tips for Monitoring Student Progress on Goals

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Tips for Monitoring Student Progress on Goals

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Page 9: Monitoring & Reporting Student Progress

Document how, and how frequently, a student's progress toward his or her IEP goals will be measured and reported.

As we discussed on previous pages, a student's PLAAFP statements inform her annual goals, which inform decisions about the special education and related services she will receive. Once these services and supports are identified, the IEP team needs to decide how they will determine whether the student's program is effective (i.e., helping the student make appropriate progress). IDEA requires that every IEP contain a component in which IEP teams document:

How a student's progress toward meeting each annual goal will be measured

When periodic reports on that progress will be provided to parents

Developing a Progress Monitoring Plan

To monitor student progress, IEP teams must make decisions about the nature of the data that will be collected and analyzed relevant to each annual goal. The most appropriate progress monitoring systems are those in which objective numerical data are collected frequently, graphed, analyzed, and then used to make instructional decisions. Anecdotal data and other subjective procedures are not appropriate for monitoring student progress and should not be the basis of a progress monitoring system.

To determine how a student's progress toward meeting his or her annual goals will be measured, the team members can consider the guiding questions in the table below. The team's collective responses to these questions should align with each annual goal and therefore be specific, measurable, realistic, and relevant to the timeframe.

How will the student's progress be objectively measured?

Do: Use objective measures (e.g., data that can be reported in numbers rather than words).

Examples:

Behavior observation checklists

Progress monitoring probes (e.g., reading, math)

Unit or chapter test scores

Don't: Use subjective measures.

Examples:

Anecdotal reports

Teacher or student perceptions

How often will the student's progress be measured?

Do: Measure frequently and systematically.

Examples:

Every two weeks

At least three times per week

Don't: Measure so inconsistently or infrequently that data-based changes to services and supports can't occur.

Examples:

Every nine weeks

Three times per year

Who is responsible for collecting progress monitoring data?

Do: Identify an individual with appropriate data-collection training.

Examples:

General education teacher

Special education teacher

School psychologist

Don't: Assume that an individual has the requisite skills to collect data.

Where will data collection occur?

Do: Clearly identify each relevant setting or context in which data will be collected.

Examples:

During reading instruction

On the playground during recess

Don't: Broadly describe the setting or context (e.g., in the general education setting) or omit it completely.

When will data collection occur?

Do: Maintain a consistent data-collection schedule.

Examples:

Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays at 10:00 am

Tuesdays during reading

Don't: Collect data on an inconsistent basis.

Examples:

Monday at the beginning of reading class (9:00 am) and then Wednesday right before recess (10:30 am)

At the teacher's convenience

When the student is in a good mood

How well will the student need to perform in order to achieve his or her stated IEP goals (i.e., performance criteria)?

Do: Use the performance criterion from the annual goal.

Examples:

Perform a task with 85% accuracy during 3 out of 5 observations

Read at a rate of 95 words per minute with less than 5 errors on 2 out of 3 reading passages

Begin working on a task with 2 or fewer prompts from the teacher 4 out of 5 days

Don't: Use different performance criterion than those stated in the annual goals.

Note: State and local educational agencies have discretion to determine the measurement method, the specific content of the periodic reports about students' progress provided to parents, and the frequency with which these reports will be generated.

A good practice for assessing student progress is to use data from formative assessments to measure progress on the academic skill or functional behavior specified in the annual goal. These data can also be used to inform instructional decision making. Regularly and systematically collecting and monitoring student data allows the IEP team to evaluate the appropriateness of the student's IEP. It also gives the team time, when the student is not making progress, to make adjustments to the student's educational program so that she might still achieve the annual goals. These adjustments might include using different instructional methods, providing different services and supports, or reconsidering the student's LRE.
formative assessment
A system of providing continual feedback about students' preconceptions and performances to both learners and instructors; an ongoing evaluation of student learning.

