Introduction
Use Form I-1 to notify parents the local education agency (LEA or agency) will conduct the IEP team meeting. 34 CFR §§ 300.306, 300.322, and 300.327; Wis. Stat. § 115.78.
The agency must take steps to ensure one or both of the student’s parents are present at the IEP team meeting or are afforded the opportunity to participate. The agency must do the following:
- notify the parents of the meeting early enough to ensure they have an opportunity to attend;
- schedule the meeting at a mutually agreed on time and place;
- inform the parents of the purpose, time, and location of the meeting and who will attend;
- inform the parents of their right to bring other people they believe have knowledge or special expertise about their student; and
- inform the parents of the right to request the invite invite the Birth to 3 coordinator or other representative to the IEP team meeting if their child is transitioning from a county Birth to 3 program.
34 CFR § 300.322.
The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) requires agencies to encourage, to the extent possible, the consolidation of reevaluation meetings and other IEP team meetings. Often agencies determine continuing eligibility for special education, revise the IEP, and determine educational placement at the same IEP team meeting. 34 CFR § 300.324.
Implementation Considerations
Agencies commonly contact parents to arrange a mutually agreed upon date and time for an IEP team meeting before sending form I-1. This practice saves time when scheduling IEP team meetings. If the parent requests specific agency personnel be included and the agency decides to include them, the personnel must be listed on the invitation.
If an IEP team meeting ends and is reconvened on another day, the parent participation requirements must be followed, including providing an invitation to the next meeting. When scheduling IEP team meetings, the agency must observe required timelines. For example, a meeting to develop a student’s IEP and determine placement must occur within 30 calendar days of the determination the student is eligible for special education services. Agencies should schedule IEP team meetings well before a timeline ends to permit meetings to be rescheduled, if needed, and still meet the timeline. Whenever possible, agencies should avoid scheduling IEP team meetings on or shortly before the last day of a timeline.
If transition is checked on form I-1 as one purpose of the IEP team meeting, the student must be invited to the IEP meeting. A separate invitation may be sent to the student. Alternatively, the student’s name may be included with the parents’ names on the invitation and envelope, or the student may be invited verbally. The date and method for inviting the student should be documented on form I-8 or in the Post-Secondary Transition Plan (PTP).
When a manifestation determination is required for a student, an IEP team meeting may be held for this purpose, although an IEP team meeting is not required. IDEA allows the LEA, the parent, and relevant members of the IEP team to make the determination. However, if it is determined the student’s behavior that resulted in the disciplinary action is a manifestation of the disability, an IEP team meeting will be required to develop a functional behavioral assessment (FBA) and a behavioral intervention plan (BIP) or review an existing BIP and modify it as necessary. Also, an IEP team must review and revise the IEP and determine placement, as appropriate. Therefore, it may be expeditious to conduct manifestation determination reviews at IEP team meetings.
If an individual is present at the IEP team meeting, they are a member of the IEP team. See Letter to Haller (OSEP 2019).
Form Content and Explanations
Content: Purpose of the meeting. Explanation: Check all boxes in this section that apply to the meeting. For example, if the LEA intends (1) to determine a student’s continuing eligibility for special education, (2) develop an annual IEP, (3) address transition, and (4) determine the student’s continuing placement at the meeting, then all four purposes must be checked. 34 CFR §§ 300.322, 300.340, and 300.345; Wis. Stat. § 115.78.
Content: Purpose: Evaluation and Reevaluation. Explanation: If one purpose of the meeting is to determine initial or continuing eligibility for special education, then the student’s eligibility must be determined no more than 60 calendar days from either: 1) the date the parents were provided notice no additional assessments were needed (form IE2, for initial evaluations or form RE-4 for reevaluations) or 2) the date the LEA received parent consent (form IE-3, for initial evaluations or RE-5 for reevaluations). Exceptions to the 60-calendar-day timeline may apply when: 1) the parent of a student repeatedly fails or refuses to produce the student for evaluation; 2) a student transfers from another LEA after the 60-calendar-day timeline has begun, but prior to an eligibility determination by the previous LEA (see form M-2.); or 3) a parent agrees in writing to an extension to complete the evaluation of a student suspected of having a specific learning disability (see form M-3). 34 CFR §§ 300.301 and 300.323; Wis. Stat. § 115.78.
