If your child qualifies for special education, they should have an Individualized Education Plan, or IEP. If you’re looking for a Massachusetts IEP process guide, you’re in the right place.
The new Massachusetts IEP form was updated in 2024! We’ll take you though it page by page.
We encourage you to discuss the IEP with your child and include them in the process of making decisions about goals and supports. To the best of their ability, of course.
(For a broader explanation of what IEP IEP forms need to include in every state, check out The IEP Form: Section-by-section).
Before your IEP meeting, the team will usually make a draft of the IEP. Make sure to ask for a copy before the meeting so you can review it. If you ask for it, they are required to give you a copy at least 2 days before the meeting. You will be able to make changes at the meeting, or even afterwards.
While you will not need to write the IEP yourself, you should make sure it reflects your child’s real goals and the supports your child will need to achieve them. It helps to know what it includes ahead of time. Look at the Massachusetts IEP form and use it to follow along as we describe each section. (See other languages here.)
The Massachusetts IEP process: the IEP form by section
Student and Parent Concerns and Student and Team Vision
These are the first 2 sections of the IEP. You can tell by the headings that they are encouraging the student to be involved in this process to the best of their abilities.
Note that they use “parent” to include guardians, foster parents, or anyone else who has decision-making power for the student. This is a key section for you! It’s where you and your child can document all your concerns.
The team may ask you to write these 2 sections before the meeting so they can add them to the draft. If they don’t ask, then you can offer to send them some notes. Either way, you and your child should play an active role in what the team writes here. It should at least be based on discussions with your child, if possible.
Here’s what you can do:
- Think ahead to the next 1 to 5 years, and outline:
- What is the vision for your child, both in school and outside of school?
- How can school and after-school activities best prepare them for the most independent and productive life they can have?
- Try to balance your concerns with the hopes and dreams of your child.
- Aim high, but be realistic about what they can achieve, given their abilities and disabilities.
If your child is 14 or older, this part will also describe their goals for after high school. These might relate to jobs, continued education, or adult living. You will also develop a transition plan to help prepare your child for adult life, but the vision, goals, and services in the IEP will be important pieces to support that plan.
Student Profile
This is where the IEP lists your child’s disability, and needs for language support and assistive technology.
Present Levels of Academic Achievement and Functional Performance
This section talks about your child’s performance in these areas:
- Academics
- Behavioral/Social/Emotional (includes new section on addressing bullying)
- Communication (including use of communication devices)
- Additional areas (like health, activities of daily living, and hearing, vision or sensory issues)
For each area, it addresses your child’s current skills, strengths and interests, how their disability impacts these skills, and how the IEP will aim to support them.
It’s important to make sure the school describes your child’s needs here completely and in detail. Make sure that this section lists every diagnosis and everything your child struggles with. And also make sure to include your child’s interests and preferences. These can help the team know how best to motivate your child and keep them engaged in their instruction.
If your child is on the autism spectrum, there are extra questions in some of the IEP sections, which are required by Massachusetts law. They are meant to encourage discussion and get a picture of the student’s autism-related needs. These include things like social interactions, communication style, and reactions to sensory stimuli or change in routines.
Postsecondary Transition Planning
This section is for students who are 14 or older, or who will turn 14 during this IEP period. It addresses transition planning: how to support your teen’s goals for their life after high school.
Have a younger kid? Click here to skip this section.
This replaces the old Transition Planning Form (TPF).
Here is where you and your child identify their goals for after school, and what supports, coursework or services will help them get there. Read more about planning for the transition to adulthood.
It includes goals and supports in these areas:
- Further education or training
- Preparation and support for employment
- Community engagement and independent or supported living
This is a place to think about and document your child’s strengths, interests, and preferences, which should guide the decisions about their future.
Here you’ll also write in these expectations:
- Date of graduation – Students on IEPs can choose to stay in school until age 22 if needed. If your child may need more time, talk about this early in the process.
- Type of completion document – Most students get a high school diploma. Kids who take a modified curriculum and the alternate assessments will instead get a certificate of completion. Talk to your IEP team about what this may mean for your child.
Community and Interagency Connections
When a student finishes high school or turns 22, the school system will no longer support them formally. There are adult services agencies to support them from this point on.
This section of the IEP documents which adult agencies your child will be connected with. The school should be involved in making these connections, and the process should be written here. (You can also contact these agencies yourself.)
