Back-to-school Individualized Education Program (IEP) preparation is best done before the start of the school year. With just a few weeks left of summer, now is the perfect time to set your child up for success. Use this time to review the IEP, organize important records, build executive functioning routines, and introduce your child to their new teachers. Here’s how to get started.
Assess Your Child’s IEP for Back-to-School IEP Preparation
Take a long look at your child’s IEP. Every state, and sometimes every district within a state, has a different format for IEPs, but every IEP must contain the same basic components. You can learn more about the sections of the IEP here: https://www.parentcenterhub.org/pa12/.
Take a Closer Look at Present Levels and Annual Goals
Begin by assessing your child’s current levels of academic achievement and functional performance. Does this section accurately reflect all areas in which your child needs support? This might include academics, social skills, behavioral skills, communication, mobility, and other areas of development. You should have received an end-of-year progress report showing how your child is progressing toward their IEP goals. Compare that to the present levels. Did your child make progress in each goal area?
As you review the IEP, take note of your thoughts and concerns. Does the parent comment section reflect your input? Are the annual goals appropriate and comprehensive? Review the accommodations, modifications, and service times. Consider how much of the school day your child spends with peers without disabilities and whether they’re participating in statewide assessments. Are they in the least restrictive environment? These questions can help guide your next IEP meeting and ensure the plan reflects your child’s needs.
Use PiP’s Special Education Binder for Back-to-School IEP Preparation
An organized binder can make back-to-school IEP preparation much easier. Partners in PROMISE (PiP) offers a downloadable Special Education Binder and an EFMP/504 Binder, each with 14 comprehensive sections. These include templates for school communication, registration, procedural safeguards, and much more.
Just grab a 1½” or 2” binder and download the materials to keep everything in one place. These binders are an invaluable tool for navigating IEP meetings, communicating with teachers, and maintaining ongoing documentation.
Support Executive Function and Routines
Use these next few weeks to set back-to-school routines and help organize your child’s learning space at home. Believe it or not, our kids are not born with automatic organizational skills! Shocking, I know. However, some basic routines and patterns can go a long way to keeping everyone on track. Planning, organization, time management, and reinforcement must all come together to accomplish home and school tasks. Visual aids, to-do lists, and breaking larger tasks into smaller chunks can all help students stay on track. Numerous apps can aid in time management. If you want to read more on this topic, Peg Dawson, EdD, and Richard Guare, PhD, have a book called Smart but Scattered, which can be a great resource for improving Executive skills. (Links to any previous PiP articles on schedules, time management, or executive function skills?)
Schedule an Early Meeting With Teachers
Send an email to your child’s team. If your student is old enough, help them write a letter introducing themselves to new teachers or teams. Please include information about who they are, their strengths, the accommodations that help them, and their goals for the new year. The aforementioned Special Education binder has a page that you can help your child complete with their vision statement, strengths, motivators, what works best for the student, what doesn’t work, and goals for the year.
Many teachers return to school the week before students do. If there is room in the schedule, it never hurts to request an informal meeting. This is a wonderful opportunity to share what your child has worked on over the summer, goals you and they have for the new school year, and set the next IEP date. Communicate and build a relationship with your child’s teachers early.
Final Thoughts on Back-to-School IEP Preparation
Enjoy these final weeks of summer, but don’t miss the opportunity to get ahead. Early back-to-school IEP preparation reduces stress and sets everyone up for a smoother transition. Here’s to a great start to the 2025–2026 school year!
About the Author – Barbara Bratton
Barbara Bratton is a Certified Academic Language Therapist who specializes in working with students with Dyslexia and Specific Learning Disabilities in reading. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Elementary Education and Special Education, as well as a Master of Education in Special Education and Multisensory Structured Language Education. She is the author of Maggie with a G, a story of a young military-connected student learning to conquer moving monkey bars, bullies, but especially tricky sounds. Barbara is a Special Education Mentor for Partners in PROMISE.
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