The plan for monitoring and reporting student progress need not be cumbersome or overly time-consuming. In fact, plans that are too unwieldy or burdensome are less likely to be implemented with fidelity, if at all. IEP teams should consider monitoring and reporting methods that are user-friendly and time-efficient.

In this interview, Tamara McLean explains how different types of assessments help to inform both general education and special education teachers on a student's progress (time: 2:54).

Transcript: Tamara McLean

Every school is different and every district is different. In our school, we do progress monitoring, and that progress monitoring happens weekly. Now not every goal may be monitored every week but it needs to be regular. To make our instruction valid we need to know exactly where they are. Because if we're redoing skills that they really already have a reasonable grasp of, and we're not checking in on that regularly, we are not moving on. We do hear about all the testing that is done and how much time is spent testing. And I do understand, especially from a gen ed teacher perspective, how much time that does take. But I also think special education is a different ballgame because we tailor our instruction specifically to each child. And gen ed teachers very much try to do that but, their entire training is moving a group on whereas in special education we are moving each child on from where they are. And so our views of testing I think are completely different. Our time needs to be spent only doing skills they need, only doing skills that apply big picture, and only will move them forward to the ultimate goal of whatever that subject is.

So when I started teaching, we didn't really use the data like we do now. And we didn't constantly recheck in: Where are our students? Are they making progress? Where is the gap? What do they need to get there? And I think as we are getting better about using this testing and being intentional about what we do with it, it really does focus your time which is important because we can waste a lot of time if we don't know where kids are. I think though that sometimes you need to take pieces into the testing, when you look at the results. So when we look at things like TN Ready, which is Tennessee state testing, it's timed. So it isn't always a great example of specific skills and whether they have them or not. It's just whether they can do them in the set amount of time. And then you have tests that we use in this district like the MAP test where it's untimed. So using those two pieces of information together give us great information. Hey, they have the skill. They were able to do it over and over on the MAP test but they're not able to access it quickly because they weren't able to show us that on the TN Ready. So even those two tests, which we complain they say the same thing, they don't. They tell us different things. When we put them together it gives us a bigger picture of what exactly we're working on.

Legislation and Litigation

The use of "teacher observation" by itself is not a legitimate way of monitoring student progress. As the New York State Educational Agency noted in a 2003 hearing...

although subjective teacher observation provides valuable information, teacher observation is not an adequate method of monitoring student progress

and

Without supporting data, teacher observation is opinion which cannot be verified

Board of Education of the Rhinebeck Central School District, 2003, p. 148

The progress monitoring plan should be clear and easy to understand. The data collected should be used to adjust the IEP document as needed. As the hearing officer in Escambia County Public School System (2004) concluded:

The most glaring deficiency was the absence of a notation as to whether [the student] had mastered any of his benchmarks . . . without the dates of mastery of benchmarks indicated on the IEP a parent cannot determine the progress that the child has been making during the school year... it is crucial that a parent (or other IEP member) be able to examine the IEP document to see if satisfactory progress is being made toward the attainment of the student's annual goals and if not, whether there is a need for adjustments to his program (42 IDELR 248).

Reporting Progress to Parents

The IEP team must stipulate when periodic reports on the student's progress will be provided to her parents. These reports keep the parents informed regarding whether their child is on track to achieve her annual goals. In cases in which the student is not on track to meet her goals, the report should describe the adjustments that school personnel intend to implement to help her do so. Depending on the nature of these adjustments, it might be necessary to schedule an IEP meeting to review the student's individualized education program.

A good rule of thumb is to provide progress reports on the student's annual goals at least as frequently as parents of students without disabilities receive progress reports (e.g., report cards). This is in addition to the daily or weekly progress reports that many teachers send home. For example, the parents of a 2nd-grade student who only receives special education services for reading might receive:

The same weekly academic and behavior updates as the other parents

A report card every nine weeks with grades for all of their child's subjects

A report on her progress toward meeting her annual IEP goals in reading

IEP teams should facilitate the parents' understanding of the data so that they can clearly determine whether their child is making progress toward all of her annual goals. There are several considerations to keep in mind when reporting progress to parents:

Avoid using jargon

Use graphs to provide visual representations of the data

Present information in parent's home language whenever possible

State clearly whether the student is on track to meet her annual goals

In this interview, Tamara McLean explains two different ways that teachers at her school report progress to parents (time: 1:19).

