ABSTRACT
Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) emerged from the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (EHA) passed by the United States Congress in 1975. Currently, the IEP of each student with special needs in the New York City Department of Education (NYC DOE) fits into a uniform template. The uniformity of this template makes thousands of individualized education plans look nearly identical. The Special Education Student Information System (SESIS) provides a centralized system for educators to access IEPs within New York City schools. The New York City Department of Education saw a need to streamline the IEP process. SESIS acts as a centralized database where student information can be stored and monitored for compliance with special education laws and policies. In 2009, Maximus, a Virginia-based consulting company, won the DOE contract and signed the $79 million agreement offering computer software services as a solution to the lack in continuity in IEP development and implementation in NYC.