Content: Purpose: Develop an Initial Individualized Education Program (IEP). Explanation: The date the IEP team meets to develop the IEP must be no more than 30 calendar days from the date the IEP team made the eligibility determination. See form ER-1. An IEP team may develop an initial IEP at the same meeting the IEP team determines the student’s initial eligibility. 34 CFR §§ 300.323-300.324; Wis. Stat. § 115.787.
Content: Purpose: Develop an annual IEP. Explanation: An IEP team must meet periodically, but no less than annually, to review the IEP. The IEP team must meet no more than 12 months from the date the IEP team last met and developed the student’s annual IEP. At an annual IEP team meeting, the IEP team must review the IEP to determine whether the annual goals are being achieved. 34 CFR § 300.324.The team must revise the IEP, as appropriate, to address:
- any lack of expected progress toward the annual goals and in the general education curriculum;
- the results of any reevaluation;
- information about the student provided to or by the parents;
- the student’s anticipated needs;
- special factors (See form I-4.); and
- other matters.
Content: Purpose: Review/Revise IEP. Explanation: An IEP team may conduct a meeting to review/revise a student’s IEP at any time. After a reevaluation, an IEP team must meet within 30 days of a determination of continuing eligibility to review and revise the IEP, as appropriate, to address the results of the reevaluation. The IEP team may review and revise the IEP at the same meeting the IEP team determines the student’s continuing eligibility. An IEP team meeting to review/revise an IEP is considered an annual IEP meeting only if the IEP team reviews the IEP to determine whether the annual goals are being achieved and revises the IEP, as appropriate, to address all the factors listed above under “Develop an annual IEP.” If the IEP team does not review annual goal progress and revise the IEP to address all of the factors above, the meeting cannot be considered the annual IEP meeting. An IEP may be modified or amended without holding an IEP team meeting after the annual IEP meeting. See form I-10; 34 CFR § 300.324.
Content: Purpose: Transition. Explanation: If a student is 14 or older or will turn age 14 during the dates the IEP will be in effect, transition must be checked as one purpose of the meeting. If transition is checked as one purpose, the student must be invited to attend. In addition, the LEA must inform the student’s parents their student will be invited to the IEP meeting. 34 CFR § 300.321; Wis. Stat. § 115.787.
Content: Purpose: Placement. Explanation: If one purpose of the meeting is to develop an initial placement following the development of the student’s initial IEP, the date the IEP team meets to determine the placement must be no more than 30 calendar days from the date the IEP team determined the student is eligible for special education. See form ER-1; 34 CFR §§ 300.116; Wis. Stat. § 115.78(2)(c).
If one purpose of the meeting is to determine a student’s continuing placement following a reevaluation and review and revision of the student’s IEP, the date the IEP team meets to determine the student’s continuing placement must be no more than 30 calendar days from the date the IEP team determined the student’s continued eligibility. See form ER-1.
An IEP team must determine a student’s placement at least annually. The date of the IEP team meeting to determine placement must be no more than 12 months from the date the IEP team last determined the student’s placement. For example, if an IEP team last met and determined a placement on 10/1/25 (form P-1 or P-2), an IEP team must determine the student’s placement again no later than 10/1/26.
Content: Purpose: Other. Review Existing Information. Explanation: An agency is not required to conduct an IEP team meeting to review existing evaluation data to determine whether to administer tests during an evaluation. See form ED-1. However, an agency may hold an IEP team meeting for this purpose. If an agency holds a meeting for this purpose, it must invite the student’s parents.
