Reviewing a student's previous IEP: what to check first

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

When you inherit a student's previous IEP, check the dates first: the annual review and reevaluation due dates, and whether either has passed. Then check services and minutes, compare each goal's baseline with the latest progress data, read the accommodations as instructions, and skim the prior written notice and meeting notes. Write down every gap with a date to fix it.

Inheriting a caseload means reading IEPs someone else wrote, often in a hurry, sometimes a year old. You do not need to judge every sentence on the first read. You need to know what is due, what you must deliver tomorrow, and what does not add up.

This order works for one IEP or for 20 in August. For the wider role, see the case manager's handbook.

What you need before you start

The current IEP and the one before it, if you can get it.
The last two progress reports.
The most recent evaluation report and its date.
Prior written notices and meeting notes from the last meeting.
The service log, if the previous case manager kept one.
25 to 40 minutes per student for a first read.

Step-by-step review

Step 1: Check the dates

Find the date of the last annual review and the last eligibility determination. The IEP must be reviewed at least once a year, and a reevaluation is due at least every 3 years unless the parent and district agree it is not needed.^[1]^[2]

Example: the IEP is dated October 9, 2025, so the annual review is due by October 8, 2026 in most states. If today is September 2, you have 5 weeks. Enter both dates in the caseload tracker before you read another word. Unsure how your state counts a year? Use the IEP due date calculator.

Step 2: Check services and minutes

Read the services page as a schedule you must build: service, minutes, frequency, setting, provider and start date. Add up the weekly minutes.

Example: 4 x 30 minutes of reading in the resource room, 1 x 30 minutes of speech, and 60 minutes a month of OT consult. That is 150 minutes a week from you and two other providers to contact this week. The services and minutes guide explains each field.

Step 3: Compare each goal's baseline with the latest data

For each goal, put three numbers side by side: the baseline in present levels, the target in the goal, and the latest number on the progress report.

Example: baseline 45 words correct per minute, target 75, last report 52 with 3 months left. That goal is off pace. Flag it for a data check now, not at the annual review. The guide on students not making progress covers what to do next.

Step 4: Read the accommodations as instructions

Each accommodation should tell a teacher what to do, when and how much. Note any that are vague.

Example: "extended time as needed" gives a teacher nothing to act on. "Time and a half on tests and quizzes over 10 items" does. You cannot rewrite it alone, but you can ask the team to clarify it at the next meeting, and in the meantime deliver the most reasonable reading.

Step 5: Read the notes and notices

Prior written notice tells you what the team proposed or refused, and why.^[3] Meeting notes tell you what the family asked for. Both explain choices that look odd on the IEP itself.

Example: the IEP has no math goal despite a math score in the 9th percentile. The prior written notice shows the team considered one and the parent asked to wait for a private evaluation. That is a different conversation from an oversight.

Step 6: Write the gap list

End with a short list: what is due, what is missing and what needs the team. Date each item.

Worked example: Priya, 6th grade

Priya is a fictional student who moved up from elementary school. Her new case manager reviews the IEP on August 26.

Check	What the IEP says	What the review found	Action and date
Annual review	Last held Oct 14, 2025	Due by Oct 13, 2026	Meeting offered for Sep 29
Reevaluation	Eligibility Nov 2, 2023	Due by Nov 1, 2026	Planning meeting Sep 15; consent by Sep 22
Reading services	5 x 45 min/week, small group	Middle school block is 50 min	Fits; scheduled period 3
Writing goal	Baseline 2 of 5 rubric points; target 4	Last report: 3 of 5	On pace
Math goal	Baseline 40% accuracy on 2-step problems; target 80%	Last report: 45%	Off pace; data check by Sep 30
Accommodations	"Breaks as needed"	Vague for 6 teachers	Ask team to clarify on Sep 29
Counseling	30 min/week	Not on any schedule	Counselor contacted Aug 27

Two things stood out. The reevaluation and the annual review fall within 3 weeks of each other, so the team can combine planning. And counseling was missing from the schedule, which would have become a services complaint by October.

Common mistakes

Weak: Reading the IEP front to back like a report. Better: Read dates, then services, then goals. You need to act on those first.
Weak: Assuming the dates on the cover page are right. Better: Recount from the last meeting date and the last eligibility date.
Weak: Rewriting goals you dislike before the meeting. Better: Deliver the IEP as written, collect data, and bring changes to the team.
Weak: Skipping prior written notices. Better: Read the last one; it explains what was refused and why.
Weak: Waiting for the annual review to flag an off-pace goal. Better: Raise it now. A team can meet to revise a goal any time.

Using the caseload tracker for this

Steps 1 and 2 go straight into the caseload tracker: annual review date, reevaluation date and weekly minutes. Its 30, 60 and 90 day alerts then do the remembering for you. Log delivered minutes from day one with the service log.

If the student is new to the district rather than new to you, the rules differ. See a new student with an IEP: the first 30 days. The IEP timelines page lists every federal deadline in one table, and the IEP file review checklist is the longer audit version of this read.

Frequently asked questions

What should I check first in an inherited IEP?

The dates. Find when the annual review and the reevaluation are due and whether either has passed. Then check the services page, because those minutes have to be on your schedule right away.

Can I change an IEP I think is poorly written?

Not on your own. Deliver the IEP as written and collect data. Bring proposed changes to the IEP team, which can meet to amend the IEP before the annual review if needed.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

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 §300.503: Prior notice by the public agency; content of notice, U.S. Department of Education (IDEA website)

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.