Individualized Education Program (IEP): Preparing Students for College and Career

An individualized education program (IEP) is a plan that:

identifies a student's educational needs,
contains learning goals based on the student's needs,
and describes the services a student will receive in order to progress towards learning goals.

The department developed guidance on writing IEPs called College and Career Ready IEPs: Improving Outcomes for Students Ages 3-21. This guidance does not reflect new requirements, but rather a renewed focus on the purpose of IEPs aligned with our state's focus on College and Career Readiness and improving literacy outcomes for students with IEPs called Reading Drives Achievement: Success through Literacy. For students requiring special education, the IEP supports access, engagement, and progress in academic instruction at all grade levels.