Transcript: Tamara McLean

In our school, some of the ways that we like to report information and the ways we are required to report information are not exactly the same. IEPs have a progress report piece, which really and truly is just telling us how they're making progress on the goals. And every time a report card is sent home we send home the progress report on the IEP goals to the parents at the same time. So they can see how close they're getting to mastery on that goal. We don't get a lot of feedback from parents on it. So I'm not really sure how meaningful it is.

We send home data on our progress monitoring. We chart them in an excel spreadsheet. And every Wednesday when we do our progress monitoring, we, right there on the computer with the child, plug it into the computer and it generates on the graph to show where they have gone on that skill and backtracks all the way to when we started that particular skill. And sometimes the children will ask if they can print it off and take it home, because as much as the parent needs to see it, so does the child, they're the one who is working on it. And so those graphs are a great way for them to actually see the growth versus the progress report we send home where we're just putting a percentage towards mastery on there.

Implications of Endrew on Progress Monitoring and Reporting

Legislation and Litigation

A substantive standard not focused on student progress would do little to remedy the pervasive and tragic academic stagnation that prompted Congress to act.

Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District, 2017, p. 11

For Your Information

There is probably less substantive compliance with this component of the IEP than any other. Too often teachers don't understand how to effectively collect and interpret data.

Recall that the Endrew ruling concerned itself, in part, with the quality of the education, as laid out in their IEPs, to which students with disabilities are entitled. The Supreme Court's ruling requires that a higher substantive standard must now be used to determine educational benefit: An IEP must be "reasonably calculated to enable a child to make progress appropriate in light of the child's circumstances." To determine whether the student is making progress, IEP teams must create and implement a high-quality plan that allows them to systematically and consistently monitor and report the student's progress toward meeting her annual goals. This plan must include a process for collecting objective data that can document improved academic and/or functional performance. As mentioned above, if the data indicate that a student is not on track to meet her annual goals, the IEP team should make adjustments to the education program and continue to monitor accordingly. Failure to make such adjustments, when data indicate the need, could result in a ruling that a school had denied FAPE to a student.

In the interview below, Mitchell Yell discusses monitoring and reporting considerations for students with disabilities (time: 0:59).

Mitchell Yell, PhD
Fred and Francis Lester Palmetto Chair in Teacher Education
Professor, Special Education
University of South Carolina

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Transcript: Mitchell Yell, PhD

I would say probably the most efficient way of collecting data on basic skills is to use curriculum-based measurement. They're easy to use, they're very time-efficient, and they're very reliable and valid data. Teachers need something that's easy and doesn't take a lot of time. So I would say curriculum-based measurement is an extremely good way to write goals and collect data on academic issues having to do with basic skills deficits.

To communicate with parents, I would say best-practice is not only collecting data, but graphing it. You know, a graph is almost intuitively understandable. You can look at a graph even if you don't know what it means, and you can see if the child is making growth or not by looking at the graph. And that's a very effective way to communicate with parents.

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IRIS | Page 9: Monitoring & Reporting Student Progress

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Document how, and how frequently, a student's progress toward his or her IEP goals will be measured and reported. As we discussed on previous pages, a student's PLAAFP statements inform her annual goals, which inform decisions about the special education and related services she will receive.

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State SELPA Forms Manual (2019) Writing IEPs for Educational Benefit

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State SELPA Forms Manual (2019) Writing IEPs for Educational Benefit

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https://seisprodtableswest.blob.core.windows.net/trainingmanual-storage/2416f43c-e7b7-4e28-a796-6b9789828c18.pdf

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https://www.lozanosmith.com/docs/resources/IEP_Note_Taking.pdf