Content: Purpose: Other. Conduct a manifestation determination. Explanation: A manifestation determination is required within 10 school days of a decision to change a placement because of a violation of a code of student conduct. An IEP team meeting is not required to conduct a manifestation determination; however, an IEP team meeting may be conducted for this purpose. See “Implementation Considerations” above; 34 CFR § 300.530.
Content: Purpose: Other. Determine setting for services during disciplinary change in placement. Explanation: When a disciplinary removal is a change of educational placement, the IEP team is required to determine the appropriate services and the setting in which the services will be provided. If this is one purpose of an IEP team meeting, the appropriate boxes under “IEP” and “Placement” must also be checked on form I-1. 34 CFR §300.531.
Content: Participating transition agency representative. Explanation: If “Transition” is checked as one purpose of the meeting, with the consent of the parent or adult student (see form I-1-A.), the LEA must invite a representative of any participating agency likely to be responsible for providing or paying for transition services. Enter the name of the agency along with the name and title of the individual representing the agency. If the name of the individual who will attend is not known, at a minimum enter the title or position of the individual who will attend, e.g., Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR) counselor. If an outside agency representative will not be invited, check the “None” box. 34 CFR §§ 300.321 and 300.322; Wis. Stat. § 115.787.
Content: IEP team participants. Explanation: Each IEP team must consist of the following:
- the parents of the student;
- at least one regular education teacher of the student if the student is, or may be, participating in a regular educational environment;
- at least one special education teacher who has recent training or experience related to the student’s known or suspected area of special education needs or, where appropriate, at least one special education provider of the student;
- a representative of the LEA who is qualified to provide or supervise the provision of special education; is knowledgeable about the general curriculum; and is knowledgeable about and authorized to commit the available resources of the local educational agency. The LEA member of the IEP team may also serve in the capacity of the LEA representative at the meeting if the individual meets the legal requirements to serve as the LEA representative;
- an individual who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results;
- at the discretion of the parent or the agency, other individuals who have knowledge or special expertise about the student, including related services personnel as appropriate;
- whenever appropriate, the student: if a purpose of the meeting will be consideration of postsecondary goals and transition services, the LEA must invite the student;
- if a student is attending school through whole grade sharing, open enrollment or a tuition waiver, at least one person designated by the resident district who has knowledge or special expertise about the student;
- when a student is suspected or known to need occupational therapy, physical therapy, or speech and language therapy, a therapist in each respective area of service; and
- if the purpose of the meeting is to conduct an evaluation to consider a suspected specific learning disability for the first time, and progress data from intensive intervention will be considered, a licensed person qualified to assess data on individual rate of progress using a psychometrically valid and reliable methodology, the licensed person who implemented the scientific, researchbased or evidence-based, intensive interventions with the referred pupil, and a licensed person qualified to conduct individual diagnostic evaluation of children.
Parents must be informed of who will attend an IEP team meeting. Parents have the right to bring to the meeting an individual, even if the individual is not listed on the invitation or known to the agency in advance. However, if a parent is bringing more than one individual to the meeting, they are encouraged to provide the agency with advance notice. The written prior notice does not need to include the name(s) of individuals invited by the parent, but the IEP cover sheet should include these individuals. 34 CFR §§ 300.321 and 300.322; Wis. Stat. § 115.78.
Content: Parents right to additional time. Explanation: If during any meeting addressing an evaluation, IEP development (including IEP review and revision), or placement, either the agency or the parent determines additional time is needed to ensure meaningful parent participation, the eagency must provide it, subject to the required timelines for evaluation, and IEP development, and placement. Wis. Stat. § 115.78.
Content: Parents have the right to a copy of the procedural safeguards and to contact other sources for assistance about understanding their rights. Explanation: The LEA is not required to provide the parents with a copy of the complete procedural safeguards notice if the LEA previously provided the parents with a copy in the current school year. However, if the parents request another copy, the LEA must provide it. Other sources parents can contact to obtain information and assistance in understanding IDEA and state special education law must be identified. 34 CFR §§ 300.503 and 300.504; Wis. Stat. § 115.792.