Here are some options:
- DDS: The Department of Developmental Services – Can support a variety of needs, including housing, community engagement and continued support services.
- MassAbilities – Helps with job training, placement and support.
- Mass Commission for the Blind – Services for blind and visually impaired adults.
- Department of Mental Health – Mental health support
Transfer of Rights to Student
When your child turns 18, they are considered an adult and you can no longer make their decisions or sign documents about them. (Including the IEP!) This is also called the age of majority, since they are no longer a “minor”. The school is required to notify the student of this change a year before their 18th birthday.
This is a good reminder to take care of some things you must do at this point. You will have to re-apply for benefits like SSI, Medicaid, and services from DDS (Dept. of Developmental Services.) And there are other things to consider.
Decision Making Options for Student
Some students may need support for decision-making, and there are many options. Check the option that works for your child, giving them the most control they are able to have and still be safe.
Transition to Adult Service Agencies – 688 Referral
In Massachusetts, schools use a form called 688 to refer special education students to adult services agencies. They need to submit this within 2 years of the student finishing their education. (Finishing high school or turning 22, whichever comes first.) It’s good to start planning this as soon as possible when your child has 2 years left.
This part of the IEP form documents the 688 referral. See above in the section on Community and Interagency Connections.
This is the end of the Transition to Adulthood section. Everything below is for students of all ages.
Accommodations and Modifications
Many students with IEPs will need both accommodations and modifications.
Accommodations are changes to the environment, or how the instruction is delivered. The goal is to give students equal access to the curriculum, but the instructional content is not changed. Examples: extra time for tests, frequent breaks, using hearing aids or noise-canceling headphones.
Modifications are when the content changes to allow the student to learn at a different pace, or with simplified concepts and requirements. Examples: specialized instructional support, modified reading content (below grade level), or alternate forms of standard assessments.
Here you will think about your child’s needs for accommodations and modifications in each of these settings:
- In the classroom
- Non-academic settings (lunch, recess,etc.)
- Extracurricular activities (sports, arts, clubs)
- Community or workplace
This encourages the team (including you!) to think about your child’s needs as a whole person, not just their academic needs. For example, your child may need to sit at a sensory-friendly table at lunch, work with an adaptive physical education teacher, or have their one-on-one aide during band rehearsal.
State or District-Wide Assessment / Alternate Assessment
This says how your child will take the state or district assessments. These are the standard tests that all students must take. The main one is the MCAS: The Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System. If a student has an intellectual disability and has a modified curriculum, they may take the Alternate Assessment instead.
Both federal and state laws agree that students with disabilities should do this testing. Why? Because it helps hold schools and teachers accountable for the performance of special education students, just as they are held accountable for general education students. However, there is debate in Massachusetts about whether they should stop requiring the MCAS for all students.
This section also lists the accommodations the students will need during the MCAS or Alt Assessment, and in which subjects. These may include extra time, special equipment for typing or talk-to-text, or even a person reading the questions out loud. Talk to your team to see what help your child needs for traditional-style tests.
Measurable Annual Goals
The next section is for your child’s IEP goals.
These goals are what you and the team expect your child will achieve over the next year. Usually, an IEP will have more than one goal, but the number can vary a lot. A student may have goals in several areas, like communication, behavior, social skills, or math.
The team will write one or more Measurable Annual Goals for each of your child’s focus areas. You will help them decide, but they should know how to write the goals in the right way.
This section will describe each goal, how it will be measured, and how often the team will check progress. It will also list objectives or benchmarks.
Benchmarks/Objectives are the stepping stones between your child’s current level and meeting the goals.
- You break down each goal into 2-4 smaller parts. These are the objectives
- Benchmarks describe how much progress you expect within a specific time period during the year
- The objectives and benchmarks help to assess your child’s progress towards each goal. You will get regular progress reports throughout the year that tell you how well your child is doing
Well-written goals are:
- Specific: The goal should describe the knowledge, skill, behavior, or attitude that you want your child to master. It explains what success will look like when they meet this goal
- Skill-building: The goal should be useful. It should address what matters most to you and your child, and should help make the best possible difference for your child’s future
- Challenging: The goal should ensure your child is being held to high standards to prepare for an independent and productive life
- Measurable: Describe how you will measure your child’s progress toward the goal
- Achievable: The goal should be realistic. Your child should be able to reach it within one year
- Individualized: Goals must be based on your child’s past experiences, current abilities, rate of learning, and educational need
Schedule of Progress Reporting
This explains how and when the school will update you on your child’s progress. It must be at least as often as regular report cards, but it’s usually more often.
