What Goes Into an IEP? A Texas Parent's Guide to IEP Components
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
Part 2: Understanding the IEP
In Part 1, we covered where the legal authority for an IEP comes from. Now let's open up the document itself. Under federal regulations at 34 C.F.R. § 300.320, every IEP has to include a specific set of components. Texas law adds a few of its own requirements on top. Here's what should be in your child's IEP, and why each piece exists.
Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance (PLAAFP)
Every IEP starts with a statement describing how the child's disability affects their involvement and progress in the general education curriculum. For a preschool child, this section explains how the disability affects participation in age-appropriate activities instead. Think of the PLAAFP as the "starting point" section: it establishes where your child is right now, academically and functionally, so that everything else in the IEP can be measured against it.
Measurable Annual Goals
From the PLAAFP, the IEP moves into goals: both academic and functional goals designed to meet the needs that result from the child's disability, with the aim of helping the child progress in the general curriculum. If a student takes an alternate assessment aligned to alternate academic achievement standards, this section also has to include benchmarks or short-term objectives.
Measuring and Reporting Progress
The IEP has to describe how progress toward the annual goals will be measured, and when parents will receive periodic reports on that progress, such as quarterly updates. This is the accountability piece: goals aren't just written down and forgotten; there's a required mechanism for tracking and communicating progress.
Special Education, Related Services, and Supplementary Aids
This section lists the special education, related services, and supplementary aids and services the school will provide. These should be based on peer-reviewed research to the extent practicable. This is often the part parents care about most, since it's where specific services like speech therapy, occupational therapy, or a resource classroom placement get written in.
Program Modifications and Supports for School Personnel
The IEP also has to state any modifications or supports provided to school personnel, so staff is equipped to help the child advance toward their goals and be educated alongside nondisabled peers.
Least Restrictive Environment (LRE) Explanation
Federal and Texas law both require an explanation of the extent, if any, to which the child will not participate with nondisabled children in regular classes and activities (including extracurricular activities, under the regulatory language). This is the section that documents the reasoning behind any pull-out services or separate placements.
State and Districtwide Assessments
The IEP must state any individually appropriate accommodations the child needs to participate in state and districtwide assessments. If the ARD committee determines the child needs to take an alternate assessment instead of the regular one, the IEP has to explain why the regular assessment isn't appropriate and why the chosen alternate assessment is.
Service Delivery Details
This is the logistics section: the projected start date for services and modifications, plus their anticipated frequency, location, and duration.
Transition Services: Texas Starts Earlier
Here's one of the clearest places where Texas law goes further than federal law. Federal law requires transition planning to begin no later than the first IEP in effect when the child turns 16. Texas law moves that timeline up to age 14. The IEP must include measurable postsecondary goals and the transition services needed to reach them, starting at that earlier age for Texas students.
Transfer of Rights at Age 18
At least one year before a child reaches the age of majority (18 in Texas), the IEP has to include a statement confirming the student has been informed of the rights that will transfer to them once they reach that age.
Special Factors the ARD Committee Must Consider
Beyond the core components above, federal and Texas law require the ARD committee to address specific special factors whenever they apply to a child:
Behavior: Positive behavioral interventions and supports for a child whose behavior impedes learning.
Limited English Proficiency: The language needs of the student, including consideration for children identified as emergent bilingual.
Blind or Visually Impaired: Instruction in Braille, unless an evaluation determines it isn't appropriate.
Communication Needs: The child's communication needs, with particular attention for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, including opportunities for direct instruction in their preferred communication mode.
Assistive Technology: Whether the child needs assistive technology devices and services.
Texas adds one more layer here that's worth calling out specifically: for students with autism, the ARD committee must consider 11 specific strategies, such as extended educational programming and parent training, based on peer-reviewed research.
Who Has to Be Part of the IEP Team?
Federal law is specific about who must be part of the group developing the IEP (called the ARD committee in Texas):
The parents of the child
At least one regular education teacher, if the child participates in the regular education environment
At least one special education teacher or provider
A school representative who is qualified to provide or supervise special education, knowledgeable about the general curriculum, and knowledgeable about school resources
Someone who can interpret the instructional implications of evaluation results
The child, whenever appropriate
When Must an IEP Be Reviewed and Revised?
The ARD committee has to review the child's IEP at least annually to determine whether goals are being met, and revise it as needed to address lack of progress, new evaluation results, information from parents, or the student's anticipated needs.
What We'll Cover in Part 3
Now you know what has to be in the document and who has to help write it. In Part 3, we'll cover something that's uniquely Texan: how the ARD committee actually reaches decisions, including the state's consensus requirement, what happens when parents and schools disagree, transfer student rules, and how TEA expects districts to actually follow through on implementation.
Does your child's IEP tell the full story?
Understanding what belongs in an IEP is one thing. Knowing whether your child's actual IEP accurately reflects their needs, goals, accommodations, and services is another.
Have questions about what's in your child's IEP or want help understanding what you're seeing? You can request a free consultation with Accessible Education to talk through your concerns and learn about available support.
