Questions to Ask in IEP Meeting
Questions for parents attending an IEP meeting, covering how the evaluation was read, how goals and service minutes are written, placement decisions, progress reporting, and what to do when you disagree with the team.
The questions
Open any question for the note
Which evaluations was this plan built on, and how recent are they?
Why ask it
Plans are often carried forward from testing done years earlier. Knowing the date of the underlying assessment tells you whether the team is describing your child now or your child as they were.
Can you explain what the test scores mean in plain words?
Why ask it
Percentiles and standard scores get read aloud without translation. Ask what the number means for a school day, since the practical version is what the goals should be built on.
Can we read each goal aloud with its baseline and target?
Why ask it
Goals without a starting point and a number cannot be measured or enforced. Reading them in the room is the reliable way to catch ones that only sound specific.
Who is responsible for each goal?
Why ask it
A goal owned by everyone is owned by nobody. Ask for a name or role per goal, because that is who you contact when progress stalls.
How many minutes of each service is my child getting, and in what setting?
Why ask it
Ask for the number and whether the service is delivered in class or by pulling your child out. Both details change the plan substantially and both are easy to leave undefined.
Are services delivered individually or in a group, and how large a group?
Why ask it
Thirty minutes of speech alone and thirty minutes in a group of six are recorded identically. The distinction is rarely offered unless you ask.
What placement options did the team consider, and why was this one chosen?
Why ask it
The team is required to consider the least restrictive setting that works. Asking what else was discussed reveals whether alternatives were genuinely weighed or whether the placement was assumed.
How much of the day will my child spend outside the general education classroom?
Why ask it
Ask for the total in minutes across the week. Pull-out time accumulates from several services and is often larger than any single person in the room realizes.
What accommodations are listed, and who tells the classroom teachers about them?
Why ask it
Accommodations fail at the handoff. Ask how a subject teacher who was not at this meeting learns what they are required to do.
How will I hear about progress, and how often?
Why ask it
Ask for the reporting schedule and what the report contains. A checkbox saying progressing is not data, and you are entitled to ask what it is based on.
What assistive technology was considered?
Why ask it
The team is required to consider it, which does not mean anyone raised it. Ask whether it was discussed and what was ruled out, since a no on the record can be revisited.
Does my child qualify for services over the summer?
Why ask it
Extended school year turns on whether skills are lost during breaks, not on convenience or general benefit. Ask what evidence the team looked at before deciding.
What happens if my child does not meet a goal?
Why ask it
A missed goal should trigger a change in approach, not the same goal restated next year. Ask what the team does at the point they notice, and when.
How will this plan follow my child to the next teacher or school?
Why ask it
Handoffs between grades and buildings are where plans go quiet. Ask who is responsible for the transfer and whether the receiving staff meet before the year starts.
What is the plan for life after school, and when does that work start?
Why ask it
Transition planning has a statutory starting age that varies by state, often earlier than parents expect. Ask what it covers: employment, further education, independent living.
What can I ask for between now and the annual review?
Why ask it
You may request a meeting, a new evaluation, or a copy of records at any time. Hearing the team confirm this in the room makes later requests routine rather than adversarial.
When is the next full reevaluation, and can I ask for one sooner?
Why ask it
Reevaluations run on a fixed cycle, commonly every three years, but a parent can request one earlier. Ask what would prompt the team to agree.
What exactly am I consenting to if I sign today?
Why ask it
Attendance, agreement with the plan, and consent to an evaluation are separate things, and the signature lines are not always labeled clearly. Ask which one each signature represents.
Can I take this home before signing?
Why ask it
You can. Asking is normal and gives you time to compare the document against your notes, which is when most discrepancies surface.
If we disagree, what happens next?
Why ask it
Ask about prior written notice, an independent educational evaluation, mediation, and a due process complaint. Understanding the ladder usually makes the lower rungs enough.
Taking Part in an IEP Meeting
Practical guidance for the conversation itself
Before the meeting
Request the draft and the reports in advance
Ask in writing for the draft IEP and any evaluations several days ahead. Reading them for the first time in the room is the single biggest disadvantage a parent can arrive with.
Know who will be there
Ask for the attendee list. If a person whose input you need cannot attend, say so in advance rather than discovering the gap during the meeting.
Bring your own record
Two or three dated notes about homework, sleep, or behavior at home carry weight, because school staff only see one setting.
Pick your priorities
Meetings are scheduled tightly. Decide the two items you will not compromise on so you can concede smaller points without losing the important ones.
In the room
- Ask for plain language whenever an acronym appears. The shorthand is internal and you are not expected to know it.
- For every service, get minutes, setting, group size, and who delivers it.
- Write down commitments with the name of the person who made them.
- If something is agreed verbally, ask for it to be written into the document before the meeting ends.
- Watch for available and as needed, which describe supports that may never actually arrive.
Common problems
Goals recycled from last year
Compare the new goals against the previous plan. Identical wording usually means either the goal was never measured or progress was never reviewed.
Signing to indicate attendance
Some forms use one signature for presence and another for agreement. Ask which is which, and write beside your signature if you agree only in part.
Being told a service is unavailable
Placement and services are meant to follow the child's needs rather than current staffing. If a support is refused for resource reasons, ask for that reason in writing.
Letting the meeting run out of time
If the agenda is unfinished, ask to reconvene rather than agreeing to the remainder unread. An incomplete meeting can be continued.
After the meeting
Steps
- 1Email a short summary of what you understood was decided and ask for corrections. This creates a dated record without confrontation.
- 2Compare the final document line by line against your notes, especially service minutes.
- 3Request any correction in writing rather than by phone.
- 4Set a date about six weeks out to ask for progress data on your priority goals.
- 5Keep every evaluation, plan, and email in one folder in date order, since a complete file is what makes later disagreements manageable.