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How to read an IEP progress report

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Progress reports come a few times a year. Here is how to tell what the numbers mean and whether your child is on track.

What a progress report has to include

The IEP must say how progress toward each goal will be measured and when you will get reports, such as every quarter with report cards (34 CFR 300.320(a)(3)). A report usually lists each goal, a status, and sometimes the current number. The status words vary by district. Common ones are “not yet started,” “insufficient progress,” “progressing,” “on track,” and “met.”

Find three numbers

For each goal, look for:

  1. The baseline: where your child started. It should be in the IEP.
  2. The current level: the most recent measurement, in the same unit as the goal.
  3. The target: the number in the goal.

With those three you can see the picture. A reading goal that started at 52 words correct per minute, is now at 68, and targets 90 by spring is roughly on track at the midpoint of the year. If the report gives you only a status word and no current number, ask for the number. “Progressing” can mean anything from one point of growth to almost there.

Is it enough progress?

A simple way to judge: draw a line from the baseline at the start of the year to the target at the end. Your child's current number should be near that line for the date of the report. Being a little below is not alarming on one report; being flat across two reports is a reason to ask what will change. Growth is rarely a straight line, so look at the trend over several data points rather than one.

Phrases that need a follow-up question

  • “Progressing” with no number. Ask: what is the current measurement?
  • “Insufficient data” or “not yet assessed.” Ask: when will data collection begin, and why has it not?
  • “With prompts” when the goal says independently. Ask: how much prompting, and is it fading?
  • A different measure than the goal. If the goal says words correct per minute and the report gives a letter grade, the data does not answer the goal's question. Ask for the goal's measure.
  • “Met” early in the year. Good news, and also a reason to ask what the next goal will be. The IEP can be revised without waiting for the annual review.

What you can do

Keep each report with the IEP so you can compare them across the year. If a goal shows little change on two reports in a row, ask for a meeting. You do not need to wait for the annual review, and you do not need to propose the solution; asking “what will be different going forward?” is enough to start.

If you want to see what the teacher's data looks like, the free data sheets on this site are the same kinds of forms used to collect it. And if you are reading goals for next year, start with understanding IEP goals.

Try it with a real goal

Paste a goal from your child's IEP into the free goal checker. It points out vague wording and missing parts in plain language. To see what strong goals look like, browse the IEP goal bank by skill, grade, or disability.

More for parents

Source

This guide explains the federal rules in general terms and is not legal advice. Your state may have additional requirements, and your child's IEP team makes the decisions about your child.