What Is an IEP?
An IEP — Individualized Education Program — is the written plan created by a team (educators, specialists, and the family) for a student who has been found eligible for special education services under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). It documents the student's present levels, measurable annual goals, the special education and related services the school will provide, and how progress will be measured and reported.
In plain language
The IEP is the school's commitment to a specific student: what the team will teach, how, and how everyone will know it's working. For teachers, it's both a legal document and a daily instruction guide — the goals on the page are supposed to drive the work in the classroom.
Classroom example
A third grader with a language-based learning disability has an IEP with reading fluency and social goals, speech-language services, and accommodations like extra time. Her teacher probes each goal weekly and logs the results — the data that shows up in progress reports and next year's meeting.
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