End of Summer- Back to School

End of summer is a great time to organize — not just for the first day of school, but for the entire IEP year.

Don’t delay taking out your child’s IEP and reviewing it. This is a perfect time to be prepared for the new school year.

Here is a Back-to-School Checklist

1. Find your child's most recent IEP

• Read through the entire IEP before school starts.

• Know your child's goals, accommodations, services, supports, and placement.

  
  

2. Review accommodations

• Ask yourself: Are these accommodations good for your child’s new classroom? Has anything changed since their last IEP?

• An accommodation in an IEP is not a suggestion—it is part of their educational program.

3. Look at the goals

• What skill is my child working on?

• How will progress be measured?

• How often will I receive progress reports?

• What does success look like?

• Who is collecting the data?

If your child struggled with a goal last year, the beginning of the new school year is a good time to ask how the team plans to address that difficulty. Ask questions!

4. Organize last year's data- put all copies in a folder

Keep copies of:

• Progress reports

• Report cards

• Assessments

• IEPs

• Behavior data

• Work samples

• Service logs

• Emails with teachers

• Outside evaluations

• Medical/therapy information that you have chosen to share with the school

Don't rely on the school to keep your personal copy of everything. Ask for them! 

5. Establish communication early- people leave schools. Make sure you know who is coming back. 

Find out:

• Who is your child's case manager?

• Who should you contact with questions?

• How will communication occur?

• How often will you receive updates?

• How should you communicate concerns?

You don't need to email the entire team every time something happens. Establishing the appropriate point of contact can make communication much easier. In most cases this is your case carrier. 

6. Don't wait until the annual IEP meeting to raise concerns

If you notice a problem in August, communicate it.

For example:

"I'm noticing that the current accommodation isn't helping. Can we discuss this with the IEP team?"

Parents can request an IEP team meeting at any time. Once you request a team meeting the case carrier has 15 days to respond. Make sure all team members are at the meeting. 

7. Watch the first 30–60 days

The beginning of school gives you valuable information.

Look for:

• Increased anxiety

• School refusal

• Behavioral changes

• Homework becoming overwhelming

• Difficulty with transitions

• Social difficulties

• Regression

• Fatigue

• Increased communication problems

• Difficulty accessing assignments

• Services not being delivered as written

8. Know your Procedural Safeguards

Parents should know their rights under IDEA and state special education law.

Most importantly...

Don't wait for a problem to become a crisis. Be proactive not reactive. 

The beginning of the school year is the perfect time to establish communication, understand your child's IEP, and make sure everyone understands the supports your child needs.

Your child's IEP should not sit in a folder until the next annual meeting. It should be a working document that guides your child's education throughout the year.

If you're a parent looking at your child's IEP and thinking, "I don't even know where to start," that's exactly where an advocate can help.

Advocates for the Whole Child are here to empower you!