IEP Forms and Process FAQ

What should the start date of services be considering that there is a 3-day prior written notice built into the IEP?

The start dates for services, to avoid confusion, should be the date of the meeting.

How many days to close out IEPs?
IEPs should be completed within a few days after the meeting and closed out permanently within 15 school days.

Can building administrator serve as the Special Education Director Designee?
Yes.

Can you sign as sped provider if you do not currently hold a sped license?
You cannot sign as a licensed provider without a license.

Can the start date of goals be staggered?
Yes.

Can you really accept an out-of state IEP – have been told that need to be an initial to determine if the student has a disability as defined by the state?
Yes, you can accept an IEP from another state in its entirety. If you wish to change anything, you must reject the IEP, provide interim services and conduct and initial eligibility determination.

Can the one page IEP Amendment be used with a Transfer?
No, service changes require an IEP Meeting or and initial if the transfer is from out of state.

When does preschooler label have to be changed?
At the age of 6.

What happens if the parent refuses the procedural safeguards?
Generally, document on the IEP that the parent refused to sign and indicate that you gave them a copy.

Are SLPAs considered paras under SLPs?
No SLPAs are service providers. Depending on the service model list the hours seperately or under the SLP on the service page.

If the IEP is not translated, how is it binding?
The translation requirement is that parents be informed of the IEP in their native language, which could be through their participation at the IEP meeting with a translator.

Part C – B Transition. When doing an IEP on a student coming from Part C, do we use the IEP dates to determine future meetings or the IFSP dates?
We use the IEP dates. The two processes, while related, are separate.

How do we list services that may meet a students special education needs as identified on the IEP, when those services are provided through general education (e.g., ELL, Literacy)?
CHANGED: GENERAL EDUCATION SERVICES ARE NOT REQUIRED TO BE LISTED ON THE IEP.

Where is the CO Severity Rating Scale for SLPs?
There is no requirement to use the scale and it is no longer part of the IEP. SLPs wishing to use the scale should integrate it into their evaluation report.

How do we document Para educator supports?
Para Educators assigned to a program are included as additional hours under the teacher’s service delivery. You can have the teacher listed for several “Areas of Specialized Instruction” to address the needs more specifically. For instance, you could list 5 hours for health, 3 hours for Literacy, 22 hours for inclusion.

Is there a secondary disability?
No.

Is everyone required to agree about eligibility?
No, but consensus is preferred.

What paperwork do you complete if you reject a referral?
You would want a copy of the referral and the Prior Written Notice form.

How do you document Physical Restraints?
Use of physical restraints is beyond the concept of an FAQ. There are a lot of requirements that we must comply with. Refer to the Guidelines For Restraint available under IEP Forms on the Mountain BOCES Web Site.

How do you document use of a Sign Language Interpreter?
As a service on the IEP under the Area of accessing the general curriculum.

Who develops IEPs for Private School Students?
No IEP is required if a parent does not provide Initial Consent for Sped. If the student if found eligible by the school team, work with the Assistant Director to get a Private School Service Plan in place.

How do we handle the situation when a student who is eligible for Special Education enrolls in the public school from a private school?
Offer Initial Consent for Sped again, if obtained, develop an IEP and use the IEP Meeting as the annual. Use the initial eligibility meeting to identify the Tri date.

When will forms be available in Spanish?
CDE is working on it, no target date available.

When a student moves out and then returns, what is required?
First complete the transfer form. If any of the dates are overdue, conduct the necessary annual or triennial.

How do we document that the parents received a copy of the parent rights?
There is a place on the IEP that identifies that a parent has received their copy.

When is Prior Written Notice required?
Prior written notice is required any time you propose to initial or change a student’s identification, provision of FAPE, or LRE. Consequently, PWN is integrated into the IEP forms. The only time to use the separate form is when the school is rejecting a request from a parent or initiating a change that a parent has objected.

How often should progress reports be done?
There is no longer a requirement for how frequently an IEP Progress report should be provided. However, student’s receiving special education services should be monitored for progress on a frequent basis (weekly or every other week). The IEP Progress report should be provided at a frequency that keeps parents informed of the student’s progress. This may depend on whether or not you are providing other forms of progress information to parents through your RtI process.

IEP Progress reports are required at the Annual, to identify which goals were met. They are also required for ESY determination to document regression and recoupment.

Should providers write their own goals?
Yes, provided they are measurable. However, related services should support the special education program and not have specific goals for their "area."

How long do parents have to say “no” to an IEP?
At this time, parents do not have a way to refuse services once they have begun, except initiating dispute resolution. This practice is likely to be soon revised through Federal Regulations.

Where is the delay of staffing form?
There is no form, nor any legally defensible reason for a delay of an IEP or eligibility meeting.

How many times can one person sign on the IEP?
Twice, special education providers can sign for themselves and the Director Designee.

If you use AIMSweb or Dibbels reports for Progress reports, should they be sent to Leadville?
Yes, they are part of the IEP documentation.

If we do not know the initial date of the IEP, what date should we use?
After working diligently to get the student’s complete special education records, then use the oldest date for the Initial IEP Date.

What is the timeframe for parents to rescind their decision of Special Education for their child?
Currently, parents can only withdraw their initial consent for special education prior to any services beginning. Once services begin, then the window to revoke has closed. This should change in the future with new Federal Regulations.

Is there a State IEP health care plan form?
No.

If we are planning to hold a combined Eligibility Determination / IEP Meeting, how do we complete the Notice of Meeting?
Mark the appropriate Eligibility box for purpose, as the notice identifies that and IEP will be developed if the student if found eligible.

What is the Post Secondary Goal Date on the Cover Page?
This should be a future date that is in line with the current annual date and closest to the year in which the student turns 15 or before the end of 9th grade.

