IEP case manager checklist for the school year

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

This checklist covers every recurring case manager task across a school year: setting up the caseload before students arrive, the monthly and per-meeting routine during the year, and closing out files in June. Each item has a one-line reason. Print it, keep it at the front of your caseload binder, and date each item when done.

The case manager's job is a long list of small tasks with hard deadlines. Most compliance problems are not about bad IEPs. They come from a missed date, a teacher who never saw the accommodations, or a service that quietly stopped. This checklist is built to catch those.

For the bigger picture of the role and a month-by-month calendar, see the case manager's handbook. This page is the working list.

Before students arrive (August)

Get the current IEP for every student on your caseload. Reason: you cannot implement what you have not read, and the IEP must be in effect on the first day.^[1]
Enter every annual review and reevaluation date in the caseload tracker. Reason: annual reviews are due at least yearly and reevaluations at least every 3 years.^[2]^[3] One list beats 20 folders.
Run any unclear date through the IEP due date calculator. Reason: states count "one year" differently, and the calculator has state-style counting options.
Flag every review due in the first 60 days of school. Reason: early fall reviews need data you have not collected yet, so plan now.
Identify new transfer students. Reason: a student who moves in with an IEP must get comparable services right away while the new school adopts or rewrites the IEP.^[1]
Build a service schedule from each IEP's minutes. Reason: if the minutes do not fit the bell schedule, the service will be missed from day one. The services page guide explains the fields.
Set up a data sheet for every goal. Reason: the first progress report depends on data from September. Pick from the free data sheets.
Print service logs. Reason: the service log is your record that minutes were delivered.

First two weeks of school

Give each teacher and provider their students' accommodations and responsibilities. Reason: federal rules require that each person who implements the IEP can access it and is told their specific part.^[1]
Get a signature or a reply email from each teacher. Reason: it shows the information reached them. Many districts require it.
Contact each family. A short email or call to introduce yourself. Reason: parents who hear from you early call you first when something goes wrong.
Start services on schedule and log the first sessions. Reason: late starts are a common complaint finding.
Check that paras know which goals they collect data on. Reason: a para who was never shown the data sheet cannot fill it in. See how paras collect accurate IEP data.

Every month

Check the caseload tracker for dates in the next 60 days. Reason: 60 days gives time for notice, data collection and a reschedule.
Start reevaluation consent for any reevaluation due in the next 90 days. Reason: evaluations take time, and you need consent before testing.^[4]
Review service logs against required minutes. Reason: a missed-minutes pattern caught in October is easier to fix than one found in May.
Graph or review data on every goal. Reason: a flat trend after 6 to 8 data points means it is time to change instruction, not wait for the annual review.
Log parent contacts. Reason: a dated record answers "when did we tell the family?"

For every IEP meeting

Work through the IEP meeting checklist. Reason: it covers notice, members, data and follow-up in order.
Send prior written notice after the meeting. Reason: it is required before a change, or a refusal to change, services or placement.^[5]
Update the caseload tracker with the new dates the same day. Reason: next year's deadline starts counting at the meeting.
Send updated accommodations to every teacher within a week. Reason: an amended IEP the teachers never saw is not being implemented.

Each progress report period

Collect each provider's progress notes by a set date. Reason: the IEP states when reports go home, and that date is a commitment.^[6]
Report a number for every goal. Reason: "progressing" without data tells a parent nothing.
Flag goals that will not be met by the annual review. Reason: the team should meet to revise them, rather than reporting "not met" in June.^[2]
Send reports on time and keep a copy. Reason: a copy in the file shows the report went home.

End of the year (May and June)

Confirm every review due before fall is held. Reason: a review due in July or August is easy to miss.
Make ESY decisions and notify families. Reason: summer services need staffing and transportation planned in spring.
Send IEPs and accommodations to next year's teachers. Reason: they can plan before the first day.
Write a one-line note for each student: what is working, what is not. Reason: your August self, or the next case manager, will need it.
File signatures, notices, logs and reports. Reason: a file audit checks for each one.
Export the caseload tracker and back it up. Reason: dates you lose over summer are dates you will miss in fall.

What to do when something is missing

Missing	Fix
A student's IEP cannot be found	Ask the previous school or the district records office the same day. Provide services based on what you know until it arrives.
A teacher never got the accommodations	Send them now, ask for a reply, and note the date.
Services did not start on time	Start them now, record the reason, and raise make-up time with your supervisor and the family.
A deadline has already passed	Tell your supervisor, schedule the meeting as soon as possible, and record why it was late.
No data on a goal before a progress report	Report what you have and the date data collection started, and collect it weekly from now on.
A parent cannot be reached	Try several ways (phone, email, letter) and log each attempt.

Rules on timelines, notices and caseload size vary by state and district, so check your local procedures. The IEP due date tracker is a fill-in template for tracking every date on one page.

Frequently asked questions

What should a case manager do at the start of the school year?

Read every IEP on the caseload, list all review and reevaluation dates, build a service schedule, set up data sheets, and give every teacher their students' accommodations and responsibilities in the first two weeks.

How far ahead should I start a reevaluation?

About 90 days before it is due. That leaves time to plan the assessments, get the parent's consent, complete testing and hold the meeting before the deadline.

How often should a case manager check service minutes?

Monthly is a good routine. Compare the service log with the minutes in each IEP so missed sessions are caught early and the team can decide on make-up time.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

34 CFR §300.323: When IEPs must be in effect, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
34 CFR §300.324: Development, review, and revision of IEP, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.303: Reevaluations, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School
34 CFR §300.300: Parental consent, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
34 CFR §300.503: Prior notice by the public agency; content of notice, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)
34 CFR §300.320: Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.