Participation in the General Education Setting
This says why – and how often – your child will NOT be in the general classroom.
This is important because federal law requires that students with disabilities must be taught in the Least Restrictive Environment (LRE). This means they should be with their non-disabled peers as much as possible. The goal is to provide services that will support them in the regular classroom.
In some cases, a child may be placed in a separate specialized school, if that will meet their needs more effectively. This is called an out-of-district placement. Examples are schools for Deaf, blind, or visually impaired students, or for those with significant intellectual disabilities.
This is a chance for you to make sure that your child is not being pulled out of their regular instruction too much. They can often get help from a specialist in the classroom during the regular teaching session, and it’s important that they not miss too much regular instruction.
Service Delivery
This section, or grid, describes how your child will get the services needed to help them reach their goals.
There are three types of services listed in the IEP:
A: Consultation (Indirect Services to School Personnel and Parents) – This includes therapists consulting with teachers and families to help make the instruction consistent across settings.
B: Special Education and Related Services in General Education Classrooms (Direct Service) – Related services means working with a specialist or therapist. (Learn more about types of therapy.)
C: Special Education and Related Services in Other Settings (Direct Service)
Your IEP team will:
- Identify the type of services that can help with each goal
- Decide who will provide the services
- Decide how often (frequency) and how long (duration) your child will get the service
Transportation Services
If your child has an IEP, they have a right to get a special bus to and from school if they need it.
If your child’s disability means they need this service, you will fill out this section. Children who are placed at a specialized out-of-district school also have a right to door-to-door transportation.
Here’s what you can do to decide:
- Decide if your child’s disability prevents them from getting to school the same way as their peers
- Could they safely ride a regular school bus or van with some help? What extra help would they need? For example, some kids have a bus attendant, or monitor. A monitor is a person other than the driver who rides with your child to keep them safe
- Your child may need a special transportation vehicle. For example, if they use a wheelchair they may need a wheelchair van.
If you drive your child to school yourself, let the team know. The state may be able to pay you a transportation reimbursement. This is a standard rate per mile to pay you back for gas money!
Schedule Modification
You only fill this part out if your child needs a different school schedule from the regular one.
- Shorter or longer school day
- Shorter or longer school year (sometimes called Extended School Year, or ESY)
- Residential services
- Summer services or summer school
The most common reasons that a child would need a schedule modification are:
- They have a health condition that prevents them from keeping a typical school schedule, or
- They will regress (lose skills) if they don’t get a longer school day, longer school year, or summer school/summer services
It’s common for kids to get services through the summer if they are at risk of losing the progress they made during the school year. Ask about this if you think this may happen to your child!
Service Delivery for Extended School Year Services
This is a new section in the IEP as of 2024. It’s like the Service Delivery grid above, and describes services to be given during the extended school year. (Includes transportation.)
Additional Information
Here is where you can put any more info you would like to add. These may include things like medical supports, parent training, or communication logs between home and school.
Tell the team any important details you’d like to add to the IEP that were not yet included. And ask them to explain anything mentioned here that you’d like to learn more about.
Response Section
This is where you check if you accept the IEP, and sign it.
These are your 3 options:
- Accept the draft IEP
- Reject the draft IEP
- Partially reject the draft IEP
Remember, you don’t have to sign it at the meeting! It may help to take it home and think about it or get advice from trusted teachers or friends. If you don’t agree with the IEP, read more about how to solve disagreements with the school.
If you agree with the IEP you can sign it. Now the school must follow it and provide the services listed.
You can ask for a meeting at any time if things change with your child, or something in the IEP is not working.
The Massachusetts IEP process can be easier and more effective if you have looked at the form ahead of time and know what to expect. Look through the Massachusetts IEP form before your meeting with the school and write down your questions and ideas. Be ready to partner with the school and work together for your child’s best interest. Good luck!
Learn more:
- More about the sections in the IEP form
- What if you don’t agree with the IEP? Read about solving disagreements with the school
- How to prepare for the IEP meeting
- How to track progress through school assessments
