Guide to Following a Student's Individual Education Plan

The special education program at your local public school may not be the best in the country, but you can improve upon any program by following a student Individual Education Plan. An IEP establishes goals and objectives related specifically to his or her progress. Every student learns differently, and this allows you to customize your student's education to meet his or her individual needs. Creating an Individual Education Plan is just the first step, however, because it must be followed in order to do any good.

Carefully Monitor Evaluations
Your student should receive quarterly or monthly evaluations from his or her teachers. They will give the mastery status for each objective in class as well as notes about your student's progress. In following a student's Individual Education Plan, you will need to carefully monitor these evaluations and keep them in a folder for review after each subsequent evaluation. This will allow you to see trends in your student's progress as well as problem areas that need to be addressed during the next period.

Request Clarification
If you don't understand any part of the special education program or the criteria for mastery, ask for immediately clarification. You should know if your student will be allowed to learn via his or her primary mode of communication, such as sign language, and whether or not his or her needs can be met. The Individual Education Plan should include the best ways for your student to learn as well as the objectives already mastered. You might need to set up a meeting with his or her teachers to make sure you understand every step in the process.

Understand Criteria
In order for your student to complete a special education program, he or she will be required to meet the mastery objectives. So that you can help your student at home and with studying, find out exactly what criteria exists and how best your student can reach those goals. Record this information in your student's Individual Education Plan and keep abreast of new developments. All of your notes -- as well as notes made by teachers -- should be likewise recorded for the best results.