Questions to ask at the IEP meeting

Before the meeting

Ask for a draft of the IEP a few days ahead, if your district provides one, and read the goals with the measurability checklist. Write down anything you could not picture or could not find a number for. Those are your questions.

Questions about goals and data

You will not need all of these. Pick the ones that fit the goals in front of you.

1. What can my child do right now on this skill, and how was that measured?
   This is the baseline. A good answer has a number and a method, like “52 words correct per minute on a one-minute reading check.” If the answer is a description with no number, ask how the goal will be measured against it.
2. What will my child be able to do when this goal is met?
   The teacher should be able to describe it in a sentence you could picture. If the answer is “improve” or “make progress,” ask what that would look like.
3. How did you choose the target number?
   Targets should come from the baseline and what is reasonable growth for the measure, not from a default. “We usually use 80%” is a sign to ask more.
4. Who collects the data, how often, and where?
   A clear answer names a person, a schedule (weekly, every session), and a setting. If the goal is measured in the general classroom, ask how the general education teacher is involved.
5. Can I see the data sheet or probe you will use?
   Most teachers have one. Seeing it tells you exactly what will be counted. The free data sheets on this site are the same kinds of forms.
6. How often will I get a progress report, and what will it show?
   The IEP must say when progress reports come (34 CFR §300.320(a)(3)). Ask whether the report will include the actual numbers, not just a phrase like “progressing.”
7. What happens if the data shows my child is not on track?
   A good answer describes a plan: change the instruction, add support, or meet again to revise the goal. The IEP can be revised at any time, not only at the annual review.
8. Which of these goals matters most this year?
   If there are many goals, this helps the team focus and tells you where to look first in the progress reports.
9. How can we support this goal at home without doing the teacher's job?
   Many goals are routines families already have. Ask for one small thing to notice or practice, not a worksheet packet.

If you are not sure you agree

You can ask for time to think, and you can ask the team to write your concerns into the IEP. You do not have to decide everything in the room. If a goal is vague, the simplest fix is to ask the team to rewrite it during the meeting so it has a skill, a number, a measure, and a baseline. Most teams are glad to do this.

After the meeting

Keep a copy of the IEP and note when the first progress report is due. The IEP due-date calculator shows when the next annual review and the three-year reevaluation fall. When the report arrives, the last guide, how to read a progress report, explains what the numbers mean.

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

• Understanding IEP goals
• What makes an IEP goal measurable
• How to read an IEP progress report

Source

• 34 CFR §300.320 — Definition of individualized education program, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School

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.