In the US, the Individuals with Disabilities Education Improvement Act of 2004 (IDEA) requires public schools to develop an IEP for every student with a disability who is found to meet the federal and state requirements for special education. The IEP must be designed to provide the child with a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE). The IEP refers both to the educational program to be provided to a child with a disability and to the written document that describes that educational program. The IDEA requires that an IEP be written according to the needs of each student who is eligible under the IDEA; an IEP must also meet state regulations. The following must be included.
-The student's present levels of academic and functional performance
-Measurable annual goals, including academic and functional goals
-How the student's progress toward meeting annual goals is to be measured and reported to the parents
-Special-education and related services, as well as supplementary aids to be provided to the student
-Schedule of services to be provided, including when the services are to begin, the frequency, duration and location for the provision of services
-Program modifications or supports provided to school personnel on behalf of the child
-Least Restrictive Environment data which includes calculations of the amount of time to be spent each day by the student in general-education settings as opposed to the amount of time to be spent in special-education settings
-Explanation of any time the child will not participate along with non-disabled children
-Accommodations to be provided during state and district assessments that are necessary to the measuring the student's academic and functional performance
-The student should attend when appropriate. If the student is over fourteen, he or she should be invited to be a part of the IEP team.
-Additionally, when the student is sixteen years of age, a statement of post-secondary goals and a plan for providing what the student needs to make a successful transition is required. This transition plan can be created at an earlier age if desired, but must be in place by the age of sixteen.
An IEP must also include other pertinent information found necessary by the team, such as a health plan or a behavior plan for some students.