IEP Guides

Practical, plain-language guides for the people who write and review IEPs. Teacher guides cover measurable goals, present levels, SDI, accommodations, and progress monitoring. District-leader guides cover quality reviews, coaching, and reducing risk.

• Accommodations vs Modifications: The Difference, With Examples
  A clear, practical guide to IEP accommodations vs modifications: the one-line difference, a sortable example list, and the mislabel that trips teams up.
• The Most Common IEP Red Flags (and How to Avoid Them)
  The most common IEP red flags, from unmeasurable goals to vague accommodations, with weak-to-strong examples and a checklist to fix them before the meeting.
• IEP Goal Examples for Reading, Math, Writing, and Behavior
  Realistic IEP goal examples for reading, math, writing, and behavior, plus a quick checklist to help you make annual goals measurable and easy to score.
• IEP Meeting Preparation: A Pre-Flight Checklist for Teachers
  A practical IEP meeting preparation checklist for special-education teachers, covering drafts, paperwork, data, and family input so you walk in ready.
• How to Write a Measurable IEP Goal (With Examples)
  A plain-language guide to writing measurable IEP goals, with a reusable formula, the five required pieces, and weak-to-strong examples across goal areas.
• PLAAFP Examples That Actually Drive the Goals
  Annotated PLAAFP examples for special-ed teachers, with a vague present-levels statement rewritten to be specific, data-based, and ready to drive a goal.
• IEP Progress Monitoring: A Simple Guide to Goals You Can Track
  A plain-language guide to IEP progress monitoring: pick the right measure, set a baseline and target, and keep data light enough to survive the school year.
• IEP Transition Goals: A High School Teacher's Guide
  A plain, practical guide to IEP transition goals for high school: measurable postsecondary goals, transition services, and the gaps that trip teams up.
• What Is a PLAAFP? How to Write Strong Present Levels
  What is a PLAAFP? A plain-language guide to writing present levels with baseline data, strengths, and curriculum impact so every IEP goal has a clear start.
• What Is Specially Designed Instruction (SDI)? A Plain-Language Guide for Teachers
  A plain-language guide to specially designed instruction (SDI): what it is, how it differs from accommodations, its core parts, and a quick checklist.
• Writing Coaching Feedback After an IEP Review
  Turn your IEP review notes into coaching feedback teachers can use: specific, prioritized, supportive, with a quick pre-send checklist and real examples.
• Coaching Special-Education Teachers on IEP Goal Writing
  Coach special-education teachers to write measurable IEP goals on their own, with questions, a clear four-part frame, and feedback that builds real skill.
• How to Build a District IEP Quality Rubric Your Reviewers Actually Agree On
  A practical guide for special-education leaders to build an IEP quality rubric: pick dimensions, write score levels, train with examples, and keep reviews consistent.
• Common IEP Compliance Findings and How to Prevent Them
  A plain-language guide for special education leaders on recurring IEP findings in file reviews: unmeasurable goals, weak present levels, vague services.
• How to Run an Effective IEP Quality Review
  A practical guide for special education supervisors on running a repeatable IEP quality review: sampling, checklists, measurable goals, alignment, feedback.
• Onboarding New Special Education Teachers to Your IEP Expectations
  A first-90-days plan for special education leaders to get new teachers writing clear, measurable IEPs, with paced checkpoints, models, and self-checks.
• The Principal's IEP Review: What to Look For in 10 Minutes
  A plain-language principal IEP review guide to spot quality and risk fast: measurable goals, connected present levels, specific services, and quiet red flags.
• Reducing Due Process Risk Through Better IEP Writing
  How vague goals, thin present levels, and fuzzy services create due process risk, with weak-to-strong examples and a checklist supervisors can coach with.

IEP Pre-Flight home

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