Do we need to keep a printed copy of the IEP in the school?
No.

Can we obtain written consent through the phone?
No. You may not use verbal consent.

What do we do if a parent refuses consent to evaluate?
The District may choose to initiate dispute resolution. You cannot evaluate without consent.

What do we do if a parent fails to respond to our reasonable attempts to obtain consent for evaluation?
First, I would make a personal effort to discuss it with the parents. If this is a re-evaluation, and you have documented the reasonable attempts, you may proceed with the evaluation. If this is consent for the Initial evaluation, do not proceed with an initial evaluation without signed parent consent. Document reasonable efforts to obtain consent. If a parent does not provide consent or fails to respond, the district may initiate dispute resolution.

How do we allow someone not invited on the Notice of Meeting to attend the IEP or Eligibility meeting?
You would want to discuss with the parent prior to the meeting that the person would like to attend. Document the parent’s agreement. If the parent chooses not to allow the person, you could reschedule the meeting and send a new notice.

A principal may wish to stop by to check in on the team. As long as they do not sit for the entire meeting, they can do that out of courtesy.

How do we document things like three attempts?
Keep a paper log of those attempts and submit to Leadville with IEP documents. Eventually, there will be a place for that information in SEAS.

What is required for a Special Education Referral?
You can use the old form for referral to special education.

What if a parent provides initial consent for the provision of special education and then revokes it at the initial IEP meeting?
You stop the meeting and are not required to develop the IEP or deliver services.

How do we transfer records to another school district?
Direct all requests for records to the Records Administrator in Leadville.

Can we change the wording of a Post-School goal to “Johnny is interested in exploring xyz?”
No, PSGs are a statement of observable real intent and MUST identify what a student WILL do after leaving the K-12 system.

How does the high school deal with service delivery on the IEP when schedules change three times a year?
Either plan the changes in the services page with staggered dates or conduct IEP Amendments.

Can Mountain BOCES provide IEP training for interpreters (who translate at IEP meetings)?
Yes, work with your Assistant Director to schedule training.

Is it okay to prepare a 1 –2 page info sheet for a student for his/her teachers, including a description of challenges or strengths and needs; goals & objectives, accommodations and modifications? Does this violate confidentiality?
This is more than “okay.” It is required to inform staff working with students about their IEP related needs.

Is this true that anything listed as a need must relate to a goal?
No, any need identified on the IEP must be related to a goal, accommodation, modification, service, or supplemental plan.

How do we put in secondary disabilities?
You don’t. They are no longer a required data element.

What technology/systems to write the evaluation narratives collaboratively?
SEAS, E-mail, Microsoft Word.

When to do an amendment meeting versus using the amendment form?
The single page IEP Amendment is used for minor changes that the parent agrees to in writing. An amendment meeting would occur for more significant changes or if the parent does not agree. Additionally, use a meeting anytime is makes sense.

Are there completed models of all IEP forms?
Not at this time.

Why is a professional to interpret results not required at an eligibility meeting?
The Eligibility meeting requires a professional knowledgeable in the area(s) of suspected disability. The IEP meeting requires a professional who is able to interpret the results of the Eligibility Meeting and apply the educationally relevant findings to the development of the IEP.

Can you accept an IEP from another state without conducting an eligibility meeting?
Yes.

If a parent wants to invite someone to a meeting would you document it on the Notice of Meeting form?
You can if you know in advance. However, do not send that person a notice, as it violates confidentiality.

For SLD, will formal scores be in the evaluation report?
The evaluation report should be understandable to lay people. Any time technical language or scores are used, you must explain them.

Can a sped or other person sign in more than 2 spots?
No.

What form is used to reject a request to evaluate?
The standalone Prior Written Notice form.

How long does the school have to respond after receiving parental request to evaluate?
There is no legally defined timeline. It is recommended that an initial contact be made indicating the request was received and when the team will consider the request. I would suggest no more than 10 school days.

What about early childhood referrals generated by physicians, HR/Social Services/Mountain Valley? Go forward, right?
Nope. Only Parents and the school may initiate a referral. Work with these agencies to initiate the referral through the parent or school.

Having to do with severe needs… must there be objectives for every goal?
If the student is being assessed on the CSAPA or district alternate, then objectives are required.

Goals seem like the objectives we were using. If required, what would the objectives for each goal look like?
Generally, the goal will be measurable and achievable within a year. You could write objectives to be steps toward the goal or more specific skills.
For example:
Goal: Jon will increase his Reading from 32 to 65 words read correctly per minute in 4th grade material by November 12, 2009.
Objective: Jon will increase his sight word vocabulary from 275 to 400 by the next annual review.

Procedural safeguards in different languages?
Spanish is printed in Leadville. Request them from your Special Education Secretary....Other languages you may use oral interpretation

What are the procedures for a delay of staffing?
There is no longer a delay in staffing – parents are not a required participant to the meetings other than the initial meeting. Even though that is the law, please make attempts to schedule so that parents can be partners. If you need to hold a meeting with out them, make sure that you make every effort to explain any questions they have after reviewing decisions with them.

Is it necessary to have objectives under goals for a CSAPA student?
Yes, Students whose performance is measured against standards that are different than general education students must have short term objectives

Eligibility Review – what if you want to reduce services – student no longer needs OT?
This is where you use the “Special Evaluation option” – you can use a formal assessment or a Body Of Evidence – you use this for any big changes in student’s services – less or more services.

Can we use the IEP Amendment one Page form waiver to remove students from Special Ed services?
No

Request of records – what is sent to the requesting school?
Formal records requests are sent to Leadville, though your Special Education Secretary.