ABSTRACT
Individual education programs (IEPs) are at the core of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 (IDEA), the purpose of which is to make a free, appropriate public education (FAPE) available to every child with a disability. Standards-based IEPs are heavily weighted toward academics. "Appropriate" according to the U. S. Supreme Court in Rowley requires a personalized education program that is reasonably calculated to enable the child to receive educational benefit, and is procedurally compliant with the procedures of IDEA. The chapter reviews the IEP team participants, the contents of the IEP, and the procedures for IEP development and implementation. The required IEP content is clearly delineated in IDEA Regulations: present levels of academic achievement and functional performance, measurable annual goals, a description of how progress toward meeting goals will be measured. Transition plans must comply with IDEA procedural regulations and be reasonably calculated to enable the student to receive benefit.
